Press Releases

North Carolina Main Street Champions will be recognized for their commitment to downtown improvements and strong communities during an awards breakfast in Clayton March 15 at 9 a.m. Thirty-nine individuals will receive honors for their contributions to Main Street programs and downtown districts in 2017. This year’s group of Main Street Champions brings the total number to 678 individuals recognized by the N.C. Department of Commerce over the past 18 years.

Nineteen communities will receive awards for excellence in downtown revitalization at the North Carolina Main Street and Small Town Main Street Awards Ceremony Wednesday, March 14 at 6 p.m. Deputy Secretary for Rural Economic Development and Workforce Napoleon Wallace and Assistant Secretary of Rural Economic Development Kenny Flowers will present in categories that include economic vitality, design, promotion and organization.

Nineteen communities will receive awards for excellence in downtown revitalization at the North Carolina Main Street and Small Town Main Street Awards Ceremony Wednesday, March 14 at 6 p.m. Deputy Secretary for Rural Economic Development and Workforce Napoleon Wallace and Assistant Secretary of Rural Economic Development Kenny Flowers will present in categories that include economic vitality, design, promotion and organization.

The state’s seasonally adjusted January unemployment rate was 4.5 percent, remaining unchanged from December’s revised rate.  The national rate remained unchanged at 4.1 percent.. North Carolina’s January 2018 unemployment rate decreased 0.4 of a percentage point from a year ago.  The number of people employed increased 3,505 over the month to 4,747,769 and increased 85,879 over the year. The number of people unemployed increased 407 over the month to 222,256 and decreased 20,263 over the year. 

The comment period has been extended for local communities to recommend areas for new federal legislation that could bring investment to economic development where it is most needed. These areas will be designated as North Carolina Opportunity Zones, and communities can submit comments and recommendations to the North Carolina Department of Commerce until Tuesday, March 27.  This new tool for community and economic development is designed to provide tax incentives to qualified investors when they reinvest unrealized capital gains into low-income communities.

Expansion in Buncombe and Ashe Counties Brings an Investment of More than $100 Million

North Carolina communities will gather in Clayton on March 13–15 for the Department of Commerce’s annual NC Main Street conference, coordinated by the NC Main Street & Rural Planning Center. The three-day conference theme - Think Change: Think Main Street, is an exploration of ways that North Carolina communities are effectively changing their local economy. The conference is open to anyone interested in downtown revitalization and economic development strategies.

RALEIGH: Ernst & Young LLP (EY), one of the largest professional services organizations in the world, will expand in Mecklenburg County creating 375 jobs and investing $8.2 million in Charlotte over the next five years, Governor Roy Cooper announced today.  The expansion includes development of an EY wavespace™ innovation center. The center will be part of the EY wavespace global network of growth and innovation centers bringing together multi-disciplinary teams to focus on disruptive growth, improvement strategies and technologies.

: A new program aimed at improving worker health in the automotive, aviation and manufacturing sectors in Western North Carolina launched today, Governor Roy Cooper announced. Communities can apply for more than $1.6 million to support local efforts to enhance health care for these critical employees. 

Innovative sushi rice producer RiceWrap Foods to scale up operations with $9.9 million investment in Butner