News

Center to kick off major statewide water resource initiative March 12
State and congressional leaders, including U.S. Rep. David Price and Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue, will be on hand March 12 as the Rural Center kicks off a major water resource study to spur job growth, protect the environment and improve the quality of life in North Carolina through the next 25 years. The initiative will be guided by the work of a 21-member advisory panel comprised of business, environmental and agricultural leadership. The panel will hold its first official meeting immediately after the March 12 kick off event, which will take place at the Rural Center’s Raleigh office at 4021 Carya Drive off Poole Road. To find out more, contact Jean Crews-Klein, vice-president of Business Development & Natural Resources at the Rural Center, (919) 250-4314, jklein@ncruralcenter.org.

Rural Americans less likely to use Internet than urban, report finds access to high-speed a barrier
The Internet is still not a part of everyday life in rural America the way it is for urban and suburban residents, according to a new study. Slightly more than half of rural residents nationwide use the Internet today, compared to more than two-thirds of urban and suburban residents, according to a report by the Pew Internet and American Life Project. Several factors are responsible for the continued gap in Internet connectivity, including an older rural population whose residents earn less than their urban counterparts, making them less inclined to want to use the Internet and less able to pay for it. But the biggest barrier is access to high-speed technology, according to the study, which found that many rural Americans still use outdated dial-up modems to access the Internet, either because broadband is not available in their community, they cannot afford it, or because they do not fully understand the advantages of high-speed Internet connections. Rural North Carolina is faring better, overall, in terms of making broadband available to residents. Today, 89 percent of rural North Carolinians with a home computer have high-speed Internet service. To read the full Pew report, click here.

MCNC initiative would help spur high-tech job growth in rural, low-wealth areas
MCNC, a technology and computing center created nearly 25 years ago to bring high-tech jobs to North Carolina, is proposing a new initiative to support the work of entrepreneurs whose ventures have the potential to create high-tech enterprises throughout the state, but particularly in rural and low-wealth areas. The North Carolina Innovation Institute is a $164 million initiative that would seek out promising entrepreneurs and help establish their work by providing free lab space, administrative support, and access to community colleges and universities. MCNC, a nonprofit organization located in the Research Triangle Park, was created by state lawmakers in 1980 and received state funding until the late 1990s. If approved and funded by state lawmakers, the institute would oversee business incubators in urban areas including Fayetteville and Research Triangle Park with the intent of spinning off new technology businesses in rural and low-wealth areas of the state. To find out more, visit the MCNC website at www.mcnc.org.

Agriculture-based businesses hurt by heavy rains in 2003 still eligible for SBA loans
Federal disaster loans are still available to small, non-farm, agriculture-dependent businesses in North Carolina, Georgia, and South Carolina through the U.S. Small Business Administration. The SBA’s disaster declaration was issued to help farmers recover from damages and losses to crops caused by excessive rain that occurred between March 20, 2003, and November 7, 2003. Business owners should contact the SBA Disaster Area 2 Office at One Baltimore Place, Suite 300, Atlanta, GA 30308, or call 1-800-359-2227 for more information and to obtain a loan application. Loan applications must be returned to SBA no later than August 9, 2004.

Reports and Research

Workforce development professionals now have access to on-line library
Workforce Learning Strategies, a research and consulting firm, has created a searchable, user-friendly on-line library of resources for workforce development professionals. The library links users to more than 2,100 tools and materials gathered from hundreds of organizations organized into 11 major workforce development functions, including labor market systems and analysis, program management and workplace practices. Registration to the site is free. To find out more, visit the site at www.workforceusa.net.

Small innovative firms integral to high-tech development, according to national report
New research released last month by the U.S. Office of Advocacy confirms what national economists have been saying for some time: small innovative firms have a big impact on high tech industries, especially with regard to the development of new technologies. The report shows that large firms in the biotechnology, medical electronics, semiconductor and telecommunications industries are citing patents by small firms in higher than expected numbers. The report, Small Firms and Technology: Acquisitions, Inventor Movement, and Technology Transfer can be found on the U.S. Small Business Administration website. The Office of Advocacy, which operates as part of the SBA, examines the role and status of small business in the economy.

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Meetings and Events

N.C. Economic Developers Association to hold conference March 11-12 in Pinehurst
The North Carolina Economic Developers Association will hold its winter conference March 11-12 at the Pinehurst Resort in Pinehurst. Session topics will include a look at what’s next for the manufacturing industry, local option project development financing, and the untapped potential of North Carolina’s military installations. The fee to register is $140 for NCEDA members, $300 for non-members. To register online, click here.

Faith Partnerships, Inc. to hold annual conference in Raleigh March 11-12
Faith-based groups from across the state are making plans to attend the third annual conference hosted by Faith Partnerships, Inc., a non-profit organization offering a range of services to help churches and other faith groups run their own socio-economic programs. More and more faith-based organizations are taking on such roles, especially in rural, distressed communities. Faith Partnerships' previous conferences have featured grant writing seminars, organizational assistance and networking opportunities. This year’s conference will be held at the Clarion Hotel in downtown Raleigh, with other sessions at the nearby Edenton Street Methodist Church. Call Diana Jones Wilson, president of Faith Partnerships, Inc. at (919) 834-8335 for information.

Grant writing seminar offered in Raleigh April 5-9
The Grantmanship Center is offering a program on how to write grant proposals April 5-9 at the Cameron Village Library in Raleigh. Participants will receive hands-on grants writing training, and will write their own proposals, which will be critiqued by their classmates. Tuition is $825. To find out more, visit the center’s website at www.tgci.com. Register soon, as classes are limited to 30 people. To find out more, call Elena Evans at (919) 856-5727, or by email at eowens@co.wake.nc.us.

The N.C. Rural Water Association to hold annual conference April 27-29 in Greensboro
The N.C. Rural Water Association will hold its annual conference in Greensboro April 27-29 at the Sheraton Greensboro Four Seasons Hotel. The conference will offer rural water and wastewater system professionals training opportunities and technical assistance, in addition to help with development of wellhead protection plans. Registration is $300 for non-members, and $140 for members. Register by April 7 and save $25. To register online, visit the association website by clicking here.

Southern Growth Policies Board to hold annual conference June 13-15 in Oklahoma City
Join the Southern Growth Policies Board and leaders from across the region on June 13-15 in Oklahoma City to explore how Southern communities, states and entrepreneurs can more fully engage in the global economy. Keynote and panel presentations will suggest exciting new strategies for creating jobs and wealth, fostering more effective relationships across national borders, and building the knowledge and skills needed to compete globally. The conference will also showcase Southern innovators who are already leading the way. For a complete agenda, or to register, visit www.southern.org.

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At the Rural Center

Center’s board of directors awards $21.4 million in grants for rural water and sewer needs
The Rural Center’s board of directors voted Feb. 26 to award $21.4 million in grants to 65 rural communities for water and wastewater system improvements. Grants were awarded to communities for improvements ranging from major new water system development to planning projects that will make future improvements possible. In announcing the awards, center president Billy Ray Hall cited the remarkable impact these projects are having in rural North Carolina five years after voters approved an $800 million bond package to improve water resources statewide. The center’s board, which meets twice each year to award grants under three water and sewer project categories, will make two more rounds of grant awards before the bond funds are fully expended in 2005. For more information on the grant awards, visit the center’s website by clicking here.

Funding Sources

Grants to help small and mid-sized businesses export to global markets
The World Trade Center North Carolina, with funding from Z. Smith Reynolds, has launched a statewide initiative to identify existing small-to-mid-sized enterprises, agricultural producers, and manufacturers from rural and economically disadvantaged counties in an effort to help them develop and execute business strategies to take their products and services to global markets this year. Successful candidates will be those already marketing products, but without a sustained international business strategy, and those with strategic interest in pursuing international market opportunities. The deadline to apply for funding is March 23. To find out more, visit the website at www.wtcnc.org. To apply, contact the organization at (919) 743-0177.

April 5 is deadline to apply for $5,000 community revitalization grants
The Enterprise Foundation has announced the 2004 Jim & Patty Rouse Award for excellence in community revitalization. The purpose of the program is to recognize and share the important work accomplished by community-based and regional nonprofit organizations, as well as Tribes/Tribally Designated Housing Entities, that develop affordable housing and are engaged in comprehensive community revitalization efforts. To be eligible for consideration, organizations must be members of the Enterprise Foundation Network and provide housing to low-income individuals or families. In addition, they must have worked to restore the fabric of the community and create a sense of place, with particular emphasis on opportunities for residents. See the Enterprise Foundation Web site for complete program information. To apply click here.

March 31 is deadline to apply for water and sewer grants
The Rural Center is currently accepting grant applications for rural water and sewer improvement projects. Grants are awarded under the following categories: unsewered communities grants of up to $3 million designed for communities without a central wastewater treatment facility; supplemental grants of up to $400,000 to match funds already dedicated to a water or sewer project; and capacity building grants of up to $40,000 to conduct the planning phase of water and wastewater projects. Local governments and non-profit organizations located in rural counties are eligible to apply for supplemental and capacity building funds. Unsewered communities grants are open to all counties. Priority is given to projects from economically distressed counties of the state as determined each year by the N.C. Department of Commerce. Click here to view the current list of economically distressed counties. The deadline to apply is 5 p.m. on March 31. To find out more about the center’s water and sewer grants program, or to download an application, click here.

From the N.C. Press

Greenville Daily Reflector: Poll finds state residents believe U.S. admits too many immigrants
The vast majority of residents in North Carolina – which had the nation’s fastest-growing population of immigrants in the 1990s – thinks the U.S. admits too many illegal immigrants, a poll shows. The poll, commissioned by the Raleigh News and Observer, showed that three-fourths of North Carolinians believe there are too many illegal immigrants in the country. About the same number think Mexicans who come here for work should not be allowed to remain, even if they are otherwise law-abiding. The state’s foreign-born population jumped 274 percent in the 1990s, according to the 2000 Census. More recent estimates indicate that the flow of immigration has continued, with Latinos making up the majority of the state’s 480,000 foreign-born residents.

Kinston Free Press: Global TransPark plans pushed
The Global TransPark plans in April to choose a contractor to build two buildings, which should be completed by year's end. Work should begin immediately once the contractor is named. Global TransPark supporters say the availability of buildings will give the site more punch when trying to land tenants. The TransPark is also beginning to work on cleaning up its appearance, to make it "look more like an industrial park, and less like a municipal airport," said Isaac Manning, a GTP consultant. Groundbreaking for a 120,000-square-foot ‘speculative’ building will be in April, along with a tour of the TransPark for brokers and investors, said Jeff Sheehan, a leasing representative at Duke Realty Corp. The Global TransPark Authority hired Duke in April 2003 to oversee real estate development of the park. The GTP is a 13-year-old, state-supported project that received $1.6 million from tax coffers this year. Continued support is questionable, although one of Gov. Mike Easley's top advisors has said that funding for next fiscal year is probable in the governor's budget.

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Copyright by N.C. Rural Economic Development Center, Inc. 2002. We encourage you to share this UPDATE with interested individuals, organizations, or agencies. Material may be reproduced in electronic or print form. We ask that you please cite the Rural Center as the source.

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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
Kelly Tucker Griffin, UPDATE production manager
Elaine Matthews, vice president for communications and development
4021 Carya Drive, Raleigh, NC 27610
(919) 250-4314 Fax: (919) 250-4325
www.ncruralcenter.org