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From the President:
2008 brings the promise of a new year with new
beginnings for economic development in North
Carolina’s Northeast. Our Hub and Spoke
initiative is well underway giving us the
ability to attract motor coach tourists and help
our small towns benefit from the thousands of
tourists who pass through our region each year.
Biotechnology continues to bring the expectation
of higher paying jobs and an additional outlet
for farming production. Our recent meetings
with biotechnology stakeholders brings together
the best resources in the region for science,
business, and economic development.
With 24,000 people commuting to jobs in
Southeast Virginia, we recognize the economic
potential of bringing some of these workers back
home to jobs in Northeastern North Carolina, so
we are working on building relationships in
Virginia with the intent of attracting these
businesses to expand into our region.
During 2008, we saw expansions of existing
businesses such as a new commercial laundry,
hotels, aviation repair business, and others as
we continue to market the region and promote the
major business clusters of automotive, aviation,
biotechnology, human infrastructure, inner
banks development, marine, and tourism.
We look forward to a strong economic year as we
saw no decline in 2007, and we will work toward
the same in 2008. To all of our partners and
stakeholders, we appreciate your work as we
collaborate again and move forward into a new
year as we diversify the economy increase the
capacity for new jobs and .
- Vann Rogerson,
President/CEO |
