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By Erin Smith
The Southeastern Economic Development Commission marked 50 years of service in economic development on Tuesday at Cape Fear Vineyard and Winery. US Senator Thom Tillis was the keynote speaker for the luncheon meeting.
Senator Tillis told the group that Congress has been working to reduce the regulatory burdens placed on businesses and tax reform is also being discussed.
“Trade is an important piece (of the puzzle) to get settled,” said Tillis.
North Carolina was one state that benefitted from the North American Free trade Agreement (NAFATA), according to Tillis. He recounted how, when NAFTA was to be voted on in Congress for the first time, then-Senator Robin Hayes voted in favor of NAFATA with tears in his eyes. There were fears at that time NAFTA would hurt North Carolina, but Senator Tillis said in reality North Carolina has seen many benefits because of NAFTA. Senator Tills said free trade and fair trade still remain priorities in Congress.
North Carolina is consistently at the top fo the list for companies who are looking to either relocate or to expand their businesses, said Senator Tillis. He added, the majority of the time, North Carolina makes the final list in the process.
North Carolina also has a very bright future in terms of the military presence here, according to Senator Tillis.
He spoke briefly about the Farm Bill and saids he expects the US Senate to have a Farm Bill to present the US House soon. Senator Tillis also touched briefly on the subject of H1B workers. He said that employers must demonstrate that they have attempted to qualified American workers before they can hire a H1B worker.
Following Senator Tillis, the group heard from Jessica Martin-Lane, President of W. R. Martin, regarding the Economic Development Agency’s Recovery Investment Report on Hurricane Matthew. She told the group that EDA has been working for about a year now on the recovery initiative.
Lane explained that EDA put resources in place in North Carolina following Hurricane Matthew and Disaster Coordinators were put in place and each coordinator had a targeted area of focus. She said the goal is to facilitate disaster recovery efforts for Bladenboro, Elizabethtown, Fair Bluff, Whiteville, Raeford, Fairmont, Lumberton, St. Pauls, and Red Springs.
Lane said her company will be assisting local governments to align them with disaster recovery resources available to them at the state and federal level. For example, Lane said there are still utilities that are in need of major upgrades and there are other needs that remain to be addressed.
The Southeastern Economic Development Commission also conducted a business meeting and named Randall Johnson of New Hanover County as Chairman; Amy Cannon of Cumberland County as Vice-Chairman and Chuck Heustess of Bladen County as Secretary/Treasurer.
During the business session, Chairman Randall Johnson reported that Sampson Community College, with grant writing assistance from the Commission, was awarded a $1,740,772 from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) to construct an occupational training facility for advanced manufacturing on the main campus in Clinton. He also reported that the Town of Tabor City was awarded a $22,500 technical assistance grant for a Tourism Railway Feasibility Study. These projects, added to those funded in the past, brings the total EDA investment in southeastern North Carolina to $92.1 million, primarily for water and sewer projects to serve new and expanding industries; and brick and mortar projects such as business incubators and training facilities.
The SEDC is designated as an Economic Development District (EDD) by the EDA for southeastern North Carolina that serves the counties of Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, Cumberland, Harnett, Hoke, New Hanover, Pender, Robeson, Sampson and Scotland. The District assists its member counties, municipalities, institutes of higher education, and other eligible non-profit applicants in applying for federal grant investments that help generate jobs, protect existing jobs, and stimulate economic growth. The EDA is the federal funding agency. The SEDC office is in Elizabethtown. Pamela Bostic serves as the Executive Director.
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