IOW economic director gets work done from ground up

ISLE OF WIGHT

Folks in the Department of Economic Development don't panic if they find department director Lisa T. Perry lying on the floor of her office. It's not a medical emergency - it's simply Perry "grounding" herself for a few minutes in the midst of a hectic day, which have been the rule since she stepped into the job a year ago.

When the former director Patrick Small moved to the post of assistant county administrator, he recruited Perry, a 15-year veteran economic developer, to fill the job. She was most recently with the Virginia Economic Development Partnership.

Perry credits growing up in Cary, N.C., with whetting her appetite for economic development.

"I saw the Research Triangle transform the area," she said. "I watched that Behemoth come out of the ground and Cary was in the center of the action."

Perry, a petite dynamo of constant movement, claims to be energized by people - and prodigious amounts of decaffeinated diet Coke.

What it offers

In July, Perry helped Isle of Wight land its first major project in phase II of the Shirley T. Holland Intermodal Park on U.S. 460. Phase I of the park has been completely built out by Cost Plus World Market's 1.1 million-square-foot distribution center.

In July, LDI/SAFCO chose the park as the site of a 303,000 -square-foot East Coast distribution center - but needed to move in by December 2008.

"We can do that," Perry said and then mustered the forces of Isle of Wight into fast-track mode. This month, the $17 -plus million SAFCO Products distribution center will open, creating 40 jobs in the community, which will pay an average wage of more than $40,000 a year.

Headquartered in New Hope, Minn., SAFCO, a division of Liberty Diversified Industries, started more than 40 years ago selling corrugated storage products for office use. Today, the company offers 2,500 products and furniture items for the workplace.

Making it happen

"I put together a team of engineers, planning and zoning people and consultants," Perry said. "It was a bonding experience, and I was the coach, the tail-twister."

A build out in 4.5 months was a record for Tom "T.C." Sahlmen, building superintendent for Ryan Companies US Inc., the project's contractor.

"Fastest one of my 25-year career," he said. His team set a safety record of 67,000 man hours without any injuries.

"My biggest fear is a worker getting injured," he said. "But these contractors were exceptionally good about safety."

The project was so accelerated that the bulldozers appearing at the groundbreaking weren't merely ceremonial - they were actually moving earth as officials hobnobbed.

Staying cool under pressure

Workers smiled and waved as Perry drove the county truck around the site recently and onto the distribution center's polished concrete flooring. She's a familiar figure there - part of her hands-on oversight that helped push the project forward.

"We'd take them county fair tickets and Smithfield bacon, just to keep everyone happy," she said.

"There were days when I didn't think we were going to make it," she said. "But you cannot lose your cool or lose your focus - there's not time.

"And most of all, you cannot let them see you sweat."

Perry said when the days grow tense and the work seems overwhelming she thinks back to the high school summer vacation she spent priming tobacco in the fields of North Carolina.

"It was hot, sticky and the hardest work I've ever done for $6 an hour," she said.

The deadline was imperative for SAFCO according to Don Ackerson, director of distribution and logistics for the company.

"We have new products coming into the product mix and our seasonal peak for import containers of products is December and early January," he said.

The center, which will take 10 to 12 weeks to stock, is SAFCO's first East Coast facility.

The company's first hires locally were receiving workers. More employees will be added in the spring.

The local labor market was one of the deciding factors in SAFCO's decision to locate in Isle of Wight, he said, adding that the company also considered the availability of land and economic development incentives.

"I believe that we have the highest starting wage of any distribution center in Hampton Roads - $13 an hour," he said.

More than 400 people showed up to apply for work at the company's job fair a month ago.

Fast-time method

Perry's innovative fast-track process worked so well that she plans to ask the county's planning department and Board of Supervisors to formalize the "cut-through-the-red-tape" process so it can be used as the model for developing smaller businesses, as well as major developments.

The normal time frame for a similar building is six to seven months, depending on weather and soil conditions according to Todd Schell, senior project manager with Ryan Companies.

"We worked with the owner to find solutions to keep progress moving," he said. "Lisa Perry and Isle of Wight were especially fabulous with working with us in finding out-of-the-box remedies to getting through the permitting and code processes."

He also credited Perry and her colleagues with being good team players and coming into the project with open minds.

"It takes a whole lotta people to make this all come together," Perry agreed.

Though Perry considers herself a "city girl," she sees rural Isle of Wight as "such a progressive community," she said, "people are smart and fun and the quietness is beautiful."

The county is one of 14 cities and counties to receive state money in matching farmland preservation grants to help assure the area's continued rural atmosphere.

Perry's forte is her ability to identify economic development prospects and close deals, she said, adding that she's made half a dozen marketing trips since September.

"But the county's intent is to develop about 15 percent of our land," she said. "We are being very mindful and thoughtful in our strategic planning because we want the best of the best."

Phyllis Speidell, (757) 222-5556 or phyllis.speidell@pilotonline.com