LATEST MACON COUNTY BUSINESS NEWS

Monthly EDC Meeting

The Macon County Economic Development Commission meetings are held every other month at 5:30 p.m. in the Groves Building on the Macon Campus of Southwestern Community College.  The Next meeting is June 22, 2010 at 5:30 p.m.

Certified Entrepreneurial Community

As part of the economic development effort in Macon County, the Economic Development Commission (EDC) partnered with Advantage West's Certified Entrepreneur Community (CEC) initiative. Fundamental to the CEC program is establishing a broad based knowledge of the business environment in the county followed by development of a community strategy for continued business support. A key step is assessing and/or establishing community support for entrepreneurs thru community participation and governmental support. Macon County Commissioners and the EDC enthusiastically embraced the program and a group of citizens volunteered to lead the effort. At present Macon County is nearing completion of the rigorous five-step process to receive certification as a Certified Entrepreneurial Community.

EDC - Our Opinion

The Franklin Press

EDC positions county for successful future

Economic development has traditionally focused on the recruitment of large industries, particularly manufacturing plants. For many years the Macon County Economic Development Commission (EDC) followed this model with some success. But, changing economic times made the approach much more difficult and so, the EDC set out to reinvent itself.

A crucial step in this process involved hiring a consultant to serve as a guide for the EDC as it moves forward. The EDC had the good fortune to hire James McCoy, a Macon County native whose experience and qualifications uniquely fit him for this role. The work he has produced so far includes a community analysis that creates a clear economic roadmap for the county. Now the EDC has taken the next significant step, the hiring of a full-time coordinator to put the plan into effect. The search for the right person began in the fall of 2008 and culminated on June 1, when Trevor Dalton began work. Like McCoy, Dalton is a native of Macon County, with the education and business experience the job requires.

We would not have objected had the EDC reached outside the county to fill this important post, but the fact that the right person also has local roots and a deep love for the county is a tremendous plus.

His knowledge of the community will be an asset as he pursues the biggest part of his job - working with existing businesses.

The leadership shown throughout this process should inspire the public's and the business community's confidence.

With a good roadmap and steady hands on the wheel, the county seems headed toward a brighter economic future.

EDC seeks Duke funds for business incubator

By Tony Wheelerr / Macon County News

At their regular monthly meeting on Feb. 17, members of the Macon County Economic Development Commission met in the boardroom of Southwestern Community College in Franklin. Of utmost importance to the group is finding a full-time director. Over 20 applicants are seeking the job. County Manager Jack Horton is responsible for hiring the director, who will report directly to him. The hiring process is nearing completion.

On the agenda for the February meeting was discussion of the search for a director, the availability of money from Duke Energy which could help the business incubator at the industrial park, a request for funding from the Living Heritage Village project, and the election of officers to serve a one-year term on the commission.

Business incubator

In the 23 years since Macon County established the incubator, eight businesses have used the facility. The building is currently being refurbished in an effort to attract new clients. EDC member Connie Haire discussed a grant application that could bring $250,000 to the site.
The business incubator in the industrial park was created in 1986 by the EDC, with funding from the board of commissioners. Gary Dills, a proponent of the incubator, has said the idea is to bring in new or existing businesses looking to expand and provide them a place to train, or operate, or expand while seeking a larger, permanent facility. The current residents are Whitley Products and the NCDMV driver’s license office.

A refurbishing of the incubator, now underway, is intended to attract new clients. Over the years, the incubator has seen a few other tenants, including Caterpillar, C.R. Industries, Shade Tree Creations, Robert Solesbee's Electronics and Tektone Sound. The National Guard also used space at the incubator for training purposes. The license office has been there since the early ’90s, and Whitley expanded from their industrial site in town to the incubator six years ago, after a brief stint at the incubator a few years before.

Tektone is a communication systems company which was originally based in Florida, said Naional Sales Manager Darrin Carpenter. The owner vacationed in Franklin, got to know County Manager Jack Horton and started a small production line out of the incubator. The company then expanded into its own building and based its entire operation out of Franklin, where it remains. Tektone now has clients worldwide.

Sam Greenwood, county manager at the time the incubator first started, has said previously that during the early ’90s some commissioners let the building be used for things other than what was intended, like the driver’s license office, but the incubator is back on the right track now.

Dills said things are looking up for the site. He wants a youth entrepreneurial program started there, in cooperation with Macon County schools and SCC. “Everyone's supportive, though the idea is still in the formative stages,” Dills said. He said the concept is for school kids who want to start a business and have a business plan in place, employees and funding, but need space for the business. Some may only need office space, he said.

Things may indeed be looking up for the incubator, according to EDC member Connie Haire. She said the EDC is applying for a $250,000 grant available from Duke Energy for job creation and retention. If granted, the money will be used to set up an enterprise center at the incubator. The center would be used for training and to create an environment where entrepreneurs could come in and get a business started and then move out on their own, she said.

The proposal to Duke focuses on creating jobs, helping those businesses who are having to lay people off and retraining for those who need to get back in the workforce, she said. “Some of these companies have a lot of mature workers who are not being able to progress because they don't have basic skills, like a GED or high school diploma. So, with all that in mind, the proposal is written with the idea of going out to the incubator and providing a training center,” she said. “The main thing is to grow jobs or retain what we’ve got, or to retrain some individuals who are currently employed so that they can continue to be employed.”

The Macon County Business Incubator located at the Industrial Park now houses Whitley Products, (shown here) and the driver’s license office. The incubator is being refurbished to attract new clients. The EDC has also applied for a grant to set up a business center at the site.

The proposal is due at Duke by the end of March. “We can apply for up to $250,000, and that amount of money would allow us to do some retrofitting at the incubator for a training situation and some amenities that could be used depending on the nature of the business,” said Haire. SCC may also move their Small Business Center to the incubator, she said.

The EDC director’s position was requested when the group was asked by county commissioners to define its goals and come up with a strategic plan, which was adopted by the board of commissioners in August.

The approved plan allowed the EDC to increase the number of members by seven for a total of 12, hire a director, identify and acquire industrial and business sites and finish renovation of the business incubator at the industrial park. New members have already joined, and the refurbishing of the incubator is nearing completion. David Hubbs, Connie Haire, Donnie Bishop, Hank Ross, Steve Chenoweth, Johnny Mira-Knippel and Joe Collins have come on board the commission to join Thomas Craig, Roger Plemens, Ed Shatley, Mark West and Gary Dills.

The EDC went into executive session, closed to the public and media, to discuss the status of the hiring process. “We’re getting very close to getting a new director,” West said after the meeting.

The adopted vision of the EDC states that Macon County shall remain the most prosperous and most livable county in Western North Carolina through active support of new and existing businesses and active recruiting of compatible businesses. The EDC’s mission is to develop, mentor and promote public policy to create an atmosphere conducive to the creation, growth and development of economic prosperity while preserving the natural environment for the benefit of current residents and future generations.