Economic growth and new business activity defined the year across the Greater Fayetteville Business Journal’s (GFBJ) seven-county coverage area. From new companies entering the region to commercial developments expanding, the greater Fayetteville area is poised for more impactful headlines in the new year. GFBJ has gathered a snapshot of the year’s economic highlights and remains committed to covering these developments moving into 2026.

BLADEN COUNTY

Feb. 28, 2025: Bladen County Hospital cuts ribbon on new MRI facility. The medical community in Bladen County came out to celebrate the official ribbon cutting for a new and improved medical facility that will help provide a pivotal service to meet the community’s healthcare needs. This was the first permanent MRI machine for the hospital; previously, patients relied on a mobile MRI truck that would come to the area twice a week.

Oct. 16, 2025: Canadian construction company MST Rebar Inc., a fiberglass rebar supplier, announces they will be investing $15 million for
a rebar manufacturing plant adding 83 jobs to Bladen County. Headquartered in Toronto, MST Rebar, Inc. designs, engineers and manufactures the first-of-its-kind fiberglass composite material for industrial construction projects. The company shared that they had chosen North Carolina as a key hub for growth because of the state’s strong commitment to innovation in advanced materials and infrastructure. These promised jobs could potentially create an annual payroll impact of more than $4.5 million for the region.
Nov. 20, 2025: VectorTex USA, LLC announces that the company will establish its first North American manufacturing facility in Elizabethtown, N.C. VectorTex USA is the U.S. subsidiary of Vector Technologies, an Australian contract manufacturer for the life sciences, aquaculture, automotive and food and beverage industries. The project represents a private investment of more than $6 million and the creation of 44 new full-time jobs with an average annual wage of $48,000. 

CUMBERLAND COUNTY

April 7, 2025: Cape Fear Regional Theatre officially broke ground on an expansion and renovation of their facility at 1209 Hay St. The project will double CFRT’s existing square footage, from 20,000 square feet to 40,000 square feet. Highlights of the expanded facility include two studios for CFRT’s growing education programs, a grand lobby with a mezzanine for private events and a rooftop event space which will serve craft cocktails and feature a second stage for live music. The new building is expected to open by winter 2026.
June 4, 2025: After being in the works for two years, the Crown Event Center project, slated to be built in downtown Fayetteville, was officially canceled by the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners. This was decided after Commissioners placed a 30- day pause on the project on March 5, 2025 so the Board could request a renewed evaluation. Following review, the project would have seen a $7.7 million increase in GMP3 pricing. Approximately $36 million had been encumbered and expended for the project already in its early stages.
Aug. 28, 2025: Wawa, Inc., celebrated a significant milestone in its history: the grand opening of its first ever travel center. Located in Cumberland County at 630 Chicken Foot Road in Hope Mills, N.C., the store is the first of its kind chainwide, featuring over 8,000 square feet of space to serve professional drivers, family travelers and more.

Oct. 8-9, 2025: The Fayetteville Cumberland Economic Development Corporation brought international attention to the region with the successful launch of their inaugural drone competition. The event combined military, academic and industry participants competing side by side to establish drone dominance across four different categories: hobbyist, industry, academia and military, before breaking off into teams to compete for ultimate victory.

HARNETT COUNTY

Jan. 31, 2025: Cape Fear Valley Health broke ground on a new inpatient psychiatric unit for adolescents. The new facility is located on the campus of Central Harnett Hospital at 215 Brightwater Drive, Lillington. The one-story, 8,850-square-foot building will include 16 inpatient beds and is designed specifically to provide help to psychiatric patients ages 12 to 17 and their families. The construction will cost $8.4 million, funded by the Dorothea Dix Hospital Property Fund and the State Capital and Infrastructure Fund. The incoming adolescent care facility is scheduled to begin operations in March 2026.
July 1, 2025: Dr. William M. Downs begins his term as Campbell’s sixth president in its 137-year history. Downs launched a state-wide Presidential Welcome Tour in the fall of 2025, allowing him to connect with alumni, faculty, staff, students and friends to discuss his vision for the future of Campbell University. In December 2025, it was announced that Campbell University will offer free tuition for Harnett County residents starting in 2026. New first year, full-time students who reside in Harnett County will have 100% of their undergraduate tuition covered by Campbell University, highlighting Downs’ goal of increasing enrollment and connecting to their local communities.
Sept. 23, 2025: The Harnett County Government breaks ground on its first Class A industrial building at Harnett 95 Industrial Center (Harnett 95), located at U.S. 301 South and Arrowhead Road in Dunn, marking a major step forward for the County’s economic growth. The construction of Building One, a 175,500-square-foot speculative industrial building on nearly 15 acres, began in September 2025. At full buildout, Harnett 95 will offer more than 800,000 square feet of industrial space across six buildings ranging from 121,000 to 175,000 square feet. Construction is set to be completed in Q3 2026.

HOKE COUNTY

Dec. 10, 2025: Pennsylvania Transformer Technology, LLC (PTT) breaks ground on the company’s expanded manufacturing facilities in Raeford, N.C., with plans to add 300,000 square feet across two facilities in Raeford. The domestic manufacturer of power and distribution transformers will invest more

than $102.5 million and bring 217 more jobs to Hoke County. 

MOORE COUNTY
Aug. 8, 2025: The Moore County ABC Board celebrated the start of construction on a new 12,000-square-foot warehouse facility in Southern Pines. The facility, located off of Highway 22, will serve as a centralized hub for inventory management, distribution and logistics for ABC stores throughout Moore County. Construction is expected to be completed by spring of 2026, with local contractors and suppliers contributing to the building.

Sept. 3, 2025: Moore Innovative High School held its grand opening ceremony and ribbon cutting, officially marking the beginning of the new educational institution. The inaugural class of Moore Innovative High School kicked off their high school journey—and the 2025–26 school year on Aug. 7. Sixty-five students in Moore County Schools entered Van Dusen Hall to make history as students in the first early college focused on trades in the state of North

Carolina.

ROBESON COUNTY
Feb. 5, 2025: Cold-Link Logistics, a cold storage management firm announces it will create 123 new jobs in Robeson County. The company will invest $85.5 million to build a cold storage warehouse in Lumberton. Cold-Link Lumberton will be a modern 233,000-square-foot temperature-controlled building that will serve the local and regional poultry business, as well as a broad variety of other food companies, manufacturers and distributors. The company is building on 55 acres in the new Southeast Crossroads Industrial Park. 

July 24, 2025: The City of Lumberton announced it is moving forward with a new terminal project at the Lumberton Regional Airport. The planned expansion of Lumberton Regional Airport includes the construction of a 12-unit T-hangar (17,550 square feet) and a two-unit box hangar (12,000 square feet), designed to support the airport’s continued growth and development. The cost of these additional projects has already been covered through legislative funding. Lumberton Regional Airport received about $10 million to help cover the cost of expansions. These two new hangars cost about $6.6 million, and the money leftover will go towards further development.

Nov. 24, 2025: The Carolina Civic Center Historic Theater receives its Occupancy Permit, the final step in completing construction on a 8,200 square foot annex to the building. The new annex is located on the existing theater’s south side (formerly a City of Lumberton public parking lot), with a pass through into the existing historic lobby. With its existing 450-seat theater and dressing rooms and offices, the expanded facility’s total size is 30,000 square feet. A celebration of the new space and fundraiser for the theater is tentatively scheduled for the spring.

SAMPSON COUNTY

April 4, 2025: Phinite proudly celebrated the grand opening of its new animal waste drying facility in Sampson County, the largest in North Carolina. This milestone marked a major advancement in sustainable agriculture, offering hog farmers an efficient solution for managing lagoon sludge while producing high quality, environmentally friendly fertilizer. This Sampson County facility was the first to open, but Phinite is also working on facilities in Bladen and Duplin counties.
July 30, 2025: After two years, R & R Brewing wraps renovations to the historical Henry Vann building in downtown Clinton and opens its doors. The entirety of the first floor of the building, a total of 9,105 square feet, has been completely renovated and divided into two sections: a taproom side and a restaurant side. The 2,000 square-foot taproom can be found on the right hand side of the building, and on the left hand side, a 6,000 square-foot restaurant.
Aug. 19, 2025: The Sampson County Board of Commissioners along with Sampson County Economic Development’s Ray Jordan met with the community during a special meeting to learn about a bold new economic development strategic plan. The three-year plan is designed to tackle pressing challenges and lay the foundation for a more resilient, prosperous future for its residents.