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2017 First Quarter Economic Development Numbers Total $168 Million Invested, Nearly 1000 New Jobs

The Durham Chamber of Commerce responded to a dramatic increase in RFI and client visits starting in mid-December and running through the First Quarter of 2017 but it is the development along T.W. Alexander that highlight this quarter.

Cranes dotting the sky are a common site in downtown Durham, but along the Southeast edge of Durham along the T.W. Alexander corridor, from Research Triangle Park to Page Road extension is seeing its own economic boom.

Liberty Ridge, a 36-acre industrial development project is now the home to Elite Flooring. Elite Flooring occupies 42,000 square feet of space. Headquartered out of Atlanta, Elite offers flooring solutions for multi-family, home builder, new construction and military housing. For more than a decade Elite Flooring has been committed to sustainable practices, recycling more than 1 million pounds of carpet and pads each year.

Elite joins another innovative company located at Liberty Ridge, Implus. Implus manufactures more than a dozen brands in the footwear and recreational accessories marketplace; from the hand and body warmers and thermal layering products used on the slopes to exercise playing cards and sneaker balls deodorizers. Implus expanded into a 136,000 square foot space at the end of 2016.

Parata, an expert in pharmacy automation will also find a new 100,000 square foot home in the Alexander Industrial Park. Even Amazon has a spot along T.W. Alexander. In 2016 Amazon signed one of the largest warehouse lease deals of the year, 324,838-square-foot at Centerpoint I on T.W. Alexander. The RDU5 Amazon Fulfillment Center is one of 80 fulfillment centers worldwide and one of three centers in North Carolina. The others are located in Concord and Charlotte.

Just a mile from T.W. Alexander Drive is the home of apparel designer Peter Millar. Founded in North Carolina in 2001, Peter Millar products are the highest quality offered at the golf Masters and truly exemplify luxury apparel. Peter Millar has a business operations center in Durham. In 2013, the Peter Millar Masters collection replaced Bobby Jones as the highest quality Masters apparel on the planet. At the 2017 Masters, Peter Millar dressed golfer Brandt Snedeker.

Read the 2017 First Quarter Economic Development Report HERE

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