Leadership Rutherford Class of 2014 report for November 10, 2013 Our day of Economic Development awareness began on the campus of the Forest City Facebook center. After a warm welcome and sign-in we shared what was happening in our lives---this included stories of school demands, job stresses, work projects, weddings, family and home events, travel, holiday planning, baby and children updates. Matt Blackwell, Rutherford County EDC Executive Director, spoke to us about the goals of the EDC with respect to effective recruitment of new business and the elements of community readiness, and site selection fundamentals and processes. He discussed the infrastructure positives of good water and sewer access in Rutherford County as well as the need for Interstate access and the future of the Highway 74 project. He indicated that new industries will be in the technology and advanced manufacturing arenas which will require a workforce with higher education and skill sets. Our next speaker was Keven McCammon, the Site/Data Manager for Facebook Forest City. Kevin gave us an interesting overview of the history of Facebook as a technology company and their 3-component approach for the most energy-efficient ecosystem: application, server configuration, and data center design. He talked to us about the “knowledge economy” and the connection to the world as it relates to the “responsibility” of a successful business. Facebook works with Microsoft, Google, and Apple to achieve community and global connectivity. We received a broader perspective on economic development form Tom Johnson, Executive Vice President of AdvantageWest. Tom’s service area involves 23 counties in western North Carolina. Tom informed us about Blue Ridge Food Ventures that brings product ideas to market; about the Entrepreneurship Program for job creation and new investment; about the role of the WNC Film Commission; and about other manufacturing industries such as beverages, plastics, metal-working, and composite materials. We enjoyed a tour of the Facebook Building 3 with Kevin McCammon and our own Steven Cole. It was informative and encouraging to learn about the way air flow is handled within the facility and to see the “lean” structure of the thousands of servers within the data halls. We were treated to a fantastic lunch in the cafeteria used by the FaceBook employees. The afternoon started with a presentation from Bill Roberts, Economic Development Manager for Duke Energy. He stated that Duke Energy’s goal is to provide reliable energy at a competitive price. Bill talked about how industrial development leads to other types of economic growth and that textiles are “looking back” at North Carolina and the United States. He shared about the competitors and tools that affect Duke Energy in this area and about the need to build a positive environment. Faye Bishop, Director of the Small Business Center at ICC, spoke to the group about various services the SBCs provide for both start-up ventures and assistance with existing businesses. She discussed the GATE Program and Generation Ventures. Faye informed us that not all new businesses have a “store front” and talked about home businesses, mobile businesses, and e-commerce. She shared the goal of the SBC to provide FACTS---Free, Accessible, Community or Confidential, Timely, Services or Seminars. We traveled to the Rutherford County Airport where Mr. George Ronan presented information about the history of the airport and the current businesses on-site. We learned about the role of the airport to the local economy (to attract industry) and about the revenue production and expenses associated with the airport. The airport is also used by the military for fueling and maintenance, by the Forest Service, and by developers. The Rutherford County Airport is maintained with Federal and State funds and the County manages the airport. We braved the cold and wind to walk over to the maintenance shop where we could see planes in various states of inspection or repair. I believe we were all surprised to find out how much it costs to purchase, maintain, and repair the airplanes. The day ended with a brief discussion and agreement on our class project to work on a house rehabilitation in the Spring. Thanks to all of our speakers! Respectfully submitted by: Melody Bridges
Posted on: Sun, 17 Nov 2013 16:25:15 +0000
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