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Reprinted with permission from
The Courier=Times Online
“This will have a great impact on Person County…the United States and the world as a whole.” Johnny Lunsford, chairman of the Person Board of County Commissioners, spoke those words, which were echoed in similar fashion by other dignitaries, Friday during the dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony at Force Protection Inc. Over 400 persons attended the invitation-only event.
Force Protection is refurbishing the 440,000-square foot facility that formerly housed Collins & Aikman Corp.’s Elm Plant here. Production of Force Protection’s “Cheetah” line of mine-resistant, ambush-protected (MRAP) vehicles is expected to begin at the facility in January. In addition to Lunsford, others who spoke at Friday’s ceremony included U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C.; U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole, R-N.C.; Congressman Brad Miller, D-N.C.; state Rep. W.A. (Winkie) Wilkins, D-Person; Tony Copeland, deputy security of the North Carolina Department of Commerce; Jim Stovall, chairman of the Roxboro-Person County Economic Development Board; Glen Newsome, executive director of the Person County Economic Development Commission, and Roxboro Mayor Steve Joyner.
Newsome and Stovall were recognized on several occasions for spearheading the efforts to have South Carolina-based Force Protection locate only its second production facility in Person County. “I can’t say enough about Jim Stovall,” Burr said. “I think he is the model for the Energizer Bunny.” Burr went on to say that Friday marked an “important day in this chapter of Person County’s life,” as well as the war on terror.
“It is important because it is the right thing to do for our men and women in uniform,” Burr said. He stressed that it took him but “one trip to Walter Reed Hospital” to realize the obligation the country has to provide troops with better protection. In addition to the Cheetah, Force Protection also manufactures MRAP vehicles known as the Buffalo and the Cougar. “You would think we were having a ribbon cutting on a zoo,” Burr quipped. But the occasion in actuality, he said, represented an “additional commitment to our men and women in uniform.” Congressman Miller pointed out that Force Protection’s “innovative technology” had proven to be a key element in deflecting the blast of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) that U.S. troops are encountering in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“It is changing the lives of the men and women in uniform,” Miller said, adding that the vehicles were reducing “casualties by as much as 80 percent.”
Daniel Busher, executive vice president of Force Protection, relayed a testimonial received by the company one day before Thanksgiving last year.
A soldier reportedly wrote that he and others in a Force Protection-constructed vehicle survived despite riding over three separate roadside bombs. One soldier suffered a concussion, Busher said, but they all managed to walk away.
“I take personal pride in being associated with this mission,” Busher said, adding that Person County could take pride in it as well.
A motto for Force Protection quoted on a brief video shown by Busher was: “Safety of our troops is not a business, it is a cause.”
On the local front, Miller reminded those in attendance that Force Protection would be supplying Person County with “270 well-paying jobs and benefits.” Sen. Dole said the new Force Protection facility would not benefit the Person County economy alone. “
This is an incredibly important mission,” she added. “
Just yesterday [Force Protection] rolled out their 1,000th vehicle for the war on terror. “
The men and women working here will be building a product that saves lives,” Dole continued. “This will be neighbor helping neighbor.” State Rep.Wilkins was praised several times Friday for his efforts in helping the Force Protection location in Person County become a reality.
Wilkins pointed out that one of his committee assignments allows him to have input on the One North Carolina Fund. One of the main keys to that fund, he said, was to aid economic development in rural North Carolina. “I realized early on” that Force Protection “would be a great addition to this county,”
Wilkins said. Stovall, who sported a smile of accomplishment throughout Friday’s ceremony, said the day was “indeed a proud day.” He pointed out that Force Protection is known for producing the “safest, most dependable products in their field.
“Their mission is saving lives and protecting millions of men and women,” Stovall added. The recruitment of Force Protection was a “total team effort,” Stovall emphasized. Newsome added to that by saying it was “truly a cooperative effort by the state, community and the region.”
0701CT
| Reprinted with permission from The Courier=Times Online.
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