Aug. 11--NEWTON

When discount retailer Target opened its new distribution center in the Catawba County countryside Tuesday, it did more than just unveil 1.6 million square feet of space and more than 500 jobs: It shone a light on an industry that employs about 10 percent of the regional workforce and is likely to grow in prominence once the economy recovers.

Rail, air and highway links have helped make Charlotte a distribution hub second only to Atlanta in the Southeast, with more than 57,000 workers and 110 distribution centers. At the size of roughly 28 football fields, the Target complex is the region's largest. And with many companies curtailing expansion plans because of the recession, it's likely to remain so for the foreseeable future.

Nonetheless, economic developers say the area can build on a distribution network that already contains centers not just for large companies based here -- including Lowe's, Family Dollar and Harris Teeter -- but also for well-known names such as J.C. Penney, Black & Decker, Ross Stores, T.J. Maxx, Dillard's, Wal-Mart and Office Depot.

"When we tell people what Charlotte is, we say it's a finance center, it's a manufacturing center and it's a distribution center," said Tony Crumbley, research director at the Charlotte Chamber.

With companies increasingly demanding items "just in time," distribution will continue to have the potential to attract big investments and create jobs across the region.That includes rural areas that have experienced manufacturing layoffs, said Kenny McDonald, executive vice president of economic development services for the Charlotte Regional Partnership, which serves a 16-county area.

Usually hidden behind long expanses of windowless walls, distribution centers are intended to efficiently move goods from vendors to customers. How that happens can make a big difference in a company's bottom line, as last summer's fuel price spikes made clear.

Though technological advances have made distribution work less labor-intensive, the centers still bring the promise of stable jobs.

"Let me tell you, we are here to stay," Mitch Stover, Target's senior vice president for distribution services, said as he addressed a grand opening ceremony, prompting applause. "You cannot outsource the last part of the supply chain. We will be here for a long, long, long time."

That holds particular appeal in the Hickory area, which was hungry for jobs and a more diverse economic mix when the Target project was announced in 2006 -- and needs both even more now, local officials said.