| Brunswick
County:
Business and Industry that’s Balanced
When
the men and women of Brunswick County open their doors
each day for business, they get the job done.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, approximately
3,000 private nonfarm workers were responsible for
the productivity that shipped over $73 million dollars
in manufactured goods out of Brunswick County businesses
in 2002*. With a general population of approximately
18,000 — 11,000 with adult disposable income
— on lunch breaks, after work and weekends,
those salaries supported our Brunswick retailers with
approximately $54 million in sales.
With
our balanced Brunswick population — 46% women,
54% male — and a healthy distribution of our
ethnic populations — 43% white, 56% black —
a Brunswick work day produces a shared income and
spending ratio that spreads well across the population
and contributes to our $38,354** median family income
level.
Women
own over 30% of our businesses. Over 35% of our businesses
are minority owned.
With 46% of our population women — 43% of them
between the ages of 20 and 59 — and 30% of our
businesses owned by women, Brunswick women are definitely
pulling their weight at the top of business in Brunswick.
In fact, it is reported that 39 farms in Brunswick
are operated solely by women. These numbers put women
who own businesses in Brunswick a full 5% ahead of
the average for all of Virginia and even the U.S.
Minority owned firms in Brunswick are also significantly
higher than the state and U.S. overall. Thirty-six
percent of our businesses in Brunswick are minority
owned, putting us well ahead of Virginia and U.S.
reported rates of less than 15%.
Our
Major Producers
All of Brunswick County businesses — farming,
forestry, manufacturing and service — contribute
to Brunswick County’s economic base as employers
and tax payers. Many contribute human resource leadership
locally and on a statewide basis, and many also lead
regionally and nationally in their product sectors
with products that are recognized for superior quality.
Productive
Land-Related Businesses
Brunswick’s 287,198 acres of productive managed
timberlands provide 672 direct jobs and 287 indirect
paychecks through companies here in Brunswick like
M.M.Wright Inc. and Virginia-Carolina. In 2002, Brunswick’s
333 reporting farmers put over 79,000 acres of land
to work to produce $12,632,000 in sales at market,
$7 million of which was in crops, $5 million in livestock,
poultry and their products. These farms provided their
owners and over 450 non-migrant locally based workers
with income represented by a total reported payroll
in excess of $2 million.
Resourceful
Manufacturing and Service Businesses
-
Using our local clay and shale carefully and
recycling to reduce waste while producing some of
the finest brick in the U.S., Lawrenceville Brick’s
150 employees can take pride that last year they
contributed to the production of over 115 million
hand-checked, top quality bricks that were not only
used in Virginia, but shipped to 39 other states
and Canada.
- At
Brunswick Box, 77 employees made sure that over
700,000 pallets would ship all over the world and
helped to put in place their new colored mulch line
that put a feather in their company’s recycling
cap as well as feathering the company’s nest.
- Lawrenceville
Machine and Sopko Manufacturing made a positive
contribution to Brunswick’s quality product
reputation and Virginia’s strong position
in metalworking by reporting they had shipped out
over 26,000 steel truck trailer and machined parts.
- Brunswick
Ice crossed the mark of 1 million pounds delivered
with its OSMOTIC AQUATIC® Purified Ice made
from pharmaceutical grade purified water —
the only purified ice in America.
- Over
70 employees of Jones Electric kept industry and
homes humming. This company over the last five years
has also put over _____ journeymen apprentices to
work through the local Southside Virginia Community
College’s Workforce Training Program.
- Vulcan
Materials’ 50 employees kept our driveways
and construction sites supplied with quarried and
river bed stone and Scott’s Hyponex plant
kept 50 employees busy with the production and packaging
of some of the best enriched soil and fertilizer
products on the market.
- Brunswick
County retailers kept over 400 employees ringing
the registers and stocking the shelves. Not counting
the thousands of dishes of our famous signature
Brunswick stew, more than 200 people served it up
the Brunswick way in our restaurants and tucked
the sheets in for our motels and bed and breakfast
accommodations. And our private college put 160
great minds to work challenging St. Paul’s
College students to reach for the stars.
Hundreds
of businesses round out the balance that is Brunswick
business
— Motor vehicle & parts dealers; Furniture
& home furnishings stores; Electronics & appliance
stores; Building material & garden equipment &
supplies dealers; Food & beverage stores; Health
& personal care stores; Gasoline stations; General
merchandise stores; Wholesalers; Contractors; Utility
workers; Transportation and warehousing companies;
Information services suppliers; Finance and insurance
providers; Real estate professionals; Professional,
scientific and technical service providers; Waste
management and remediation service providers; Arts,
entertainment and recreation personnel and producers;
Health care, residential care & social assistance
providers; and last, but not least, those who staff
and serve our community with private, public and volunteer
security and emergency services.
There
is balance in Brunswick County business. The business
that you bring here will be well supported and welcome.
The potential is endless.
Note: All data from US Census online files
*most recent economic census available
**1999 dollars
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