LUMBERTON — The Converse manufacturing plant, once Robeson County’s largest private employer with nearly 3,000 employees at its peak of operation, has been reduced to piles of rubble.

The demolition came as a surprise to many county residents. Copart, a national company that sells damaged vehicles, had as many as 5,000 flood-damaged vehicles on the site after Hurricane Matthew, although the number is a fraction of that now.

Neither Robeson County’s Office of Economic Development nor the Tax Office could confirm if the 159-acre property, which is located at 4019 N.C. 72 just west of Interstate 95, has been sold.

“There may be a new deed that has not been processed, yet,” said Wendy Jackson, Tax Office real estate manager.

A Copart employee said he believes the Texas-based company has bought the property and would begin building its own facilities. But that could not be confirmed.

The 360,000-square-foot building and the land still are listed for sale on Robeson County’s website, said Greg Cummings, the director of the county’s Economic Development Office.

“It was one of the nicest industrial sites we had,” Cummings said. “It had rail, natural gas and sewer. We were still showing it.”

Although the Converse building was showing its age, Cummings estimated it would cost $12 million to build a similarly sized facility. A vast expanse of concrete and a waterlogged basement are all that remain.

The building is on the tax books at $1,965,600, meaning the county would collect just more than $15,000 a year in property taxes. A new appraisal will occur after the demolition, according to the Tax Office, reducing its value and the taxes owed yearly to the county.

The site began its industrial life in the 1960s as a B.F. Goodrich manufacturing facility. Storied athletic footwear company Converse bought it in 1972 and began producing the popular Chuck Taylor All-Star shoes, among other athletic and leisure styles.

“Chucks,” as they are known, originated in 1923, and at its peak was the official shoe of the National Basketball Association. Wilt Chamberlain, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird and almost every basketball player in America wore the shoes.

The company had a strong affiliation with the University of North Carolina’s basketball program, with the Tar Heels sporting the footwear. A former Tar Heel basetball player, Micky Bell, became president of the company in 1994 and resigned that position in 1996.

After Adidas and Nike shoes with superior performance technology replaced Chucks, the shoe had a second life as a retro/counterculture icon. Worldwide sales continue today.

After the North American Free Trade Agreement in the mid-1990, it was generally believed it was only a matter of time before the facility closed and moved the jobs to Mexico.

Converse declared bankruptcy in 2001 and ultimately closed the Lumberton facility, taking away 1,200 jobs that remained, and plants in Texas and Mexico. Asia is now home to the shoe manufacturer.

The Converse building and property were sold in 2003 for $500,000. It was sold again at auction in 2015 for $460,000 to Greg Cabral of New Jersey. In the same year, Converse was bought by Nike, a world leader in athletic and leisure shoe sales.

Once the debris is cleared away, Cummings hopes the site may find a new life with Copart or another owner.

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Ghostly reminder of what was now rubble

By Scott Bigelow

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