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 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.

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.

Searching for a site for your business?

TRIAD TECH CENTER: Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Start here.

Winston-Salem Business, Inc. (WSBI) offers many tools to help businesses find the right location in Winston-Salem and Forsyth County.  A perfect place to start is by searching our database of available sites. Updated regularly, the database provides details on hundreds of sites throughout Forsyth County, North Carolina.

Take a look here: Available Sites

Also, WSBI offers a free mobile app to help you find your new site when you are on the road. Download it here:  WS Business App

Click for free app.

Industries that Love Winston-Salem, and Why: Part 3

Upon further analysis, the data suggests Winston-Salem.

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.

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