SEDC Minutes 04-16-2013 S E
C
SOUTHEASTERN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION
PO BOX 921, ELIZABETHTOWN, NORTH CAROLINA 28337
45th ANNUAL MEETING
April 16,2013
The 45th Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Economic Development Commission (SEDC)
was held Tuesday,April 16,2013 at Lu Mil Vineyard, Dublin, North Carolina.
Members present were: Bladen County: Vice Chairman Chuck Heustess and Mark Gillespie;
Brunswick County: Frank Williams; Columbus County:Gary Lanier and Raymond Shaw; Cumberland
County: Edward Melvin and Russ Rogerson; Harnett County: Phyllis Owens, Abe Elmore, Carnell
Robinson, and Gordon Springle; Hoke County: Linda Revels and Ellen McNeill; New Hanover
County: Jonathan Barfield, Randall Johnson, and Nino Saviano; Pender County: Patrick Whitfield;
Robeson County: Greg Cummings; Sampson County: Chairman John Swope; Scotland County:
Secretary-Treasurer Greg (card, Curtis Leak,end John Ferguson.
Members absent were: Bladen County: Barbara Knight and Chris Tatum; Brunswick County:
Don Hughes, Ben Brooks, and Velva Jenkins; Columbus County: Rickey Benton and Ricky Bullard;
Cumberland County: Amy Cannon and Jeanette Council; Harnett: none; Hoke County: Tony Hunt
and Jackie Lynch; New Hanover County: Corey Barbour; Pender County: Jimmy Tate, R.V.
Biberstein, Jr., and William Jordan; Robeson County: Jack T. Floyd, McDuffie Cummings and Hubert
Sealey; Sampson County: Cary Taylor, Harry Parker and William Turlington; Scotland County: Jim
Graham.
Staff members present were Pamela Bostic, Executive Director and Linda Melvin,
Administrative Assistant.
Special Guests, elected officials, business and economic development allies attending were:
Sharon Decker, NC Secretary of Commerce; Robin Cooley, US Economic Development
Administration, EDR; Tony McEwen, Congressman McIntyre's office; Christopher Sgro, Senator
Hagan's Office; Dr. Willim Findt, Bladen CC President; Dr. William McInnis, Richmond CC President;
Greg Martin, Bladen County Manager; Martie Butler, Scotland County Economic Developer; Jimmy
Yokeley, NC State Ports; Jim Perry, Consultant LRCOG; Jim Caldwell, Mid Carolina COG; James
Leach, Hoke BOC; Leon Martin, First Citizens Bank; Ken Allen, NC Dept. of Commerce;Jan Maynor,
LRCOG Director; Steve Yost, NCSE Director; Paul Barnes and Garland Horton, Aberdeen & Rockfish
RR; Ann Garrett and Peggy Davis, NC Division of Employment Security; Brian Haney, FTCC; Annette
Dunlap, NC Dept of Agriculture; Wayne Edge, Bladen BOC; Jimmy Smith, Bladen BOC; Eddie
Madden, Elizabethtown Manager; Carol McCall, Scotland BOC; Blonde!! McIntyre, LRCOG
Workforce Development; Nancy Blackman, Central Carolina CC Workforce Dev.- Harnett; Guy
McCook, Scotland BOC; Don Porter, Raeford/Hoke EDC; Fax Rector, Mayor of Chadbourn; Alex
Reed, NC State University; Noah Woods, Robeson BOC; Carey Ricks and Beth Schrader, New
Hanover Representatives.; Thomas Wolfe, New Hanover BOC; Kelly Stuart, Brunswick EDC; Ed
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Causey, Sampson Co. Manager; Bill Clark, Columbus Co. Manager; Stevie Cox, Chadbourn Town
Manager; Patricia Garrell, Chadbourn Clerk; Roland Hall, Town of Roseboro; Channing Jones,
Robeson CC; and Kevin Patterson, Scotland Co. Manager.
Pam Bostic, Executive Director of SEDC welcomed all board members and guests. She
stated that over the years,SEDC has assisted counties, cities, and other eligible applicants in the
Southeast region receive grant funds totaling more than $82 million involving 157 projects from the
US Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration. During this past year$2
million has been awarded and another$1.1 million is pending final approval by EDA. During FY
2012 ending October 1, EDA awarded more than $4 million in regular program dollars through its
public works and planning programs. Of that$4 million,a little more than $2 million was awarded in
our District to Richmond Community College. Executive Director Bostic stated SEDC's ultimate goal
is to achieve a stronger, more diverse regional economy.
Greg Icard,Secretary-Treasurer of the SEDC Executive Committee gave the invocation.
Lunch buffet was catered by Front Porch Restaurant.
Chairman Swope's opening comments welcomed everyone. He recognized Tony McEwen,
Representative for Congressman Mike McIntyre and Christopher Sgro, Representative for Senator
Kay Hagan. Also recognized was Robin Cooley, US Economic Development Administration's
Economic Development Representative for the Carolinas. Chairman Swope thanked her for her
assistance to SEDC and the regional EDA applicants and her role in helping make the region
successful in receiving grant awards by providing technical assistance when needed. Chairman
Swope also thanked all elected officials, county and city managers, and economic and business allies
for sharing in SEDC's 45t"Annual Meeting.
Vice Chairman Heustess introduced Jim Perry, Consultant with Lumber River Council of
Governments and former (retired) Director of the agency to provide information on a project that
EDA awarded funds. Mr. Perry stated EDA had awarded $100,000 to help fund the $360,000
Lumber River COG Regional Water Resource Planning project that began in 2008. The
project included well monitoring/water level measurements, provided technical and
planning assistance to local water/sewer regionalization efforts, established a new
local/state agreement on groundwater management; technical assistance in implementing
regional water source plans, started GIS water/sewer mapping, assisted communities on
infrastructure funding eligibility, and provided workshops on sound fiscal and operational
management of water/sewer enterprise funds.
Vice Chairman Heustess then introduced Phyllis Owens, Economic Developer with
Harnett County. Ms. Owens shared information on the Brightwater Science and Technology
Campus and Brightwater Business Park. EDA awarded this project $1 million for
infrastructure needed on the 100-acre site that is home to Central Harnett Hospital. Plans
included a health science building, skilled nursing facility and other businesses. It is
projected that the Brightwater Project will 'create over 400 jobs and a $95 million
investment.
Chairman Swope introduced the keynote speaker for the meeting, Sharon Allred Decker,
Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Commerce. Sec. Sharon Decker captivated the
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group with her energetic and inspiring message of hope for North Carolina's future. Sec.
Decker outlined a five-tenet framework that the state will focus on in the future to reshape
economic development across North Carolina. Those tenets are a focus on health care;
education; economic development; arts, culture and tourism; and quality of life. She stated,
"We've got to use what we have to rebuild this economy, and I'm confident that together
we can do just that." She stated success starts at the local level and that she and the state
are ready to assist, not just large corporations, but especially small businesses. She said,
"We have lost strategic planning in the state...our objective is to put more emphasis in rural
North Carolina and how to put our arms around all the state dollars available and determine
how it is best spent."
Chairman Swope thanked Secretary Decker, Phyllis Owens, and Jim Perry and presented
each with a gift of appreciation.
Chairman Swope stated that anyone wishing to leave before the business session may do so.
Chairman Swope opened the business session of the meeting and called for action on the
June 12, 2012 Annual Meeting Minutes. Carnell Robinson, Harnett County Board Member, moved
that the Minutes of the June 12, 2012 meeting be approved as presented; the motion was seconded
by Greg Cummings, Robeson County Board Member. There being no corrections or additions, the
Minutes were approved as presented by majority vote.
Chairman Swope presented the 2013 Board of Director's Report. He stated that
SEDC had another successful year. The staff assisted with four grant applications to the US
Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration (EDA) and is currently
assisting with potentially four more applications to be submitted to EDA during the next
grant cycle. With technical assistance provided by SEDC staff, an EDA Local Technical
Assistance investment in the amount of $16,000 was provided in February for Pender
County to support planning and analysis necessary to determine the feasibility of restoring
rail service to Pender Commerce Park, which would benefit Pender and New Hanover
counties with the proposed rail extension which would provide the ability to transport
manufactured goods from Pender Commerce Park to the Wilmington State Port for
distribution, and from a global perspective is essential to the successful development of this
industrial park. The total project cost will be $32,000. He reported that staff assisted
Richmond County with an application for a Public Works and Economic Facilities grant to
renovate and expand the Forte Industrial Training Facility on its main campus in Hamlet.
EDA made a $2,038,364 investment to assist in creating a state of the art, high-tech training
center for careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) related fields,
thereby supporting the future needs of North Carolina's advanced manufacturing industry
and its emerging energy production and transmission cluster. The project is expected to
create 435 jobs and generate $38 million in private investment, total cost of the project is
$3,108,429. Chairman Swope also reported that the staff has assisted with two EDA Public
Works and Economic Facilities applications totaling more than $1.1 million to renovate and
expand a business incubator at the Brunswick Community College Leland Campus and to
renovate an existing building to create the UNCP Entrepreneurship Incubator in downtown
Pembroke. Both applications have received further consideration by EDA and are awaiting
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final approval. It is estimated that the UNCP Entrepreneurship Incubator will create a total
of 460 jobs and $4.6 million in private investment in five years. The total project cost for
both investments will be more than $2.3 million. Chairman Swope summarized the success
of the past year by stating that SEDC assisted in obtaining over $2 million in EDA grant
funding for projects in the region, with an additional $1.1 million pending final approval by
EDA. He stated that these projects, added to those funded in the past, brings the total EDA
investment in southeastern North Carolina to $82,177,381 primarily for water and sewer
and infrastructure projects to serve new and expanding industries and have helped create
thousands of new jobs, as well as many millions of dollars in private investment, thus
helping create more tax base and ultimately greater wealth for the citizens of the region.
Chairman Swope stated that in addition to project development and technical
assistance, the SEDC staff is responsible for development and implementation of the
Comprehensive Development Strategy (CEDS) for the District which is the result of local
planning designed to guide economic growth of the region. SEDC is designated by the US
Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration (EDA) to lead the CEDS
process on behalf of the region. He stated the CEDS process is required for the member
counties in the region to qualify for EDA assistance under public works, economic
adjustment, and planning programs. The most recent CEDS, completed this year was a joint
effort between SEDC and three Council of Government (COG) agencies in the region:
Lumber River, Mid-Carolinas, and Cape Fear. This partnership was through the NC
Tomorrow project which is a collaborative effort lead by the NC Association of Regional
Councils of Government to develop and foster sustainable economic growth statewide. The
funding for the CEDS/NC Tomorrow project came from EDA and the Community
Development Block Grant Program through NC Department of Commerce's Division of
Community Assistance. Chairman Swope stated that the NC Tomorrow initiative was
designed to build stronger Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy within the
state's Economic Development Districts by expanding the traditional CEDS to incorporate
sustainability principles that would foster community revitalization and job creation. He
stated the CEDS is an ongoing process and is updated annually. Chairman Swope reported
that the staff is currently working on revising the Commission's website and it should be
completed by June 30th to include a new streamlined website and additional information
related to the CEDS, project development, and grant opportunities through EDA.
In his closing comments, Chairman Swope stated that SEDC, as the EDA-designated
district for the region acts as a liaison to local governments, nonprofits, and the EDA and
that staff is readily available to assist any county member, local municipality, institute of
higher education, or any other eligible applicant with development and submission of grant
applications to EDA. He thanked the staff for their assistance to him as chairman for the
past two years and the support of the member counties.
Secretary Treasurer Greg Icard presented the 2013-2014 SEDC slate of officers
submitted by the Nominating Committee: Chairman - Greg (card; Vice Chairman - Gary
Lanier; and Secretary-Treasurer - Chuck Heustess. Linda Revels, Hoke County Board
Member moved that the SEDC slate of officers for 2013-2014 be approved as submitted;
the
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motion was seconded by Randall Johnson and approved by majority.
Chairman (card presented the outgoing chairman, Mr. Swope with a plaque in
appreciation for his dedicated service as SEDCs chairman for the past two years. He
thanked everyone for attending.
There being no further business the meeting was adjourned.
For the Commission,
Chuck Heustess
Secretary/Treasurer
im
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