By James R. McNally

Kannapolis Citizen

Executives with the company that owns the North Carolina Research Campus hosted a site tour and roundtable discussion last Friday that included U.S. Treasury Secretary John W. Snow and Rep. Robin Hayes.

In introducing Hayes and Snow, Lynne Scott Safrit, president of the Charlotte Region of Castle & Cooke, positioned the massive Research Campus project in a context that exceeded the bounds of Kannapolis.

She said the campus, under construction on the grounds of the old Pillowtex plant, would not only give the Kannapolis economy a much-needed boost, but "would change biotechnology in the country and the world."

Snow, who joined President Bush's Cabinet in January 2003, said the project is the kind that answers questions he hears from leaders of foreign governments.

"I always get the question, 'How does America do it?' "

Snow said the short answer to that question is "resiliency." He said, more specifically, that it involved projects like the Research Campus.

"Look what's coming out of the ground," Snow said. "We are the most innovative country in the world," he said. "We don't allow ourselves to get frozen in time. We continue to show resiliency and adapt to the changing times. Our economy is in a state of perpetual renewal. The heart of renewal is innovation."

Earlier in the roundtable, Hayes referred to Snow as "the man who signs his paycheck on both sides."

Hayes then spoke briefly about the evolution of the Kannapolis economy.

He said the Research Campus, announced last summer by billionaire food magnate David Murdock, is a testimony the city's adaptability.

"We have transitioned from agriculture to textile manufacturing and now from manufacturing to technology," said Hayes, whose 8th District includes the Cabarrus County side of Kannapolis. "I can't begin to contain my optimism about this."

Kannapolis City Manager Mike Legg said the campus project is unprecedented in its impact on the city.

"There is no real model for the kind of change that is taking place here," Legg said. "We are doing this on the fly."

Giving a nod down the dais toward the representatives of the federal government, and N.C. Sen. Fletcher Hartsell — who also spoke during the round table discussion — Legg stressed the importance of cooperation between the private and public sectors.

"Partnerships are critical in (any business deal)," Legg said. "But in something this complex, it is especially critical."

Legg spoke of how textile giant Pillowtex, which closed in 2003, put 4,800 people out of work. It was the largest layoff in North Carolina history.

He said the Research Campus will not only include the scientists and college-types, but will have "endless spin-off."

"The sky's the limit," he said.

Hartsell told a joke to exemplify the kind of effort that has gone into transforming a textile mill into what will be perhaps the preeminent biotechnology campus in the world.

He set up the punch line by telling of an island community that had been warned a tidal wave would wipe them out.

He said one man went out and "ate, drank and got happy."

A second man went to church and prayed.

"The third man said, 'We have to gather the wisest people on the island together so we can learn how to live under water,'" Hartsell said.

Hartsell said the project could be used as a model for other municipalities whose economies were greatly affected by the closing of a large employer.

"The model is, 'we don't complain, we create,'" he said.

But, as Legg pointed out, success in other places may depend on how easily a town or city can get its hands on the kind of money Murdock has.

"It doesn't hurt to have a billionaire who is excited about your community," Legg said.

The North Carolina Research Campus will cover 350 acres and will connect what is being called the state's "biotech corridor," stretching through the Research Triangle Park, the Triad, Asheville and Charlotte.

Research facilities for N.C. State, UNC-Chapel Hill, UNC-Charlotte and other educational institutions are included in its plans.

The campus will include 1 million square feet of office and laboratory space, 350,000 square feet of new retail and commercial space and some 700 new homes.

Progress is evident on the massive project, which started last September.

"We are not calling it a demolition site anymore," said Safrit, the project's top overseer. "We are now calling it a construction site. Buildings are literally rising up from the ground."

Snow, whose signature is stamped on all U.S. paper money printed in the last three years, signed bills with a Sharpie marker for 10 minutes following the round table discussion.

Conspicuous by his absence from the roundtable dais was Kannapolis Mayor Bob Misenheimer.

Misenheimer was a member of the audience and neither spoke nor was officially introduced during the affair.

Contact Jim McNally at 704-932-3336 or jmcnally@salisburypost.com.