News

Rural Center, statewide partners unveil new initiatives to help North Carolina become the entrepreneurial state 
For the last several years, North Carolina has worked to strengthen its entrepreneurial climate and better articulate the critical role of entrepreneurs and the businesses they create  including some 5,000 new enterprises each month. About 600 people, including state policymakers, legislators, entrepreneurs and business service providers, came together on Feb. 27 to help North Carolina become the entrepreneurial state  through several new initiatives designed to stimulate the growth, development and long-term viability of small businesses in communities throughout North Carolina. The 2007 Entrepreneurship Summit, Framing our Economic Future: An Entrepreneurship Agenda for North Carolina,  was the backdrop for the announcement of the new initiatives, which include a $3 million venture fund for businesses in economically distressed counties in North Carolina, a consortium of the state s leading educational institutions that will work to strengthen entrepreneurship education in North Carolina, and the establishment of legislative committees that will put entrepreneurship and small business on a par with other aspects of commerce and economic development in matters before the General Assembly. Summit sponsors include the North Carolina Business Resource Alliance, Rural Entrepreneurship Development System, North Carolina Entrepreneurial Association and the Rural Economic Development Center. To find out more about the initiatives announced on Feb. 27, visit the center s website.

House and Senate lawmakers introduce Clean Water Bond Act of 2007
A group of House and Senate lawmakers who vowed to bring clean water issues to the forefront of the 2007 legislative session have made good on that promise with the introduction of House Bill 127 and Senate Bill 208, the Clean Water Bond Act of 2007. Led by Sen. Walter Dalton and Reps. Bill Owens, William Wainwright and Bill Daughtridge, the similar pieces of legislation would authorize the issuance of $500 million in general obligation bonds to help local governments fund drinking water and wastewater projects. Both bills stipulate that about half of the bond funds would be administered by the Rural Center through its Clean Water Bonds Program, with other funds also going to the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources for grant-making. Both bills also provide a $50 million annual appropriation for critical needs, to include systems facing moratoria, public health and environmental emergencies. The center previously administered $240 million of the $800 million Clean Water Bond Act approved by voters in 1998  funds it used to help rural and distressed counties in North Carolina build, repair and plan for safe drinking water and wastewater systems. The proposed legislation would require a bond referendum be placed on the November ballot and approved by a majority of state voters. To read the full text of House Bill 127, click here.To read the full text of Senate Bill 208, click here.

E-NC Authority bills aim to boost high-speed connectivity in underserved counties
House and Senate lawmakers have introduced legislation to boost high-speed Internet connectivity in underserved areas of the state. House Bill 40, along with its companion Senate Bill 112, is a $10 million piece of legislation that would provide the e-NC Authority with $7,500,000 in grant funds that would be used as incentives for Internet service providers. The grants, which would be awarded on a competitive basis, are aimed at increasing high-speed availability across the state, and especially in 26 counties that currently have less than 70 percent access to broadband technology. To be eligible for the grants, service providers will have to fully match their award and will be required to fund at least 50 percent of the total project cost. The legislation also includes $2 million to build on and enhance the work of the e-NC Authority s Business and Technology Telecenters, $300,000 for the authority s general operations and research work, and $200,000 to support the authority s grants-making and technology enhancement programs. To view the full text of the bill, click here.

State s high school dropout rate jumped nearly 10 percent last year, mostly from large, urban schools
A report presented to the state Board of Education last month shows nearly a 10 percent jump in the number of high-schools students who dropped out last year over the previous year. State education leaders hope the data will prompt lawmakers to raise the compulsory attendance age in North Carolina from 16 to 18. The report found that about half of the 22,180 students who dropped out during the 2005-2006 school year were white, 7,641 were black and 2,098 were Latino. Males were twice as likely to drop out as females, and most of the students who dropped out did not give a reason for doing so. Perhaps most surprising is where the majority of those students dropped out from  large urban schools, as it turns out. Five of the largest school districts in the state, in fact, accounted for a disproportionate number of dropouts last year, with Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Wake, Guilford, Cumberland and Winston-Salem/Forysth schools accounting for 56 percent of the increase.

Meetings and Events

Workforce development professionals from across the Southeast to attend SETA conference April 1-4 in Greensboro
The Southeastern Employment and Training Association will hold its annual conference in North Carolina this year April 1-4 at Greensboro s Sheraton Hotel Koury Convention Center. The regional professional organization s membership primarily comes from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. SETA s main focus is delivering training opportunities, best practices and the latest information about workforce development issues to its members. The conference agenda includes workshops to address the issues of workforce boards, case management, Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Administration and Finance, one-stop centers, dislocated workers, proposed changes in WIA legislation, and other issues facing workforce development in the southeast. The fee to register is $325 for members, $350 for non-members. To register online, click here.

Navigating the Global American South conference set for April 19-20 at UNC-Chapel Hill.
Global Health and Regional Solutions" is the theme for the University of North Carolina's annual Navigating the Global American South conference, set for April 19-20 in Chapel Hill. Among the featured speakers will be John Briscoe, The World Bank s Country Director for Brazil; Pierre Buekens, Dean of Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine; and Judith Rodin, President of the Rockefeller Foundation. Conference presentations will explore regional approaches to public health and the experiences that translate between the American South and other world regions. For more information or to register for the conference, click here.

Air quality, energy and environmental professionals to meet April 18 in Greensboro for Mobilizing North Carolina conference
The N.C. Solar Center is hosting a day-long conference in Greensboro on April 18, Mobilizing North Carolina,  which will focus on air quality, alternative fuels and advanced transportation technologies. The Solar Center will also honor its Mobile Clean Air Renewable Energy (CARE) Awardees at the event, which will feature a keynote speech on climate change by noted paleoanthropologist Dr. Richard Leakey. The conference is aimed at anyone in the air quality, environmental and/or transportation field, particularly fleet managers, fuel providers, local and state elected officials, business leaders and environmental advocates. The event will be held at the Greensboro Coliseum Special Events Center from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. To register online, click here.For questions, contact Lyra Rakusin at the Solar Center, (919) 513-7769.

N.C. Employment and Training Association to hold three-day session April 18-20 at Asheville s Grove Park Inn
The N.C. Employment and Training Association will hold a three-day conference and training in Asheville at the Grove Park Inn April 18-20. The conference will feature a combination of workshops, educational and professional development sessions for workforce development professionals and networking opportunities. Workshops will focus on economic development strategies, case management, North Carolina s Career Readiness Certificate, labor market information, and communication skills assessments. The workshops have been designed to address the specific needs of professional development and training. The fee to register is $225 for members and $250 for non-members, and does not include hotel room rates. For more information, or to register, visit the website.

Reports and Research

Magazine names Polk County among the top 10 places to live in rural America today
Each year, The Progressive Farmer magazine dedicates one edition to the best places to live in rural America today, and this year western Polk County has been named to the number ten spot. The magazine said it chose Polk because it has remained largely unaffected by nearby Asheville s 10-year population boon and for the beauty of its softly-rolling Appalachian hills. Barren, Kentucky was ranked first this year in the annual survey, which is based mainly on household income, spending, home and land prices, crime rates, air quality, education and access to health care. Before ranking the most highly-livable rural counties, the Progressive Farmer staff travels across America to complete their research and document life in these rural hamlets for their readers. To read the article, click here.

North Carolina has done little to attract high-tech immigrant entrepreneurs, Duke study finds
A joint study by Duke University and the University of California at Berkeley highlights the importance of immigrant entrepreneurs in the U.S.today and finds some states are doing better than others when it comes to attracting these entrepreneurs. North Carolina is listed among the states with a low percentage of engineering and technology companies owned by immigrant founders. Several studies in recent years have documented the importance of entrepreneurial-minded foreigners living in the U.S. in terms of boosting innovation and entrepreneurial ventures. The Duke-Berkeley study is significant for its finding that immigrant entrepreneurs founded 25.3 percent of the U.S. engineering and technology companies established in the past decade. The study also finds that 24 percent of the international patent applications in 2006 came from non-U.S. citizens who are currently living and working here. To read the full report, click here.

Southern states slip in CFED s annual Development Report Card for the States"
The best economic climates in the United States today can be found in Connecticut and Delaware, according to the Corporation for Enterprise Development s (CFED) annual Development Report Card for the States,  a comprehensive assessment of state economies that is now in its 20th year. Connecticut and Delaware received top scores in three key areas of the survey: the strength of their business development, the performance of their economies for its citizens, and their positioning for future economic growth. Southern states slipped in this year s assessment, with none earning the top score of A  in any assessment area except for Alabama, which earned top marks for business competitiveness and entrepreneurial energy. For more information, analysis and access to grades for each state for the Development Report Card for the States, visit the website.

National education group releases America s Perfect Storm: Three Forces Changing our Nation s Future 
The Educational Testing Service, a national nonprofit that works to bring balance and equity to educational systems across the U.S., has released a new publication that warns against ignoring what it calls a perfect storm  of events related to the nation s economy and education system. In its report, America s Perfect Storm: Three Forces Changing our Nation s Future,  ETS researchers contend there are three major issues that are feeding into one another and if not corrected, will keep the U.S. from making economic or educational progress in the years to come. Those issues are: substantial disparities in skill levels; an ever-widening wage gap caused by major economic changes; and sweeping demographic shifts that often result in workers with less education and fewer skills. Report authors find that, to date, educational reform has not been sufficient to solve the problem and as a nation we should, instead, endeavor to raise our learning levels, increase reading and math skills and narrow the existing achievement gaps. To read the full report, click here.

Report sheds new light on Credit Path¨  framework
The Aspen Institute and Alternatives Federal Credit Union have released a new report, Toward a New Credit Path¨: Lessons from a Survey of 904 Alternatives Federal Credit Union Members  suggesting that people may not move along the path to asset accumulation and financial security as previously thought. The report is based on in-depth research into the Credit Path¨,  a conceptual framework formulated by Alternatives  CEO William Myers in 1995, and now well recognized in the community development and financial services fields. The framework describes various stages people may pass through as they build assets and seek greater financial security. The new research found, among other things, that rather than move sequentially through the stages, most people hopscotch among the stages and sometimes can be in two or more stages simultaneously. To read the full report, click here.

Take part in Southern Growth s online workforce competitiveness survey
Southern Growth Policies Board has launched its 2007 on-line survey to poll Southern citizens on their attitudes and ideas about building a competitive Southern workforce. Share your opinions on building an entrepreneurial workforce to support the region's economic development initiatives in high-growth industries and to promote a greater quality of life for all Southerners. Last year, more than 1,800 people from across the Southern region participated in the online survey to have their views included in Southern Growth's annual report. Share your thoughts and be included in Southern Growth's 2007 Report on the Future of the South and in presentations at the Southern Workforce Summit conference on June 3-5, 2007, in St. Louis, Missouri. The 16-question survey can be found here.

From the N.C. Press

Greenville Daily-Reflector: Tobacco producers and quota holders to receive more than $317 million in buyout payments this year
Tobacco quota owners, producers, and other contract holders in North Carolina will receive more than $317 million this year as part of the federal buyout of the price-support system, the U.S. government said earlier this month. With the $9.6 billion buyout that took effect in 2005, the federal government ended decades of leaf production under a quota system that kept prices artificially high. Payment recipients now decide for themselves how much tobacco to grow and whether to enter into individual contracts with cigarette companies. The payments, which will come annually through 2014, are supposed to help with the transition to the open market. Nationally, annual payments that began last month will total $950 million, said Keith Weatherly, North Carolina executive director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Farm Service Agency. North Carolina is the nation's largest tobacco growing state.

Durham Herald-Sun: Regional agricultural centers needed to help small farms
To help small farms with cost of doing business, some legislators are suggesting the state establish regional agricultural processing centers. At a breakfast meeting between Orange County Commissioners and the county's legislative delegation, lawmakers said the state should consider building a local value-added processing center as a pilot for a potential statewide program. Farmers could use such centers to wash their produce before selling it. Farmers could also purchase equipment for the center that may be too expensive for small farms to purchase individually. Sen. Ellie Kinnaird said she plans to meet with the state's agriculture commissioner soon to suggest the state establish such an agricultural processing center. Rep. Verla Insko suggested the N.C. Department of Agriculture could use the local center as a pilot for a potential statewide program. "I really think that's something the state ought to invest in, not on a local basis, but strategically located around the state," said House Speaker Joe Hackney. Hackney said the centers would be a way of helping small farms and encouraging people to eat local foods.

The North Carolina Associated Press: Forestry products takes over as state s top manufacturing industry
North Carolina's forest products industry has become the state's largest manufacturing industry, surpassing the textile industry based on employment and wages, according to figures collected by the College of Natural Resources at North Carolina State University. The number of people working in the state logging, wood products, paper and furniture industries as of the middle of 2006 was more than 103,000, compared to 82,000-110 in textile mills, textile product mills and apparel manufacturing. Forest products industries paid annual wages of $3.6 billion. Annual textile industry wages were $2.5 billion.

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The mission of the North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center is to develop, promote, and implement sound economic strategies that improve the quality of life of rural North Carolinians, with a special focus on individuals with low to moderate incomes and communities with limited resources.

N.C. Rural Economic Development Center
Michelle Taylor, UPDATE editor
Courtney Tieman, UPDATE production manager
Elaine Matthews, senior vice president
4021 Carya Drive, Raleigh, NC 27610
(919) 250-4314 Fax: (919) 250-4325
www.ncruralcenter.org