2018 Legislative Agenda

WE ALSO SUPPORT HIGH POINT MARKET

HIGH POINT 365

AVIATION

TRANSPORTATION

EDUCATION

INFRASTRUCTURE FOR JOBS

LEGISLATION TO EXPAND HEALTH COVERAGE SOLUTIONS

Thank you for recurring funds of $2,955,472 for transportation and marketing. Continued state support is critical to maintaining its $5.38 billion economic impact in NC and its global dominance in the face of domestic and international competition.

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

“READY FOR SCHOOL, READY FOR LIFE” Early Childhood Initiative

Thank you for the 2017 $1.5M matching state grant, helping Business High Point-Chamber of Commerce raise $6.5M for this remarkable public-private partnership to build a center for design entrepreneurs.

Thank you for strong support for Piedmont Triad International Airport, and its new 1000-acre Aerospace Megasite. Ongoing state support for future projects is critical to the fast-growing Aviation and Advanced Manufacturing sectors of NC’s economy. Please maintain NCDOT Aviation Grants to Commercial Service Airports in the FY 2018-19 budget, and convert them to recurring funding for all commercial service airports.

Support the 2013 Strategic Transportation Investments law, and key road improvements: Lexington Avenue Gateway, Sandy Ridge Road (I-40 to Market Street), and US 70 widening to Burlington.

Support funding for a strong educational system and Guilford County Schools’ Career and Technical Education initiatives, including a pilot P-TECH school, and streamlining and funding for skilled professionals and STEM employees as teachers or co-teachers.

Support roads, rail, airports, seaports, intermodal facilities, advanced telecommunications and information technology.

DOWNTOWN REVITALIZATION as Economic Development Strategy

UNION SQUARE PHASE 2

An enhanced system of early childhood support will be key to developing a high-quality workforce for today’s and tomorrow’s jobs, and achieving our state’s highest potential for future global success.

Therefore, our community has begun a major initiative called “Ready for School, Ready for Life” that is funded by a large number of local and regional private funders. It is collaborating with Guilford County Schools, County government, service providers and health care systems to transform the early childhood support system in Guilford County. The goal is for children to arrive at kindergarten ready to succeed, and be reading at grade level by grade 3 – the key indicators of self-sufficiency and success in adulthood, both personally and within society. The initiative is pursuing innovative approaches to enhance cognitive and social-emotional development in the very early years of life when the brain is developing most rapidly. We expect to pursue supportive public policy based on specific recommendations in the next several years.

Future opportunities to complement more than 15 current exciting, public/private downtown projects in Greensboro and High Point.

A collaborative effort between UNCG, NC A&T, GTCC, Cone Health and the business community to train next-generation workforce for cyber security and product design.

Business High Point is the voice for the private sector, working to unite an engaged and informed business perspective to transform High Point.

bhpchamber.org Support expansion of health coverage through Medicaid expansion or other appropriate options for NC. The Greensboro Chamber of Commerce is the largest business organization in the community serving more than 1,000 member businesses through programming designed to help them succeed and grow. greensboro.org

2018

Greensboro-High Point LEGISLATIVE AGENDA

Presented By:

2018 AGENDA

Strategic Investments to Secure North Carolina’s Global Prominence in Manufacturing

Eastern Triad Workforce Development Initiative (ETWDI) First Launch Capital Fund Intermodal Rail Facility Modernization Megasite Infrastructure

We also Support

Looking to the Future

• High Point Market • High Point 365 • Aviation • Transportation • Education • Infrastructure for Jobs • Legislation to Expand Health Coverage Solutions

Eastern Triad Workforce Development Initiative (ETWDI)

• “Ready for School, Ready for Life”

Early Childhood Initiative • Downtown Revitalization as Economic Development Strategy • Union Square Phase 2

First Launch Capital Fund

Establish local early-stage seed fund to invest in innovative entrepreneurs and job growth.

Retooling for a bright new future in 21st century advanced manufacturing.

A venture capital seed fund is an important economic development tool that North Carolina and the Triad are missing. Ohio, Tennessee, and Oklahoma have early-stage seed funds that have been supported with public monies. Without seed capital, promising early-stage companies are forced to either move outside of NC or delay growth. A $5M fund is needed to serve the current $3.75M in qualified, pent-up demand in the Triad and future demand over time.

First Launch Capital Fund (FLCF), an innovative seed-stage capital fund will:

• Serve qualified startups with high-growth potential in the 12 Piedmont Triad counties;

• Use qualified experts and a rigorous vetting and oversight process;

• Make equity-like investments and loans beginning in late 2018;

• $7.6M in other funding; and

• Become a self-sustaining “evergreen” fund by accepting grants and donations;

• 24 workforce development stakeholders in Alamance, Guilford, Randolph, and Rockingham counties that are formally collaborating on a comprehensive set of strategies to create a reliable pipeline of skilled workers, scalable and replicable across NC.

• Generate future State tax revenues; and

• Be replicable across NC.

We thank you for the $3.2M 1st-year grant in the FY 2018-19 budget. A 6-10 year public-private partnership pilot program, ETWDI addresses 5 of the 6 goals in the Triad Talent Alignment Strategy (triadtalent.com).

This promised grant is already leveraging:

1/ 3

OF THE WORKFORCE

will have to learn new skills in the next 12 years.

Intermodal Rail Facility Modernization

FY 2018-19 focus areas include: 1. Changing Minds/Shifting Paradigms

Megasite Infrastructure

We are seeking a $2.5M non-recurring state grant (to be drawn down $1M in FY 2018-19, $1.5M total over the following 2 to 4 years) to match $2.5M in private investments and donations.

• Comprehensive, professional communications to students, parents, educators, businesses, and the public about the extraordinary futures in high-skill careers.

2. Learning, Earning, Growing • Jumpstart exponential growth in participating companies and workers: – 30 - 1200% increase in participating companies in various programs; – Support for a 300% increase in youth pre-apprenticeships (e.g. books, fees, tuition, credential fees); and

$2.5M NON-RECURRING STATE GRANT

+

$2.5M PRIVATE INVESTMENT & DONATIONS

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– Support for a 400% increase in adult-worker retraining (e.g. books, fees, tools).

• New and expanded, comprehensive “hands on” exposure strategies at schools and worksites, including: – Programming like AMP Camp, Career Focus Fridays, Coding Camp, Middle School Career Discovery; – Taking hands-on “labs” to schools; and – Transportation for 50% of students and youth apprentices to programs and worksites, mostly rural.

LACK OF CAPITAL

We ask for $250K in FY 2018-19 for an accelerated, comprehensive assessment of needs and solutions for the modernization and expansion of the Intermodal Rail Facility in Greensboro. This would inform future implementation strategy and funding crucial to growing the Triad’s advanced manufacturing and logistics economy.

Stakeholders NCDOT Rail Division, NCRR, Norfolk Southern, and customers would develop plans for enhancements to delivery system computerization, security and facilities, and possible expansion or relocation.

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BIGGEST HURDLE

$5M

EVERGREEN EARLY-STAGE SEED FUND

Thanks to your bold action during the Toyota-Mazda recruitment, the Greensboro-Randolph Megasite is a serious contender for transformational projects. So is the Piedmont Triad International Airport Aerospace Megasite.

You can further strengthen NC’s megasite assets:

• Support infrastructure needs at the Greensboro-Randolph Megasite;

• Reactivate, fund and/or create an official “rapid response” protocol for Department of Commerce’s Site Infrastructure Development Fund (SIDF) eliminating “site readiness” risk as a negative for NC; and

• Eliminate the cap and sunset on the Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG) which are serious, unnecessary negative red flags for potential projects.

TRIAD COMPANIES are losing business.