That stratospheric level of interest in working for Nucor is undoubtedly related to the $60,000 average annual pay the jobs will provide, roughly three times the norm in Hertford County.

Besides top-quality labor, a reliable supply of low-cost electric power was a key location factor. "Our monthly electric bill at the new plant will be approximately $1.5 million," says Daughtridge, a 17-year Nucor veteran. "We'll use a 25,000-degree (Fahrenheit) arc to melt the steel." Nucor also needed low-cost transportation, including water access, and a large tract of land surrounding the plant site.

State and local officials assembled a lucrative incentives package of approximately $160 million to help win the Nucor project. "That shows North Carolina's aggressive attitude," says William S. (Bill) Early, executive director of the Hertford County Economic Development Commission. "But Nucor asked only for tax credits similar to those offered by other states."

Early says teamwork was the key ingredient in securing the big investment. "The state was absolutely excellent to work with, and the Northeast Partnership was an invaluable resource in helping put the pieces together," he adds.

Now, three Nucor suppliers have established operations in Hertford County in recent months. "We've probably had $100 million in investment and 400 jobs committed since September 1999," Early says. "That's not counting Nucor. I really haven't seen it slow down."

In neighboring Northampton County, a prospective corporate citizen also wanted its site to have water transportation, but for a different reason. Merced, Calif.-based Fineline Industries, a leading manufacturer of competition ski towboats, recently chose a 66,600-sq.-ft. (6,200-sq.-m.) available building in Woodland for its first facility east of the Rocky Mountains.

"Our company has had approximately 20 technological firsts since 1979," says founder and President Rick Lee. "Our craft are distributed throughout North America and beyond. But we needed to grow eastward."

Fineline had fairly flexible location requirements, and it canvassed several states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri and others, before choosing North Carolina.

"Coming from California, I anticipated a regulatory headache in establishing this facility," Lee says. "But it just never happened."

Lee admits he was a bit concerned about work-force availability in Woodland (pop. 800). "But when we drove up to a job fair held for us, hundreds of people were lined up and ready to work! At that point, we had a deal," he says.

Officials at Roanoke Chowan Community College shot a training video at Fineline's Merced facility, and they prepared instructional booklets for new employees. "The community college reimburses us for training expenses, including bringing Merced people here to help with training," Lee points out.

The new facility began production in March. "We've exceeded all our projections, and we're way ahead of schedule," Lee says. "We're making about a boat a day. Our ultimate goal is to build six boats per day. We have three models now, and we're about to introduce two or three more, built both here and in California."

While boats are moving along the production line, work continues outside on an 1,800-ft. x 300-ft. (549-m. x 91-m.) test lake, where Fineline is building an 18-lot waterfront housing development for management. "We're going to create a boat-building lifestyle here," Lee explains. "If you want, you can ski during your lunch hour."

The Fineline chief credits Northampton County Economic Development Commission Executive Director Gary Brown and North Carolina's Northeast Economic Development Associate Mike Scott for playing key roles in bringing the project to fruition. "Gary had amazing patience. He was very aggressive in creating a win-win deal for everybody."

"This project truly defines the meaning of teamwork," adds Vann Rogerson, regional marketing director for North Carolina's Northeast, noting that federal, state and local resources were tapped to seal the deal.

About an hour's drive south, in Beaufort County, the world's leading manufacturer and distributor of English equestrian apparel and equipment has relocated its headquarters to Washington.

"Before moving here, we were in a very congested city in the Northeastern United States," Miller Harness President Doug Kanter explains. "Although I was only about 4.5 miles (7.2 km.) from the office, it sometimes took as long as 90 minutes to get there. We realized that the future of the company would be better elsewhere. So we began to contact the state agencies in seven Southeastern states for data on possible sites. We looked at stats on about 100 buildings in 100 towns. This was the best facility that we had found, and the community made a very good sales presentation. Our quality of life here is significantly better than in our old location."

A $125,000 Governor's Competitive Funds grant was of "great assistance" in sealing the deal, Kanter says. But since those funds are available only after jobs are created, financing was needed to bridge the gap. At that point, the North Carolina's Northeast Partnership Committee of 1000 -- the private-sector leaders who provide financial backing for the organization -- stepped in with a $125,000 loan to Beaufort County.

Miller Harness leased a 102,000-sq.-ft. (9,500-sq.-m.) industrial building, and began operations in February with approximately 60 staff. Projections call for employing as many as 125 within the next year.