(WGHP) — If Algenon Cash meant to get tongues wagging, he succeeded.
Cash is a lifelong resident of Winston-Salem and recently wrote an opinion column for some local newspapers about his hometown. In it, he said, among other things, “Winston-Salem’s historical significance as a corporate hub is fading.”
Triad coffee company honors memory of Sgt. Dale Nix
As evidence of that, he refers to the Fortune 500 companies that once called Winston-Salem home that have left, over the last few decades: Wachovia, BB&T, Piedmont Airlines, RJ Reynolds and Krispy Kreme. The city has looked to recruit new corporate headquarters, of course, but Cash particularly laments the homegrown ones getting away.
“It’s like playing sports. I mean you can’t just be good at offense and not worry about defense,” Cash said.
The obvious benefit of having a corporate HQ is that it provides a series of high-paying jobs, but it goes beyond that.
“If a corporate headquarters is located in the community, I think it creates a leadership type of role for this community,” said Jake Cashion, another Winston-Salem person who works for the North Carolina Chamber of Commerce, trying to bring in those new companies, among other work. “I’ve been a lifelong native of the Triad and I’ve often been discouraged over the years, particularly in my role at the state level. It’s all about Charlotte/Raleigh, Charlotte/Raleigh, Charlotte/Raleigh. But I firmly believe if the Triad can work together, which I think we’re starting to see a lot of that come together, come to fruition, I think it can be as big or bigger than some of the Raleigh and Charlotte – I think we’re primed for growth and I think that’s what’s important.”