When I was young, I heard a story about an elderly fellow who stood on the bank of the Hudson River as Robert Fulton fired up the Clermont, his new-fangled steamboat. As Fulton worked to get everything up and running, the old guy kept calling out:

“He’ll never get it going. He’ll never get it going.”

After a little while, the engine came to life, Fulton engaged the power, and his boat began steaming along the river. The old man changed his tune:

“He’ll never get it stopped. He’ll never get it stopped.”

Originally built in 1944 by the United States Navy, what is now the North Carolina Global TransPark airfield served as a training location for the U.S. Marine Corps at Cherry Point Air Station. Later, the field served as a training ground for the U.S. Air Force as Kinston Air Base.

In 1952, the facility became Stallings Air Base, a name that remained active until the facility was closed for military use in 1957. Later, the field reopened as the Kinston Regional Jetport. In May 1996, the Global TransPark came into existence, designated as Foreign Trade Zone 214.

As an agency of the State of North Carolina, the GTP is considered a key engine for driving the economy of Eastern North Carolina. The TransPark offers access to various modes of transportation, including air, rail, highways, and North Carolina’s two international ports.

The GTP is part of an economic development initiative in eastern North Carolina intended to spur the transition of the region from an economy heavily based on agriculture to a more balanced economy based on skilled labor and industrial manufacturing, as well as agriculture. Industries targeted by the GTP are aerospace, defense, and logistics.

For a quarter of a century, area residents have been waiting for the TransPark to take off. Some key pieces have fallen into place in the past few years. On Tuesday, July 20, my hope for the future of our county and region took flight as I listened to the announcement that Lenoir, Greene, and Wayne counties had entered an agreement that will bring their combined resources into play for industrial recruitment.

According to Mark Pope, the agreement will allow all involved to “aggressively market the region with the product assets, people, quality of life, and military bases to showcase Eastern NC as a destination for high-quality economic investors.” Pope serves as the Senior Vice President for the NC Global TransPark Economic Development Region.

“What does the partnership of these three counties together look like?” Pope asked during the announcement.  These combined counties offer 120 manufacturers, more than 15,000 employees, and around 200,000 in population. Pope pointed out that 1 million people live within a 75-mile radius of the TransPark.

That partnership combines other critical assets for industrial recruitment, including two of the state's best community colleges – Wayne Community College and Lenoir Community College, and three university partners: the University of Mt Olive, East Carolina University, and NC State University.

Work on forging this partnership began in August of 2020. Even before the partners finalized the agreement, that cooperation started paying dividends. Seven expanding industries have brought nearly 650 additional jobs and invested a combined $85.1 million in their businesses in this three-county area. Thirty more projects are underway.

When it comes to the TransPark, many in our area remind me of the old man who kept repeating, “He’ll never get it going. He’ll never get it going.” We have waited a good while for the boiler to heat up and our region’s flagship to start moving.

I am hoping that we all will soon be staying, “We’ll never get it stopped. We’ll never get it stopped.”

Special thanks to Greene County manager Kyle DeHaven, Wayne County manager Craig Honeycutt, and Lenoir County manager Michael James. These leaders and the boards of commissioners they serve have proven they could see past county lines to lay the foundation for economic growth that will benefit our region for years to come.

Mike Parker is a columnist for the Neuse News. You can reach him at mparker16@gmail.com.