May 11, 2010

Senator Harris Blake and Representative Jamie Boles announced today that the Town of Southern Pines has been awarded a $100,000 Building Reuse and Restoration Grant from the N.C. Rural Center to support MoldStoppers LLC’s corporate expansion in Southern Pines.  “This is a significant announcement for Moore County because it means new jobs for our citizens, more investment in the community, and it’s a helping hand to a local business”, said Senator Blake. 

The Building Reuse and Restoration Grant Program is an initiative of the N.C. Rural Center for Economic Development in Raleigh to stimulate job creation and capital investment in North Carolina’s rural communities.  The program focuses on the productive reuse of vacant, and oftentimes old and neglected or abandoned, existing buildings by new or expanding businesses.  Grant funds are awarded through the local government and handled as a reimbursement to the building owner and/or business to offset up to 50% (depending on the number of jobs created) of the cost of renovating the building to meet the company’s needs.

Moore County Partners in Progress, the local economic development organization, will assist the Town of Southern Pines in administering the grant through its two-year term.

MoldStoppers has contracted to purchase a 5,280 square-foot shell building in the Southern Pines Corporate Park that will become the company’s new national headquarters and training center by the end of the summer.  As the exclusive contractor for the Southern Pines Corporate Park, the O’Connor Company of NC, Inc. in Aberdeen will oversee the construction work.

“It is certainly beneficial to both the County and Southern Pines for a vacant building to be put back into purposeful use again”, said Representative Boles.  “The renovations will make the property more attractive and increase its tax value, and MoldStoppers’ expansion will bring more activity to the Corporate Park and help boost the area’s economic vitality.”

Currently located in West End, MoldStoppers is an environmentally-conscious company whose primary business is eradicating mold.  It evolved from the vision of Moore County resident David Conner, now the company’s President.  He became a significant investor in Bendiner Technologies LLC (“BenTech”), an emerging entrepreneurial company started in Moore County in 2005 and developer of patented mold-inhibiting products including MoldBlock.  Conner’s investment in BenTech and his interest in practical applications for MoldBlock led him to establish MoldStoppers in late 2006.

 MoldStoppers has three (3) business segments founded on the MoldBlock product:  1) pre-treatment services, such as for new construction at the framing stage; 2) remediation services for homes, schools and businesses; and 3) MoldStoppers Manufacturing, a division of MoldStoppers and developer of The Remediator, a machine that removes mold from lumber, pre-treats it with MoldBlock and dries it.   

The company has grown steadily, mostly due to word-of-mouth referrals.  The home office is in Moore County but has a presence in 38 states.  The company has expanded by forming various LLCs, all based in North Carolina but geographically located throughout the Central and Eastern United States.  The Moore County office owns a 51% interest in each LLC.  “Our goal is to ultimately have a nationwide presence”, said Conner.

This growth has been the driving force behind MoldStoppers’ need to move to a larger facility that will serve as the corporate headquarters and home base for the company’s administration and sales operations. The facility will also be a training center allowing semi-annual training sessions to be brought in-house. 

Conner anticipates that once MoldStoppers moves into the building, the company will create approximately 18 new jobs over the next 2 years.  “I appreciate the Town of Southern Pines’ support of our expansion efforts”, he said.  “I am looking forward to MoldStoppers being in the new location at the Corporate Park and to taking advantage of the additional growth opportunities that the new location will bring.”

Two other Moore County companies have previously benefited from Building Reuse and Restoration grant funding:  Situs Outsourcing Solutions in Robbins and Southeastern Tool & Die, Inc. in Aberdeen.  In 2006, the Town of Robbins was awarded $150,000 on behalf of Situs for the renovation of the former Candor Hosiery facility on NC Highway 24/27.  In 2008, the Town of Aberdeen was awarded $100,000 on behalf of Southeastern Tool & Die for the renovation of the former Intek building to accommodate the company’s expansion. 

“Niche businesses like MoldStoppers have proven to be a good fit for Moore County, and it’s very often these types of companies that have the greatest impact in creating job opportunities here”, said Ray Ogden, Executive Director of Partners in Progress.  “Situs and Southeastern Tool & Die are both success stories and it’s critical we continue to support our existing industries because of their significant contributions to the economy.”

“We truly appreciate the Rural Center’s support of Moore County’s businesses through their grant program”, added Senator Blake.

For more information about MoldStoppers LLC, visit www.moldstoppersonline.com.  

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