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 1

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

Recently, someone asked me what three facts about Winston-Salem, Forsyth County would surprise people the most. At the time, I found it difficult to narrow it down to just three. But, after considering several possibilities, I’ve come up with three things that have truly surprised me over the past year. All in a good way.

In this post, I’d like to share a few facts about our much-heralded Forsyth Technical Community College (FTCC). Now, I’ve “known” these facts for a while. However, it wasn’t until FTCC opened its 122,500 square foot Transportation Technology Center earlier this year that I actually did the math and realized something staggering.

Forsyth Technical Community College
Winston-Salem, NC

Well, here’s the surprise. And it relates to just how far this institution reaches into the community to impact local workforce quality:

FTCC occupies 1,171,431 square feet of building space across 11 different locations, from the main campus in Winston-Salem to Kernersville, Walnut Cove and Danbury. From fall 2010 through summer 2011, FTCC served 12,873 students earning credit toward their degree, graduating 1,414, and trained more than 25,000 workforce development students.

Naturally, you’ve read articles about the college’s role in developing state-of-the-industry training programs to fuel economic growth in the region. You’ve also heard of the college’s leadership position in life sciences, biotechnology and nanotechnology. In fact, Forsyth Tech, as the locals are fond of calling it, has the only degreed community college nanotechnology program in North Carolina.

But, that’s no surprise. After all, the success of Forsyth Tech’s programs has attracted much attention, including visits from the last two U.S. Presidents. Still, most people outside of our community think of FTCC as being a nice little story about a nice little community college.

FTCC is not just a nice little story. It is a huge story that demonstrates just how well positioned this area is for economic development and growth in a wide range of industries. With this degree of training and educational resources on tap, look for plenty more surprises to come from Winston-Salem, Forsyth County.

The next surprise? Check back here soon for part 2.

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

Industries that Love Winston-Salem, and Why: Part 4

In economic development, individual regions tend to focus their efforts on specific industries. In this series of posts, we’re examining why several individual industries have focused their expansion efforts, ultimately, in Winston-Salem, Forsyth County. 

Financial Services

Mention the financial services industry in some circles and the reaction could be quite strong. Even in Winston-Salem we have endured the uncertainty associated with the struggles of a major banking institution. However, that uncertainty has only served to demonstrate the area’s steadfast presence in the industry. As the dust clears and optimism slowly gains, a quick look around the banking landscape reveals a thriving array of financial organizations.

How is this possible? What makes W-S such a positive environment for banking? Here are few possible reasons. (more…)