Expertise Built On Real-World Experience
Ernie Pearson
managing Partner
(919) 653-7803 (Office)
(919) 215-1596 (Mobile)
epearson@maynardnexsen.com
Since 1989, when serving as Assistant Secretary for Economic Development in the North Carolina Department of Commerce, Ernie’s professional focus has been on economic development. He started the first economic development law practice in North Carolina in 1993. He is the founding partner of Sanford Holshouser Economic Development Consulting. Ernie has served on the Boards and as an officer of a number of economic development organizations. This includes three tenures on the Board of Directors of North Carolina Economic Development Association and as its President. His work in economic development, whether in representing companies in site selection and incentive negotiation projects, or assisting economic development organizations in product development, organizational restructuring or incentive negotiations projects is enhanced by his legal experience in a range of subject matter. He is recognized as a leading expert in developing creative approaches to achieve optimal results.
Rocky Lane
managing Partner
Rocky has worked in economic development for over 30 years and has been with SHEDC since its inception in 2002. Since that time, he has led or been a team member on numerous projects that span the breadth of the consulting group’s services. Rocky has developed, implemented, and managed a BRE program for a 16-county region, qualified over 4,500 acres under the NC Department of Commerce Certified Site program, developed over 15 Strategic Economic Development Plans for communities ranging in size from 400 to over 250,000. Lane has also been engaged in multiple Site Selection and Economic and Fiscal Impact Analysis projects.
Mark Jaros
partner
Mark Jaros, a former senior executive of a number of manufacturing companies and currently a consultant regarding manufacturing operations is joining Sanford Holshouser Economic Development Consulting LLC as a partner. He will be a part of Sanford Holshouser’s site selection consulting team. He will also be available to offer his perspective on the attractiveness of buildings and sites for recruitment of manufacturing operations, and to provide input into strategic economic development action plans which are in part targeted to manufacturing operations.
Mark has a long and distinguished career working with and managing a number of manufacturing operations for companies such as PFN Nonwovens. He is currently serving as a consultant assisting companies on a range of needs related to new or expanding manufacturing operations. He has a demonstrated capability of discerning and advising companies on best practices for implementing those manufacturing operations.
“The strength of the pack is in the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is in the pack. ”
Thomas Johnson, HLM
partner
828-289-0479
tjohnson@SHEDC.com
Tom spent the initial 15 years of his professional career in city planning in three different states. Upon leaving city planning he entered the economic development field. With over 30 years of economic development experience at the local and regional level, he has coordinated over two billion dollars in announced investment and over 3,000 announced jobs. In mid-2019 Tom joined Sanford Holshouser. He has been a Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) for over 20 years, an Honorary Life Member of the Southern Economic Development Council, a former Board member of the NC Economic Developers Association, a former Board member of the Southern Economic Development Council, a graduate of the Economic Development Institute and selected the Economic Developer of the Year in North Carolina in 2011-2012.
Dale B. Carroll, MHRM
partner
919-665-7932
dcarroll@SHEDC.com
Dale Carroll is a C-Level executive with over 40-years of professional experience, including work as a power engineer for energy services to major industries in eastern North Carolina and in economic development at the regional and state level in N.C. and neighboring states. His leadership experience includes the private sector, nonprofit corporations, and government. Carroll earned a B.S. from NC State University in Raleigh and an M.A. from Webster University in St. Louis.
From 2009 through 2013, Carroll served as Deputy Commerce Secretary / Chief Operating Officer in two Gubernatorial Administrations in North Carolina. His responsibilities included economic development programs ranging from business and industry recruitment to finance, energy efficiency, infrastructure development, and workforce solutions. In 2012, Southern Business and Development magazine named NC Commerce and its economic development allies “State of the Year” based on 2011 job creation and capital investment results tracked in the southeastern USA.
Dale and his wife Cindy are native North Carolinians. They live in Asheville and have two sons and three granddaughters.
Morris T. Collins, Jr.
partner
678-575-4677
mcollins@SHEDC.com
Mr. Collins career spans over 45 years in manufacturing, applied research and development, and sales management. In addition to having almost ten years in a manufacturing plant where he managed five salaried employees and 110 hourly workers, he managed two business units for a major German blown and cast film manufacturer. He had P&L responsibility for these business with an annual turnover of ~$70MM. He has led multi-disciplinary teams as a project manager and has considerable multi-national sales experience in European and Asian businesses. His last assignment was with a full-service design and engineering firm where he was responsible for business development for the plastic, nonwoven, and textile verticals.
Mr. Collins holds a Bachelor of Textile Engineering from Auburn University as well as graduate classes in International Business. He has had training in quality systems and processes as well as SPC, DOE, and project managment. He is married to his high school sweetheart of 45 years and has two grown children.