RCEDC’s annual meeting features awards, year’s accomplishments

ASHEBORO — The Randolph County Economic Development Corporation (RCEDC) hosted its signature annual meeting recently at the new Agricultural Event Center. The event recognized key achievements, shared its new Annual Report, and honored the Outstanding Industry of the Year and Outstanding Leader of the Year. 

“We are grateful for another year of businesses choosing Randolph County as a place to call home and employ our citizens,” said Kevin Franklin, president of the Randolph County Economic Development Corporation. “Each year we seek to recruit high value businesses to our county and retain our existing industrial businesses that keep our economy strong. We see our job as one of promoting smart economic growth in coordination with continual workforce development and attraction. Our county remains a strong node in the growing triad regional ecosystem.”

New board members

The Board of Directors added two new members to replace ones whose terms have ended and they have reappointed two for a second term, including creating a non-voting seat:

■ Jill Bryant, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Graham Personnel Services 

■ Skip Hislop, VP, Southern Region & VP, Oncology at Cone Health

■ Baxter Hammer, Plant Controller at The Timken Company (reappointment to 2nd term)

■ David Ramsey, VP of Strategic Relationships Landmark Builders (reappointment to 2nd term)

■ Non-voting ex officio seat for the Executive Director of the Randolph County Tourism Development Authority

Milestones of achievement 

The RCEDC’s 2025-2026 Annual Report celebrates several milestones that build the foundation for local economic development success:

■ Strong Economic Investment & Job Creation: Attracted major corporate expansions including Environmental Air Systems’ $20M, 300-job expansion and Toyota Battery Manufacturing North Carolina’s operational launch with 3,000 employees and $13.9B facility investment.

■ Workforce Marketing Campaign Reaches Critical Mass: Launched a targeted workforce attraction campaign generating over 600,000+ Facebook views, recorded 2.5% growth in social followers, and increased website traffic and jobs of the future exposure.

■ Exceeded Industry Engagement Goals: Surpassed annual visitation target with Existing Industry Director completing 100+ unique industry visits gathering critical workforce and supply chain insights while strengthening relationships with key business leaders.

■ Established Strategic Workforce Development Infrastructure: Deepened ongoing industry collaboration between Randolph Community College and the RCEDC through Industry Advisory Committee meetings and launched an ad hoc Workforce Development Committee to address talent needs and training gaps.

■ Major Distribution Hub Development Nears Completion: Facilitated development of Ross Dress for Less’s 1.7 million-square-foot distribution center near Asheboro, one of the largest warehousing operations in the Triad positioned to employ 852 workers upon opening. 

Industry awards

The RCEDC also celebrated industrial business and leader of the year 2026 for the significant contribution to the broader manufacturing economy:

■ Rheem Parts Division, winner of the 2026 Outstanding Industry Award.

■ Wayne Parker, 2026 Industry Leader Award.