By Shamona McClary

Kannapolis Citizen

Like a fairy-tale, J. W. Cannon begins a thriving textile manufacturing company in Kannapolis in 1906. California billionaire David Murdock and Fieldcrest Mills succeed the Cannon family as owners of the company in the 1980s and '90s. Dallas-based Pillowtex buys the textile industry in 1997.

Pillowtex files for bankruptcy and closes the plant, resulting in the lay off of thousands in 2003. Murdock makes a bid on the property and wins, not knowing what his plans entail. He finalizes the purchase with the goal of creating jobs. Then he announces his vision of a creating a North Carolina Research Campus to revitalize the economy in 2005.

"This is an incredible story," John Cox, chief executive officer of Cabarrus Regional Partnership, told an audience at the State of the Region Summit Tuesday at Concord Mills AMC Theatres.

An incredible story many want to see end happily ever after. But much has to be done before that becomes a reality. Since Dole Food Co. owner Murdock announced his vision for the former mill site, several steps have been made to make the dream come to fruition.

During the summit, Castle & Cooke president and the campus' ambassador, Lynne Safrit updated several businesspeople and city officials on the $1 billion-project, which is expected to be completed in five to seven years.

"It's not an office park," Safrit said. "(Murdock is) building a scientific community."

A collaboration between Dole, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, UNC at Charlotte and N.C. State University will "promote the importance of a healthy lifestyle," Safrit said.

An all-girl math and science high school, a Carolina Inn-styled hotel, a 1,000-seat auditorium, a city hall/civic center, retail and housing facilities, restaurants, biking and walking trails and a medical district are planned for the site.

Safrit said:

* Buildings 1, 1A, 2, 6, 7 , the paint shop and the towel distribution building are gone.

The towel distribution building was imploded Saturday, although demolition workers ran into problems during test explosions throughout the week.

"That building did not want to come down," Safrit said.

Other buildings are undergoing asbestos abatement and are slated for demolition by the end of the year.

n Salvageable materials such as brick and beams are being recycled. Safrit said the bulk of brick has gone to Canada. Some building remains might find themselves a new home on the campus.

"Part of those buildings can live on in the future," she said.

n Construction of the campus' first building, the Core Lab, is expected to begin in late December or early January. More specifics on the building will be released in December. This lab will house a state-of-the -art contract manufacturing biogenic facility, the Dole Research Institute as well as temporary facilities for the University of North Carolina research institutes.

The facility will be built where the town lake now sits.

* Because the town lake provides fire protection to the downtown area, draining has been put on hold until a temporary pump can be installed. The pump is expected to arrive Dec. 10.

* About 50 companies have been in discussion with Safrit about the campus and none have had anything negative to say about the project. No leases have been signed.

* Interviewing is under way for contractors.

Safrit said campus officials want to hire as many local companies as possible. The campus is expected to create 5,000 jobs initially on the campus. Theoretically, for every one biotech job, six ancillary jobs are created.

This would result in about 30,000 jobs in the area and expand into several thousands for the state and nation.

Safrit said not to worry, the project will create lots of jobs for people who finished high school.

For those who did not, Safrit urges them to get a GED. Of the nearly 4,000 displaced workers in Rowan and Cabarrus County, 46 percent did not have a high school diploma or GED.

Safrit said the days of low hourly wages for the mill workers is gone, considering an average salary for an employee at the Burlington-based LabCorp is $75,000. This includes those who work in areas that don't require as much education and goes up to those who hold PhDs.

"That's a dramatic increase" from the textile days, Safrit said.

Mayor-Elect Bob Misenheimer, who has served on city council since the incorporation of Kannapolis in 1984, said he is thrilled about the campus because he has seen the city struggle over the years.

"We started off with absolutely nothing," Misenheimer said.

He said Cannon did not want other industry in the city because it would affect his labor force.

"We've had to work hard to get where we are," Misenheimer said.

Besides the research campus, Misenheimer mentioned other successful projects such as the Kannapolis Gateway Business Park. All property in the park has been sold, and construction of new buildings is in the planning stages. In addition, Kannapolis is supplying water to Landis and looking for other customers.

"We've made improvements," Misenheimer said.

Contact Shamona McClary at 704-797-4257 or smcclary@salisburypost.com.