Governor Announces New Economic Development Approach

Governor McCrory Launches “Partnership for Prosperity”: A New Economic Development Approach

Governor Pat McCrory announced plans yesterday (April 8) to pursue a “Partnership for Prosperity,” an effort to change the way we foster economic growth in North Carolina.

New legislation will create a separate nonprofit corporation to center economic development functions for the state. A board of directors, chaired by the governor, will oversee the Partnership and have governance of all recruitment and retention activities. The functions include small business development, entrepreneurship, international investment and import/export, along with travel & tourism.

“We are going to unleash North Carolina’s economic potential with a bold new approach to recruit and retain business,” said Governor McCrory. “The Partnership will allow us to grow more jobs, and better-paying jobs for North Carolina.”

The new partnership will leverage existing state funds to get the private sector more involved in economic development. In the long run, fewer state dollars will be needed to run the programs currently operated by the N.C. Department of Commerce and several non-profit organizations receiving state funding.

“We have to be able to move faster, primarily in terms of job recruiting,” said N.C. Commerce Secretary Sharon Decker. “Our economic development efforts must also recognize that one size does not fit all, and the economies of all communities are important to us.”

Dr. Beverly Emory to lead Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools

The Winston-Salem Journal reports:

The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools selected its first female superintendent Tuesday by unanimous vote.

Beverly Emory, 56, will be the sixth superintendent to lead the state’s fifth-largest school district, which was created when city and county school systems merged in the 1963-64 school year. Emory, a North Carolina native, comes to Forsyth County from the Pitt County Schools, where she has served since 2006.

Click here for the complete article from the Winston-Salem Journal.

WXII/ Channel 12 reports on the incoming Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools superintendent here.

What’s the biggest surprise in Winston-Salem? Part 3

The last of 3 articles discussing our community’s most pleasant surprises.

For this final entry in the “three most pleasant surprises” series, I was inspired by a recent walk through Downtown Winston-Salem. As I passed our local Arts Council offices, the first Arts Council in the nation, I tried to think of what other organizations, companies, brands or innovations started here. I knew there were quite a few, but I did not know that early autumn stroll would yield such a surprisingly long list.

The area is well known for its heyday as a corporate and manufacturing center for tobacco and textiles industries. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company revolutionized production techniques that transformed the industry. The Hanes family name long ago achieved megabrand status worldwide for quality and value. Both companies spawned brands that became (and many still are) household names.

But when you look beyond those two industry giants, you find other brands, companies and technologies that have worked their way into daily life in markets around the world.

Take Krispy Kreme, for example. In 1937, long before Manhattanites lined up around the block for “hot doughnuts now,” Vernon Rudolph punched a hole in the wall of his doughnut bakery to sell fresh, hot, glazed Krispy Kremes to passersby.

A colleague working in Winston-Salem once went on a business trip to Dallas and brought back a bottle of Texas Pete thinking he had snagged an authentic Lone Star State souvenir—only to find that the iconic hot sauce is, and always has been, made right here in the Twin City by Garner Foods.

As for breakthroughs in technology, especially in life science, see the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine where laboratory-grown tissue and organs are developed for use in organ transplants and other therapies for humans.

Forsyth Technical Community College continues to lead the way in revolutionizing workforce training for biotechnology, nanotechnology and advanced manufacturing industries.

While the examples above may grab more headlines, Inmar Inc., which began here in 1980 as a coupon company, has become a superstar among any business relying on retail or online transactions. This growing Winston-Salem company now processes a digital coupon every second of every day.

There are more brands, companies and innovative “firsts”—too many to list here, in fact—that started in or around Winston-Salem. Add all of the well-known companies coming into the area like Caterpillar and Herbalife or that have a significant presence like BB&T and Wells Fargo, and you end up with a list of businesses and institutions that never fails to surprise even the most knowledgeable local business leader or economic development professional.

Click these links to read parts 1 and 2 of this series.

What surprises you most about Winston-Salem?

Share your ideas here.

Herbalife chooses Winston-Salem for manufacturing and distribution hub

The North Carolina Governor’s Office released this press announcement earlier today:

 
Herbalife to Create 493 Jobs in Forsyth County
State Grants Assist Company with Locating Manufacturing Facility in Winston-Salem

 
RALEIGH – Gov. Bev Perdue announced today that Herbalife, a NYSE-listed company that manufactures and markets nutrition products, will establish a manufacturing facility in Winston-Salem. The company plans to create 493 jobs over the next three years and invest approximately $130 million in the purchase and complete retro-fitting of an existing facility, to include the machinery and technology to create a world-class manufacturing facility which is in full compliance with U.S. Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs) for dietary supplements and food products. The project was made possible in part by state grants from the Job Development Investment Grant and the One North Carolina Fund award.
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What’s the biggest surprise in Winston-Salem? Part 2

The second of 3 articles discussing our community’s most pleasant surprises.

While vacationing and visiting family in a few different places around the Eastern U.S. this past summer, the second surprise came to me almost as soon as I got back home to Winston-Salem.

I had an early meeting that was “all the way across town” from my house. And on the mere 15-minute commute that morning, I recalled just how much more difficult the commute would be if I were living anywhere else. Then I started thinking about the other aspects of life in our area that would be different.

And I realized something that I had long forgotten (more like taken for granted) about Winston-Salem, Forsyth County: how wonderfully easy it is to live here.

View of downtown Winston-Salem from Old Salem

While the morning commute provides an obvious contrast to other, larger metro areas, the “easy” factor extends to many other areas that set Winston-Salem apart from just about anywhere else.

For instance, Winston-Salem received a #10 ranking for affordability and fun in a recent Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate report along with the #10 spot in Kiplinger’s annual list of cheapest U.S. cities in which to live.

Of course, a shack in the woods can be an affordable place to live. The amazing part is what Winston-Salem has to offer in terms of amenities, schools and access to other markets, while being an affordable place to live.

People here enjoy a thriving arts community, including various festivals, theater companies and a respectably broad local music scene. A revitalized downtown keeps the streets active while cozy urban and suburban neighborhoods offer a close sense of community and familiarity.

Winston-Salem is an easy place to live. Camel City Carriage ride.
Photo courtesy of Downtown Winston-Salem Partnership.

And since Winston-Salem is so well connected to other cities and markets, it’s easy to get away for business or pleasure. More importantly, it’s even easier and more enjoyable to come home again.

Look for the next surprise in Part 3, coming soon. You can read Part 1 here.

What surprises you about Winston-Salem? Share your ideas here.