Photo by Anthony Morse Bojangle’s restaurant located in Elizabethton this year as economic development in the city and county has begun to pick up according to Economic Development Director Haynes Elliott.

  By Abby Morris-Frye
star staff
amorris@starhq.com
  Economic development has begun to pick up in Elizabethton and Carter County according to Economic Development Director Haynes Elliott.
  "We've added between 500 and 600 new industrial jobs to Carter County and more than 1,000 commercial jobs," he said. "All of the industrial jobs were expansions to existing industrial facilities."
  The biggest expansion of an industrial facility in the last year came at the Elizabethton facility of Snap-on Tools, Inc., which recently underwent a $6.5 million expansion project that bumped the company up from 129 employees to approximately 375 employees.
  Another large expansion in Elizabethton came with the commercial expansion of Wal-Mart. When the old Wal-Mart discount store closed to make way for the new Wal-Mart Super Center, 250 new jobs were added to the ranks of store employees nearly doubling the store's previous work force and bringing the total number of employees to 470.
  "We've really had a good year," Elliott said. "We definitely expect to have a real good year in 2005."
  According to Elliott, land for industrial expansion or the location of new industry is becoming scarce in Carter County. "We are down to about 15 acres of industrial land," he said. "We are working on getting land for a new industrial park."
  Not only has the city of Elizabethton experienced growth in both commercial and industrial jobs, according to Elliott, but the communities of Stoney Creek, Hampton and Roan Mountain have been experiencing growth as well as new businesses opening up in the communities.
  According to Elliott, the businesses which have either expanded or newly located in Elizabethton and Carter County include: Aaron's, Alltell Communications, A.Y. McDonald Manufacturing, Bojangle's, Captain D's, Carter at Main restaurant, Food City, Fred's Discount, Lowe's, a third location of McDonald's, P.S.G., Silver Dollar, Snap-on, Star Building Systems, Walgreens, Wal-Mart Super Center, Whitehead Construction and Verizon Wireless.
  In addition, Applebee's and Lonestar restaurants have made commitments to come to Elizabethton as has retailer Magic Mart. According to reports from the O'Charley's restaurant chain, the owners of the chain are also looking at opening one of their restaurants in Elizabethton either late in 2005 or in early 2006.