City of Greenville and Partners Selected for Economic Development Program
The United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development, in conjunction with North Carolina Cooperative Extension, Southern Rural Development Center and other state and local partners, have selected a partnership including the City of Greenville, Pitt County, Greene County and Wilson County, to be included in a program called “Stronger Economies Together” (SET).
SET is a program designed to help regional teams develop new approaches to strengthen and enhance regional economic development activities. This is an opportunity for current or newly formed multi-county teams to receive the latest tools, training, and technical assistance to help their region move forward and take advantage of positive growth and quality of life opportunities.
City of Greenville Economic Development Officer Carl Rees says the City’s inclusion in the SET program will pay immediate dividends with a large contingent of City staff and Board and Commission members having an opportunity to receive intensive economic development training. “Our recently adopted Strategic Economic Plan calls for every City employee to be an economic developer,” said Rees, “so inclusion in the SET program will allow us to push out economic development training across City departments that aren’t typically involved directly in economic development activities.”
Program participants will receive: 1) valuable intensive strategic planning training for their regional team, including a program designed to help regional teams develop new approaches to strengthen and enhance regional economic development activities; 2) database tools specifically designed to help the regional teams examine the critical drivers of their region and identify emerging growth sectors and regional competitive advantages; 3) technical assistance and educational support from the Southern Rural Development Center, Rural Development staff, and North Carolina Cooperative Extension staff; and 4) other educational and information-sharing opportunities with other SET program participants around the country.
For more information regarding the City of Greenville’s economic development initiatives, contact Carl Rees at (252) 329-4510. If you have specific questions regarding SET, contact Brian Queen at (919) 873-2072 or email: brian.queen@nc.usda.gov.
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