Topics Related to Community

Governor Roy Cooper today visited Rempac Foam Corporation’s manufacturing facility in Lumberton, where he announced a grant to help protect the business and its jobs from future floods and discussed ongoing efforts to rebuild from Hurricane Florence. During his tour, the governor met with company officials and employees and inspected the area where a state-supported project aims to make the facility more resilient.
The City of Elizabeth City will receive $200,000 to support a downtown revitalization project from the Main Street Solutions Fund, the North Carolina Department of Commerce announced today. Elizabeth City’s award will help preserve a historic building and create a new event space for the community.
North Carolina Main Street Champions will be recognized today for their commitment to downtown improvements and strong communities during a Recognition Ceremony in Salisbury starting at 9:00am (March 14). Forty-three Champions will receive honors for contributions to their Main Street programs and downtown districts in 2018. This year’s group of Main Street Champions brings the total number to 721 that have been recognized by the North Carolina Department of Commerce over the past 19 years.
Fourteen communities will receive awards for excellence in downtown revitalization this evening at the North Carolina Main Street and Small Town Main Street Awards Ceremony.  The ceremony began today, Wednesday, March 13 at 6:00 p.m. Chief Deputy Secretary for the North Carolina Department of Commerce Liz Crabill and Assistant Secretary of Rural Economic Development Kenny Flowers will present the awards in categories that include economic vitality, design, promotion and organization.
Twenty-four communities located in smaller, rural counties across the state were selected by the N.C. Department of Commerce to participate in Downtown Strong, a new initiative of the N.C. Main Street & Rural Planning Center.  The program will provide downtown revitalization expertise to selected incorporated rural communities.
Community and economic development leaders from across North Carolina will explore how three key ingredients combine to support vibrant downtowns at the 2019 edition of the N.C. Main Street Conference, the state’s premier gathering for downtown revitalization and development.  The conference, organized by the Department of Commerce and its N.C. Main Street & Rural Planning Center, will convene March 12-14 in Salisbury.
The North Carolina Rural Infrastructure Authority (RIA) approved 11 grant requests to local governments totaling $4,127,500, N.C. Commerce Secretary Anthony M. Copeland announced today. The requests include commitments to create a total of 460 jobs, 307 of which were previously announced. The public investment in these projects will attract more than $69 million in private investment.
The North Carolina Department of Commerce is investing $260,000 in Downtown Strong, a program to build local government capacity by providing economic development planning and revitalization resources and guidance. The program is a result of feedback gleaned from Governor Cooper’s Hometown Strong initiative. Downtown Strong will operate out of the Department of Commerce’s Main Street and Rural Planning Center.
The North Carolina Rural Infrastructure Authority (RIA) approved 19 grant requests totaling $7,275,100, N.C. Commerce Secretary Anthony M. Copeland announced today. The requests include commitments to create a total of 407 jobs, 167 of which were previously announced. The public investment in these projects will attract more than $95 million in private investment.
The North Carolina Department of Commerce released the county tier designations for 2019 today.  The designations, which are mandated by state law, play a role in several programs that assist in economic development.