Our Partners in Economic Development

Growth and prosperity have long been important factors to community leaders, and just a few years ago, that is what a county commissioner had in mind when he proposed a partnership between Cleveland County and the Chamber to combine resources for economic development efforts.  Then-commissioner Charlie Harry suggested that the county’s Economic Development Department be realigned under the Cleveland County Chamber.  Such a partnership would place Cleveland County into uncharted territory.  But the initial trepidation was soon replaced with optimism.  Our leaders knew that the partnership was right for Cleveland County, and given the chance, Commissioner Harry’s idea could indeed succeed.

The result of this vision is the Cleveland County Chamber Economic Development Partnership which involves many public partners, including Cleveland County, Cleveland County Sanitary District, City of Kings Mountain, City of Shelby, and the Town of Boiling Springs.  

By combining the resources of the various local municipalities and the Chamber, the available economic development staff has quadrupled.   Through the partnership, Cleveland County can entertain more economic development prospects than ever before, and several new and existing industry announcements have resulted from the unified, team effort.

Cleveland County is also committed to maintaining a professional appearance for business and industry prospects as well as newcomers to the area.  An updated county web site featuring a slide show was developed in 2003 to showcase the community’s quality of life.  The information can be viewed at www.ClevelandCounty.biz.