CSX honors Ohio economic development office exec's achievements, advances North Carolina turnout facility

CSX Corp. has presented its Industrial Development Partnershipping Award to Jerry Hayes, the executive director of the Defiance County Economic Development Office in Ohio.

The award recognizes Hayes' impact on local economic development projects, including an effort to attract Consolidated Grain & Barge's new $20 million grain elevator to the region, CSX officials said in a press release.

The Defiance grain elevator, which opened in July, created 15 new jobs for the area, they said. The facility is projected to ship or receive more than 4,000 carloads of outbound grain annually, as well as potentially handle inbound fertilizer products.

"[Hayes'] dedication, expertise and persistence were instrumental to the success of the Consolidated Grain & Barge development," said Clark Robertson, CSX's assistant vice president of regional development. "He played a key role in the site search, as well as securing road improvements and other state and local incentives needed to green light this project."

CSX presents the Partnershipping Award to individuals who were instrumental in creating new industrial development projects, and exhibit high levels of collaboration and professionalism.

Meanwhile, the Richmond County Board of Commissioners last week approved CSX's plan to build a turnout facility in Hamlet, N.C.

The Class I expects to spend about $8 million to create a new 45,000-square-foot facility to design and build turnouts, which are short side tracks that guide trains from one track to another. The project also calls for establishing a 3,000-square-foot office area.

CSX has been a part of the county's industrial history since 1954, according to the commission.