“In addition to giving the annual update, we will have a special guest, keynote speaker (Ret.) Brig. Gen Paul Dordal,” Turlington said Friday. “He is going to talk about the importance of the BRAC (Base Relocation And Closure) and what it going to mean to this area.”
In addition, there will be an announcement that the Clinton 100 Club will be giving Aludisc CEO Jorge Monch a check for $5,000.
“We were working with the Southeast Partnershipon getting Aludisc here,” explained Turlington. “This was a few years ago, and I think the Southeast Partnership offered something like $25,000 as an incentive to bring his company here — of course, there were requirements the company had to fulfill. They had to bring the company to Clinton and create at least 25 new jobs, as well as some other requirements. Well, at the time, our club also offered $5,000 for them to come here. Since then (which was early 2006), he has met all of those requirements, and we are going to present him a check.”
Unfortunately, Monch is out of the country and will not be at Thursday’s meeting, however, Turlington said upon his return, the Aludisc owner will be presented with the check.
The Clinton 100 Club was formed before the county had an economic development commission and is responsible for bringing many businesses to the county during its history.
“The club started when some men from the area wanted to work with each other to bring more businesses to Clinton,” Turlington explained. “Each man pledged $100 a year, which is still the cost of membership, and got the club going.”
The club, Turlington admitted, was dormant for a few years, but has been rejuvenated.
“Yes, there was a time that it was like that, but about 10 years ago, Buddy Adkins really brought it back to life,” Turlington said. “Ronnie Jackson got me involved and we have continually grown since then. Right now we have about 65 members. Those members include local business leaders and people in the community. Our goal is to get it back to 100 members.”
More recently, the club has purchased a portion of land at the Southeast Business Center to hopefully entice a business to set its sites on Clinton.
“We are constantly working with the city and county, as well as the EDC to bring businesses here,” he said. “We have really gone out and made an effort to do that.”
Which is why Turlington is offering an invitation to locals who are interested in helping the development — and the club’s — cause. A good start, he said, would be to attend the annual meeting to see what the club is all about.
“We want people to get involved,” he said. “We are a private organization and we work closely with the private sector. That is to our advantage — we work independently of the public sector. That is a key benefit that we have.”
The annual meeting will be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday, March 11 at the Sampson County Agri-Exposition Center. A small reception will be held before the dinner.
To attend the meeting, call 910-592-7197 before Tuesday, March 9 at 5 p.m. Business attire is requested. The same number can be called if you would like more information on the club.
To reach Doug Clark call 910-592-8137 ext. 123 or send e-mail to sisports@myclintonnc.com.
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