Back in the mid-1970s, when I first arrived in Lexington as a wet-behind-the-ears sports writer for The Dispatch, I found myself in the middle of a burgeoning and historic furniture and textile district.
And I didn't even know it. I mean, I came from eastern Pennsylvania. We had Bethlehem Steel, suppliers of the material that built the Golden Gate Bridge.
But here, furniture and textiles were the lifeblood of the Davidson County community. Manufacturing factories were everywhere in Lexington, and indeed, in the area. Thomasville had its big chair and High Point had its international furniture market. It was amazing.
Everybody knew at least one person who worked in a furniture factory or textile mill, it seemed.
Then, after more than 100 years, it all disappeared. By the 1990s, the factories had closed down and moved to more profitable sites overseas. Against all logic, it seemed, it was actually cheaper to ship raw materials from the United States, mostly to Asia, where it was crafted by pennies-on-the-dollar labor. Then the product, now noticeably inferior to what was once made here (truism: you get what you pay for), was sent back to the States for assembly and consumption.
Davidson County spent the next couple of decades trying to recover and repurpose itself, the empty factories in the middle of Lexington and Thomasville serving as harsh reminders of what had once been. Community leaders began earnest, sometimes frantic attempts to attract new industry that would offer well-paying jobs and benefits.
The arrival of particleboard manufacturer Egger in 2018 provided a significant boost to the area. Homes were being sold and apartments were being rented and it certainly helped the local economy. And then, last week, Siemens Mobility announced it would build a plant on 200 aces at the industrial park on Brown Street where it will build passenger railcars. Operations are expected to begin in 2024 with 500 employees.
As a resident of Lexington, I cannot be happier. Siemens, an internationally known corporation, will become the largest taxpayer in Davidson County, which should mean that city and county services will be upgraded and improved, including health and education.
For the life of me, I could never understand why it took this long to attract major industry to the area. The railroad runs through the middle of the county as does an Interstate highway; we are located in a population center that includes Charlotte, Winston-Salem and Greensboro; and taxes are generally lower in Davidson County than in neighboring counties. We even have an airport, for crying out loud.
I am not privy to the politics that goes into luring corporations to job-hungry communities. I don't see the money that changes hands or the sly winks that are closely guarded. But it's probably always been that way and probably always will be. All that really matters is that the jobs will be here soon.
And I suspect Siemens will be here for a long time. Railroads are the arteries of commerce in this country and railcars will always be in demand. Even in the future, when flux capacitors have us traveling through time, Siemens will probably be the brand you see on the package.
It's about time. It changes everything for us here in Davidson County. And that's a good thing.
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