By By JONATHAN CLAYBORNE
Staff Writer
Gov. Beverly Perdue will be in Washington on Friday to get a firsthand look at two Beaufort County success stories.
First, Perdue will take a private tour, with media in tow, of Prettl Appliance Systems USA’s plant on 15th Street, according to Tom Thompson, Beaufort County’s economic-development director.
The governor’s staff asked Thompson what he wanted to show Perdue during her stop; the economic developer replied, “Let’s go look at a company that’s doing real well.”
Despite the struggling economy, Prettl has grown from around 75 employees to 200 employees in about a year, Thompson related.
The German company has been aided in its growth by the acquisition of a contract with appliance manufacturer Whirlpool, he said.
Next on the governor’s itinerary will be a visit to the Beaufort County Child Development Center on Respess Street.
“I’m hoping that she’ll take away that investing in children makes good sense,” said Lisa Woolard, executive director of the nonprofit Beaufort/Hyde Partnership for Children.
“It’s an opportunity to showcase who we are and what we do in Beaufort County,” Woolard added.
According to a news release from the partnership, “The purpose of the Governor’s visit is to observe the results of North Carolina’s Smart Start program within an Eastern NC Child Care Center.”
Other stops on Perdue’s tour include the Beaufort County Courthouse on Second Street and the offices of the Washington Daily News on Market Street, confirmed Justin Guillory, a spokesman for the governor.
The governor will be making the rounds in northeast North Carolina Thursday and Friday as part of an effort to talk with local business and political leaders about their expectations of officials in Raleigh, Guillory related.