RLM breaks ground at Spring Lake Industrial Park

Contributed photo

An artist’s rendering shows the proposed RLM building at the Spring Lake Business and Industrial Center on East Manchester Road. Below is Randy Moore, owner of RLM Communications, and his wife, Lorie. Moore’s company is the park’s first tenant.

SPRING LAKE — In the business world, RLM Communications has been on the fast track.

Randy Moore, a retired sergeant major, started the company in 2004 with a couple of employees.

In four years, the communications and surveillance systems design company has expanded to 80 employees with offices in Fayetteville and Augusta, Ga. RLM’s Fayetteville office covers the ninth floor of the downtown Self-Help Credit Union building.

On Thursday, RLM took the next step, breaking ground on a $4 million, 30,000-square-foot building at the Spring Lake Business and Industrial Center on East Manchester Road. The company hopes to build two more buildings on the site.

“Honey, we’re almost there!” Moore told his wife, Lorie, before they joined hands to turn over the ceremonial first shovel.

RLM is the first tenant in the 50-acre business park. Spring Lake officials hope several more military-related companies move into the park. More tenants mean more tax revenue for the town.

The company purchased 10 acres from Spring Lake for $25,000 in 2005. The land was valued at $100,000. The town sold the land at less than market value in anticipation that the RLM facility would be a catalyst to attract more high-tech companies.

“This is like having a first child,” Spring Lake Mayor Ethel Clark said. “We are ready to have a few more. Randy has set the pace for the rest of the businesses.”

Moore anticipated his company’s growth would be fast. Moving fast is one of the keys to his business model.

After 20 years in the military, he retired and went to work for Technical Support of BAE Systems’ Spring Lake office. He saw that the private sector’s response to military needs “was not as fast as it should be.”

“After all, Fort Bragg is a rapid-response base,” Moore said.

RLM’s expertise also includes training, and most of its work force has military experience.

“We understand the market-place, what Fort Bragg needs and needs quickly,” he said.

The need for rapid response also drove the company’s decision to relocate in Spring Lake. The company’s new headquarters will be within minutes of the gates of Fort Bragg and Pope Air Force Base.

RLM is frequently cited as a model for the type of businesses the Base Closure and Realignment Process will bring to the Fayetteville area — companies whose primary assets are their intellectual capital with a work force composed of retired military personnel.

Business editor Don Worthington can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or 486-3511.