Opportunities to Fly:

I laughed when Lindsey Crisp said, “We can’t all cut each others lawns.” But there’s a lot of truth to what the President and CEO of Carver Machine Works jokes about. While the service industry is important, it’s economically critical to have companies that make something. Unfortunately, some of North Carolina’s 85 rural communities’ largest employers are the areas’ schools systems and local hospitals.

Crisps’ company does make a lot of components. And they’re an important employer in rural Beaufort County. Carver used to depend on repairing pulp and paper machinery. But as that industry shrinks, Carver employees have found a way to survive in todays evolve or die economy.

Today, aerospace components account for 25 per cent of the company’s business. Three years ago that number was zero. Military contracts are key, Crisp explains as he shares a recent photo. Like a proud papa, he shows pictures of a large metal looking piece of military defense equipment called an Aerostat made at this small business. Precise fusion welding certification called NADCAP or National Aerospace and Defense Contractors Accreditation Program helped Carver find its way into the US Defense industry.

Military contracts and military jobs are an important part of the state’s economy.

According to the North Carolina Department of Commerce:

+8 percent of total state employment is either directly employed by the military or Coast Guard, or have jobs that are supported by military installations in North Carolina.

+Military growth is expected to increase North Carolina’s Gross

Domestic Product by $2.9 billion by the year 2013. And some 49 Thousand additional jobs are expected by that same year due to increased military activity.


You may not recognize the impact in your community, at least at first. I must admit I’ve drived by Carver thousands of times and never knew what was happening behind those metal walls. Little did I know the small company had evolved from a family business to a company making parts for big name companies like Raytheon and Spirit Aerosystems.


During a recent visit, employees shared that they’re proud what they’re doing can save American lives. The piece of equipment they recently finished is going to Afghanistan. In return, some North Carolina employees are learning the defense industry can save American manufacturing jobs.