Sandy Dunbeck, the director of economic development for the High Point Economic Development Corp., is retiring after nearly three years of promoting and  overseeing solid economic growth in that city.

As of yet, no successor has been named.

Dunbeck has been the point person for promoting High Point as a place for businesses around the world to come and open shop, and she’s also worked during her tenure to help existing businesses in High Point expand.

Dunbeck was named to that position in May of 2021. The seat opened up after the previous longtime director, Loren Hill, stepped down after a highly successful run of bringing new business to High Point – a trend Dunbeck continued.

(Hill’s retirement didn’t last long. He soon took another job in economic development – one he still holds today.)

Dunbeck said at the time of her hiring that she hoped to help High Point “reach new heights” and that’s happened as new business has continued to stream into High Point in recent years.

Before becoming director, Dunbeck worked in economic development for High Point for a decade and a half, and she, during that time, was named North Carolina’s “Economic Developer of the Year.”

 She’s worked closely over the years with companies like Amada, Amazon, HAECO, Ralph Lauren Corporation, Thomas Built Buses and Honda Jet.

Dunbeck also played a lead role in helping the city create “Opportunity Zones” – a program meant to inspire and incentivize businesses to locate and grow in parts of the city that were largely abandoned or run down.

 She was also a team member of the Small Scale Manufacturing Initiative and she served as the 2021 Director of the Guilford County Economic Development Alliance – an alliance formed in 2015 by Guilford County, High Point, Greensboro and local economic development groups.

Early in her career, she had some experience promoting another area city – Greensboro – before landing in High Point.  She also had experience promoting an adjoining county. Before joining High Point’s economic development team, Dunbeck worked in economic development efforts for Greensboro and for Rockingham County.

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