Catawba County Put $200K of Its Own Money Into Manufacturer Equipment Upgrades. The Second Cycle Is Open.
Catawba County, NC used $200,000 in county general fund money, with no state grant and no federal program behind it, to fund automation and advanced machining upgrades at five incumbent manufacturers. The second cycle is open now at $175,000. First-round recipients reported $2.3 million in private capital investment. The competitive implication: Catawba's EDO can answer the supplier-base technology question in an RFI with project-level specificity instead of a company list and employee counts. Any county with manufacturing density and $200K in discretionary budget can run the same play inside twelve months.
Catawba County Put $200K of Its Own Money Into Manufacturer Equipment Upgrades. The Second Cycle Is Open.
Catawba County, NC used $200,000 in county general fund money, with no state grant and no federal program behind it, to fund automation and advanced machining upgrades at five incumbent manufacturers. The second cycle is open now at $175,000. First-round recipients reported $2.3 million in private capital investment. The competitive implication: Catawba's EDO can answer the supplier-base technology question in an RFI with project-level specificity instead of a company list and employee counts. Any county with manufacturing density and $200K in discretionary budget can run the same play inside twelve months.
Repayable Site Capital
Louisiana's FastSites finances site readiness through repayable Cooperative Endeavor Agreements. Two deals finalized in August 2026 put the structure into practice.
Franklinton Industrial Park (Washington Parish): $1.2M for roads, water, and sewer on 75 acres. McLeod Business Park (Lafourche Parish): $1.4M for roads, drainage, and utilities on 102 acres. Both carry fixed repayment starting 2027, due in full by 2031. The local sponsor owes the state on schedule regardless of tenant activity. Franklinton's first payment falls roughly at construction completion, before any tenant could plausibly be operating. Returned capital revolves into the fund for future awards.
Among 14+ state programs surveyed by Site Selection Group in late 2025, none uses a repayable structure. Alabama SEEDS, FAST NY, VBRSP — all grants. Replication requires legislation: FastSites rests on Act 365 of the 2025 Louisiana Regular Session. CEA terms, interest rates, and default provisions are not public.