Comeback Story: Manufacturing What’s Next in Surry County
For generations, Surry County was known as a major producer of tobacco and textiles. Then came the turn of the century.
“This community lost nearly 10,000 manufacturing jobs between 1995 and 2005,” says Blake Moyer, president and CEO of the Surry County Economic Development Partnership (EDP).
“The population here was about 70,000 at the time, so that’s about one in three (workers), but we’ve done a lot in the last 20 years to combat that,” he says. “We now have a lot of opportunities we didn’t have 20 years ago.”
During the last couple of decades, Moyer says, the poultry industry has become the region’s predominant agricultural influence. The buildings left empty when the textile jobs vanished have been filled by employers of various stripes.
“Everything from metal building manufacturing and utility vehicle assembly to auto parts and
furniture,” he says.
Diversification Is Key
For the past decade, the company has had a sizable campus in Mount Airy, the Surry County town known as the model for Mayberry, the fictional setting of television’s The Andy Griffith Show. Based in Birmingham, Alabama, Altec is a major provider of products and services to the electric-utility, telecommunications, contractor and tree-care industries.
Daniel Haymore, a program manager for Altec in his native Mount Airy, says the company has two plants at that location, one for fabrication and one for final assembly.
“We’re able to fabricate raw steel, assemble the equipment and everything in between,” Haymore says. “Cutting, welding, painting the bucket truck you see on the road, supply chain, assembly and a full gamut of engineers. Because we don’t just manufacture it, we design and engineer it right here.”
Altec also has several other business units on its Mount Airy campus – transportation, tool repair, parts and supply, service, and a back-office operation.
Moyer says the key to Surry County’s renaissance has been, and is, diversification.
“The area’s economy is certainly more balanced,” he says. “Manufacturing makes up 13%
of the workforce – it’s no longer 50%, not reliant on one or two major industries.”
‘Broader Skill Set’
The landscape has also changed at Surry-Yadkin Electric Membership Corp., says Anna Jones, the utility’s vice president of human resources and safety.
“In the beginning, our roles were hands-on, labor-intensive positions focused on bringing power to the rural communities – essentially ‘keeping the lights on,’” she says. “While that work remains vital, today’s careers at SYEMC require a broader skill set; we’ve grown to include GIS mapping, data analytics, cybersecurity positions and many more.”
Jones says Surry Yadkin has responded to member demand for more options, information and services by creating additional careers.
“(We’ve) developed a more diverse workforce,” she says. “This diversity has strengthened our workforce and helped us reflect on the communities we serve and allowed us to continue providing outstanding service.”
Renfro Offers Options
While Surry County’s textile industry certainly isn’t what it was, sock/apparel manufacturer Renfro Brands is more than holding its own after more than 100 years in the community.
Senior Vice President Corena Norris says there’s a pretty good chance that anyone who wears socks has likely had a Renfro product on his or her foot at some point.
“Our hope is that we will always be a leading manufacturer of socks, and we don’t see that changing anytime soon,” she says.
Norris, who also serves as Renfro’s chief human resources officer and general counsel, says one of Renfro’s several strengths is that it has a diverse range of career opportunities.
“Trade jobs, clerical jobs, distribution jobs, creative, design, finance, supply chain, sales and
back office,” she says. “Everything that goes into a sock – we touch every part of that process.”
Norris says it’s possible to start and finish a career at Renfro, as the company is open to employee mobility.
“If you have the ability to cross departments, if you want to try something new and your skill set matches up, you can,” she says. “I think that’s one of the things
I’m most proud of Renfro for.” – Bob Gary
