LUMBERTON — The Interstate 95/Interstate 74 industrial park in development in Lumberton may soon bear the name Southeast Crossroads Industrial Park.

Robeson County commissioners on Monday unanimously voted to support the name proposed by Robeson County Economic Development Director Channing Jones during their regular business meeting.

Jones will also propose the new name to the Lumberton City Council.

The name, Southeast Crossroads Industrial Park, was vetted by committees seeking a title that “makes sense for international customers or potential clients looking at us, national clients looking at us or local clients looking at us,” Jones said.

In partnership with the City of Lumberton, Robeson County has partnered to develop the 215-acre tract of land with direct access to both Interstates. The City and County were awarded a $3,700,000 grant to develop the park infrastructure, $250,000 in Golden Leaf funds for water and sewer infrastructure, and $350,000 in Department of Transportation funding for ingress and egress for a park.

Southeast, obviously, represents the location of the region geographically in the United States.

“Crossroads is pretty unique for our particular area because of that intersection of two interstate highways that that industrial park will represent, which is interstate 95, intestate 74, and of course, business 74 will intersect that,” he added.

Jones said he thinks the name is going to be “very marketable.”

“It’s a good name. It’s a strong name. It’s something that will be relevant,” Jones said.

Naming the park will be just one component of the marketing and branding plan the county has partnered with the City of Lumberton, COMtech board and Nexsen Pruet — the marketing company tasked with carrying out the plan — for industrial areas throughout the county as well as the county itself.

“One of the most pressing items that we had for the company was looking at our I-95/I-74 site. We have never formally talked about naming for that particular site,” Jones said.

Jones told commissioners he will provide branding designs in the near future.

Elkay Manufacturing will be the first tenant of the industrial park. Ground broke on the facility in 2021.

In other economic development news, commissioners also unanimously approved a Local Government Grant Agreement and Company Performance Agreement for Biophil Natural Fibers, LLC and Asbury Graphite of North Carolina Inc.

“My office in collaboration with the North Carolina Department of Commerce will monitor these companies and their performance,” Jones said.

Both companies were awarded One NC Grants with the funding amounts based on a tiered system.

Biophil Natural Fibers, which manufactures raw organic materials, was awarded $125,000 that is to be used over a three-year period. The facility is to located at 4111 West Fifth St. in Lumberton.

Many of the products Biphils manufactures are used for construction materials, Jones said.

The target investment for the company is $10,983,150 with a target jobs goal of 41 jobs.

Asbury Graphite, located on 191 Magna Blvd. in Lumberton, was awarded $65,000, which will also be used over a three-year period. The company will produce edge-functionalized graphene.

The target investment is $16,900,000 and an anticipated creation of 22 new jobs.

Policy update

In other business, the Robeson County Board of Commissioners approved the Personnel Committee report in which board members learned the county will be updating its Drug and Alcohol-Free Workplace Policy, allowing workers caught using illegal or nonprescribed drugs to have one more chance at employment.

Robeson County employees who fail a drug test or are caught under the influence of a substance are typically terminated. The new policy will give individuals a chance to meet with the Employee Assistance Program where an evaluation will take place offering them a chance to go back to work if recommendations and mandates based on the evaluation are met. The position will be held for up to 90 days until the mandates have been met.

“We’re trying to coach up some employees … We’re trying to get them some help,” said Kelli Blue, Robeson County manager.

Blue said some of the employees do a good job but are “high as a kite.”

“I’ll be honest. We got a lot of employees smoking marijuana,” she said.