Industrial Development

With a local economy crippled by plant closures and environmental problems, Cape Charles bridges these challenges with the nation's first eco-industrial park.

Strong mayoral leadership leads this small town to implement new strategies for addressing old challenges. Scotland Neck helps its small businesses to attract tourists and attracts new industries that can employ the local workforce.

A historically tobacco-dependent community, Farmville ensures its long-term vitality through diversification. Today, furniture, health care, construction, warehousing and service industries can all be found thriving in this small North Carolina town. Farmville invests in local businesses and schools, and markets itself to new industries and residents.

Davidson preserves its small town character in the face of development pressure from nearby Charlotte.

Douglas cultivates economic development from three angles— by intensifying entrepreneurship and small business efforts, by diversifying industrial recruitment and employers, and by preparing a cadre of new leaders to move the community’s vision forward.

Etowah’s persistence and high standards yielded one of the most scenic rail trips in the nation, an attraction that is spurring downtown retail, restaurant and hospitality development and innovative approaches to industrial recruitment.

In the face of dramatic population decline, Ord builds local capacity to pursue its four pillars of community economic development: youth outreach, leadership development, philanthropy, and entrepreneurship.

Located 30 miles north of the booming Research Triangle Park, Oxford is partnering with Granville County and its neighbors to implement a “mini-hub” approach to economic development. The strategy is to prepare relatively low-cost industrial sites that are attractive to companies that need to be near the Research Triangle, but not in it.

Two rural counties in northeastern North Carolina partner together to land a renewable energy development that boosts the tax base and provides new income to agricultural land owners.

A small town with 550 people and 150,000 hogs turns an agricultural waste product into an economic asset. By converting waste from hog farming into a local energy supply, Reynolds is working to become the first energy self-sufficient community in America.

A small yet strong manufacturing community grows through diverse industry recruitment, strategic partnerships, and intentional leadership in Lee County, NC.