Two large employers in Haywoood County have announced plans to expand, underscoring the value of the county’s new economic development mission to support and foster growth of existing businesses.

Plus Cleaners, a commercial linen service that employs 70 people, is leaving its hemmed-in location in downtown Canton. It will purchase a large site at the Beaverdam Industrial Park from the county for $246,000. The county spent $430,000 grading the site in hopes of luring new business.

“Yes, we would have liked to see a new industry come in there, but we had an existing industry that we were possibly losing. Existing business is one of the legs of the stool we stand on,” said Gavin Brown, a Waynesville town board member and co-chair of the Economic Development Commission.

Plus Cleaners picks up dirty linens — from sheets and towels at hotels to aprons and tablecloths at restaurants — and drops off clean batches. They operate a massive fleet of trucks with a service area that extends to South Carolina.

They outgrew their building in downtown Canton and began looking for a new location last summer. Then came the floods of ’04, which devastated their building. The owner, Ron Sprinkle, could have relocated the operation anywhere in their large service area.

“You would have had a loss of jobs. Retaining existing business is just as important as recruiting new business,” said Mark Swanger, county commissioner chairman and co-chair of the county Economic Development Commission. “As other facets of the economy grow, such as new hotels and restaurants, he will expand his business, and you can see the number of job opportunities increase.”

As an incentive, Plus Cleaners will receive an annual check from the county equivalent to 55 to 65 percent of what they pay in property taxes for up to five years. The formula is based on the number of jobs created and the upfront capital investment. Plus Cleaners also received an in-kind investment of $184,000 — the $430,000 in county tax dollars spent on grading minus what Plus is paying for the site.

“Keeping those employees here in Haywood County is obviously very important,” said Mark Clasby, Haywood County economic development director.

Meanwhile, Britthaven Nursing Home, which sustained severe damage in the floods of ’04, will build a new nursing home twice the size of the old one on N.C. 209 north of Lake Junaluska.

“Britthaven is another good example of taking care of your local business and enabling them to grow,” said Swanger.

Swanger said there was no indication Britthaven was planning to expand prior to the floods, even though the Clyde facility was full and demand was there.

“It’s a silver lining almost that they are in the position now where they can double their occupancy,” Swanger said, as well as potentially doubling their employees from 50 to 100.

“Many of those are skilled jobs,” Swanger said.

Britthaven’s move was likely aided by the fact that the county was already planning a water line expansion up N.C. 209. No new development was able to tap into the existing waterline because it was too narrow. The new, larger water line will enable growth throughout the N.C. 209 corridor, and, as it turns out, will service the nursing home.

Representatiaves of Plus Cleaners and Britthaven could not be reached for comment by press time.