Economic Development Quarterly May 2022
In December 2017, the Golden LEAF Foundation Board of Directors awarded Vance County $522,987 through the Economic Catalyst Program to purchase equipment that is being leased to MAKO Medical Laboratories at a fair market value. When the company successfully fills the requirements of the project, Vance County will be able to use the returned payments for other economic growth opportunities.
“MAKO has been a positive community partner from the moment they chose Vance County as a site for one of their facilities,” said McKinley Perkinson, Director of Henderson-Vance County Economic Development Commission. “They have continued to provide jobs to not only our county, but the region as a whole.”
To date, MAKO has created 290 full-time jobs in Vance County, which is 137 jobs more than they projected. The average annual salary is $47,290.29, compared to the current county average of $36,717. MAKO also has several hundred contracted employees.
One of the projects MAKO worked on included diagnostic testing during the pandemic.
“In response to the pandemic, MAKO Medical expanded its capacity and increased its diagnostic capabilities to meet local, state, and federal demands,” said Perkinson. “As a result, their Henderson facility experienced several phases of expansion.”
With a growing workforce, MAKO is investing in the local education system.
“MAKO made a generous donation to our local school system,” said Perkinson. “Along with the donation, came a community challenge. MAKO committed to match all future 2022 donations up to an additional $10,000.”
Vance County is working on building upon this economic success story by enhancing an industrial park.
“Currently, we are working on site development for a shell building in our Henderson Vance Industrial Park,” said Perkinson. “We will be completing the road and sewer upgrades in that park through funding from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration and N.C. Commerce.”
Vance County also has several industries interested in the area and a couple of recent economic development announcements.
“Our most recent project of size was with Select Products choosing Vance County for their facility,” said Perkinson. “We have several expansion projects currently underway including a 20,000-square-foot freezer facility at MR Williams, a local industry partner.”
Perkinson said she likes to promote MAKO as one of their biggest successes.
“Right now, we need more people to know what a great place Vance County is to locate their business,” said Perkinson. “We certainly believe that MAKO is one of our community’s big success stories, and we often share it when working with potential projects.”