Surry County Goes Fishing in Dell Pond for Financial Ripples
Forsyth's neighbor sends group to Texas, soliciting future business

February 16, 2005
By:  Sherry Youngquist
JOURNAL REPORTER

Surry County wants its share of the ripple effect that Dell Inc., the personal-computer giant, is expected to make when it makes its splash in adjacent Forsyth County.

So much so that municipal officials in Surry put together a four-day, $10,000 trip to Dell's headquarters in Round Rock, Texas.

The trip included pitching Surry's industrial-park space - the closest being 36 miles from the new computer-assembly plant being built in Forsyth County - to seven of Dell's vendors.

"Our leadership is well aware what our limitations would be in trying to capture some of the opportunities that Dell is bringing. We know we can't get the people that are with Dell, the major suppliers. But we know that we might be able to get some of the noncritical vendors," said Jan Critz, the president of the Surry County Economic Development Partnership in Dobson.

A team of six from Surry County, including Critz as well as representatives from Mount Airy, Elkin and Pilot Mountain, returned last week after the marketing trip.

Though their intent was to be as aggressive as possible in building relationships and soliciting those vendors, the team didn't realize just how aggressive they were being until they began meeting with some of those companies, Critz said.

"We were the first ones to contact the ones we met with," she said. "I don't think that we realized it until we got there, and some of the companies said you're the first ones to contact us.... I remember one company was shocked because they said 'We're honored that you came to see us,' and we said 'We're honored that you let us come see you.'"

Pilot Mountain is the closest Surry town to the Dell site in Forsyth. Because of its nearness, Critz and others say, they think that Pilot Mountain might have the best chance to lure industry and business coming in with Dell.

"Our opportunity would be if we can offer services that will support Dell's manufacturing activities," said Martin Collins, the community-development coordinator for the city of Mount Airy.

The Surry County Board of Commissioners approved the $5,000 fee the county paid Angelou Economics to act as a consultant for the trip. An economic-development firm based in Austin, Texas worked with the Surry County team to set up appointments with vendors and other companies as well as help them explore the radius around Dell's headquarters in Round Rock.

The remaining cost of the trip, about $5,000 for travel and lodging, was divided among Elkin, Mount Airy and Pilot Mountain.

"Basically everybody paid their own meals," said Critz, who described the trip with excitement. Those who went and spent money out of their own pocket did so because they're convinced the opportunities could be large for the area, she said.

Surry County has taken some of the hardest hits in loss of manufacturing jobs. More than 4,000 jobs have been cut in the past five years.

"We went down there with a goal to learn all we could," Critz said. "We totally had a different view of everything. It's not what we're used to. We're used to raw materials and manufacturing all the way through shipping it out. The Dell model, I would compare it to the Wal-Mart model.... Dell doesn't manufacture anything there. The majority of the components are manufactured offshore. Basically, the manufacturing plant is assembly."