Traditionally, Wilson has been known as a "tobacco town" ever since the first bright leaf tobacco was planted in Wilson County in the 1800's. The first brick tobacco warehouse was opened in 1893 and Wilson soon gained the reputation as one of the largest tobacco markets in the world. By the late 1890's, warehousing activities led to Wilson's development as a tobacco processing center.  However, there was more to Wilson than tobacco.  In 1854, Willis Napoleon Hackney established a carriage manufacturing firm named Hackney Wagon Company.  This company grew to be one of the largest and best known manufacturing enterprises with one of the most modern and complete facilities in the Southeast.  Hackney supplied 1/60 of the entire wagon demand in the US.  Many descendants of Willis Hackney are still very active in the Wilson community. 

More than a century after Mr. Hackney founded his business, Wilson industrial community continues to grow by leaps and bounds. Nineteen new industries were established in Wilson County in the 1950's alone. The Wilson Economic Development Council began in the fall of 1957 as the Wilson Industrial Council. This board, appointed by the Wilson County Board of Commissioners and the Wilson City Council, was assigned the task of not only making Wilson more attractive to industrial prospects, but to also market Wilson to the industrial community. Wilco Industrial Park, one of the earliest industrialized areas in the county, was soon bustling with activity. The council identified other possible sites and in the 1970's, partnered with individuals and government leaders to develop Hackney Industrial Park in the eastern US264 corridor. The council saw the need for a non-profit development group to support the development of such properties. They created a group known as Wilson County Properties, Inc. Over the years this group has been responsible for the construction and sale of six shell or speculative buildings.  In addition, the group has developed Wilson Corporate Park, a 500 acre park along I-95 in western Wilson County. 

Currently, the Wilson Economic Development council has 13 members.  The board, which meets monthly, continues to follow its original directive to make Wilson more attractive to industry, to market Wilson's virtues to the world and to assist companies with their location and/or expansion projects.