Regional Roundup

Business News from Around Western North Carolina

Buncombe County

New Project Focuses on Affordable Housing, Education, Wellness

ASHEVILLE - First Baptist Church of Asheville and the YMCA of Western North Carolina are uniting on a bold and unprecedented project to develop their neighboring properties as a walkable urban village that helps meet community needs for affordable workforce housing, early childhood development and education, health and well-being, and more. Between them, the church and the YMCA own approximately 10 acres in downtown Asheville at the eastern gateway of the central business district. With the working name “Project Aspire,” these mission-based organizations hope to transform their shared landscape for the next 100 years of community service. The design will prioritize sustainable building systems, public green spaces, and pedestrian connectivity, ensuring that the development is environmentally responsible and accessible to all.

Source: YMCA of Western North Carolina

Caldwell County

Lenoir Company Recognized by Governor’s Office

LENOIR - Seven North Carolina companies were recognized in February for growing their sales success in international markets at the 2022 Governor’s Export Awards. The Governor’s Office partnered with the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina to develop this awards program, now in its fourth year. FAIRFIELD® Chair was founded in Lenoir in 1921 and has been manufacturing and selling high-quality and high-end furniture to customers throughout North Carolina and around the United States ever since. Today they have customers around the world who value American style and craftsmanship. Rashelle Jones, director of marketing for FAIRFIELD®, said the EDPNC is a valuable resource for the company, and with the support of the EDPNC, FAIRFIELD® is able to continue focusing on their goals of increasing the export of handcrafting quality furniture and providing careers for the talented artisans of Lenoir.

Source: NC Department of Commerce

Cherokee County

Grants Support Multiple Cherokee County Improvement Projects

BRYSON CITY - The Southwestern Commission authored a grant from the Rural Economic Development Division of the North Carolina Department of Commerce that was awarded to a

Cherokee County community. A $600,000 grant will support the Town of Bryson City’s plans to complete the design and construction of a streetscape project on Main Street from the intersections of Veterans Boulevard to Everett Street. In addition to this grant award, the Town of Murphy received $665,000 to support plans to renovate the Town Square as an early step to improve public spaces downtown, and Cherokee County was awarded $550,000 that will support the acquisition of 27.58-acre wooded property to be marketed for economic development purposes.

Source: Southwest Commission

Clay County

Public Health and EMS Services to Increase Capacity, Training

CLAY COUNTY - The Southwestern Commission authored a grant from the Rural Economic Development Division of the North Carolina Department of Commerce that was awarded to Clay County. Clay County was awarded $850,000 to purchase 13.3 acres that will help stabilize public health services and increase the capacity of EMS. The only Community Paramedic Program Training

New Agreement Supports Offshore Wind Energy for NC

North Carolina Secretary of Commerce

Machelle Baker Sanders and Director General Kristoffer Böttzauw of the Danish Energy Agency signed the Memorandum of Understanding between the two agencies. The agreement, known as the Cooperation on Offshore Wind Energy and Related Sectors agreement, will greatly enhance North Carolina’s ability to responsibly develop offshore wind energy. Böttzauw said they are looking forward to sharing their experiences with NC on building the workforce, supply chain, and infrastructure needed to support offshore wind. The offshore wind industry – and its supply chain – represent a potential $140 billion in economic investment along the east coast of the United States. North Carolina is favorably positioned to attract a large share of this investment, supporting tens of thousands of familysustaining jobs for North Carolinians, and clean, renewable energy to power hundreds of thousands of North Carolina homes and businesses, according to a report released by the N.C. Department of Commerce in 2021.

Source: Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina

Facility in the Southwest region will also be created in this location.

Source: Southwest Commission

Cleveland County Building Reuse Program Supports New Jobs

SHELBY - The NC Rural Infrastructure Authority authorized a $500,000 grant under the state’s Building Reuse Program that will support the reuse of a 253,500-square-foot building located in Shelby. The building will be occupied by Robert Bosch Tool, a manufacturer of power tools, power tool accessories, and measuring tools. The company will create 78 jobs and invest $744,534 in the project.

Source: NC Department of Commerce

Haywood County County/City Leadership responds to Closing of Canton Paper Mill

CANTON - Haywood County Board of Commissioners, along with other elected officials and representatives from Haywood County and municipal governments, attended an informational session regarding the Pactiv-Evergreen continued on next page

State Program Helps Communities Leverage Outdoor Recreation Assets

The North Carolina Department of Commerce’s Rural Economic Development Division has selected 34 local governments from across the state to participate in the Creating Outdoor Recreation Economies program. The CORE program offers strategic planning and technical assistance to help rural communities leverage North Carolina’s abundant outdoor recreation assets to bolster local economic vitality. Strategy development will focus on leveraging outdoor recreation assets to increase tourism, encourage small business development, enhance quality of life for residents, plan for asset and infrastructure development, and/or position communities to grow and attract outdoor gear manufacturing industries. Participating WNC communities include: Ashe County, Town of Black Mountain ( Buncombe), Town of Valdese (Burke), Jackson County, and Yancey County.

Source: NC Department of Commerce