NFL Monday Night Football results…Baltimore Ravens 23 – Houston Texans 16.
Remember Harriett Henderson, Sportee, Westpoint Pepperill, Elizabethtown Mfg, just a few of the plants that were located in Bladen County at one time or another in the recent past, 20 years or so….maybe some of those listed closed before that time. Bet you can add to the list.
One publication from NC Rural Center reported Bladen County lost 1,000 jobs from 2002 to 2006. I cannot challenge, their records no doubt are better than my memory.
Prior to the 2000s, closures included sawmills, sewing rooms, other textiles and farm related efforts, primary employers in the county at that time.
Today, Smithfield is no doubt the largest employer in Bladen, Dupont, and companies that were once Dupont, but changed names, such as Kuray and Chemours, combine for several hundred jobs.
Veedor Root was another blue-chip employer, changed to Danaher and other names as the company has gone through several changes, still a good, important employer in the county…
Other local industries have weathered changes and continue to grow and prosper and employ locals and pay taxes.
Bladen has gone through many changes. Today there are more job opportunities than ever in the area. Companies like Smithfield have created a whole new way of farming, raising pork, a huge industry in Bladen County.
Farming has really changed. Many if not all due to changes in demand. Tobacco is no longer ‘king’. Blueberries and pork have moved to the top, or near the top of the list.
Growth like what has happened in Bladen and others counties around us didn’t just happen. It takes planning and huge efforts, with leadership by government, the private sector, and volunteers to make it happen. And yes, the 1,000 jobs lost in the early 2000s have been replaced with more jobs, better jobs and more are on the way. Now, employers are looking for a few good workers, no, many good workers. Need to be trained, (some on the job, others at institutions such as Bladen Community College) willing to work and drug free.
Lead me, follow me, or get out of the way. General George Patton
You don’t need a title to be a leader. (Attributed to many)
A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd. Max Lucado
Do what you feel in your heart to be right – for you’ll be criticized anyway. Eleanor Roosevelt
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