Powered by Carolina faculty, staff, and students and state and local community leaders, presenters at the Carolina Engagement Week emphasized statewide community-driven partnerships occurring throughout North Carolina. From March 21-25, 2022, CREATE’s Jess Wilkinson, Mark Little, Elizabeth Basnight, and Alyse Polly participated in bringing North Carolina closer together. Jess Wilkinson presented on her working supporting entrepreneurs in the Mount Olive Region, Mark Little shared the story of black business and the future of Rocky Mount, Elizabeth Basnight addressed building relationships across differences, and Alyse Polly emphasized purchasing with purpose through the AICER program.
“This past summer, CREATE worked with a group of civic and business leaders in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, to develop a plan for the group’s Black Business Matters Initiative. The project was aimed at addressing the racial wealth gap in the area by conceptualizing and developing a Black Business Matters District in downtown Rocky Mount. CREATE provided the group with a roadmap to its vision by assessing the city’s current landscape of Black businesses, analyzing current opportunities for businesses and creating a series of strategies for Rocky Mount to draw new businesses to its downtown district […] Little discussed CREATE’s mission and how it led the team to Rocky Mount.”
Creating Better Futures Through Economic Development
The University of Mount Olive (UMO) Special Taskforce for Economic Development is a group of local members representing the town, UMO, and local homegrown leaders committed to improving the economic condition of the UMO Region. This region includes the town of Mount Olive, NC (population 4,674) and portions of Duplin, Wayne, and Sampson counties. During the Fall of 2021 the Taskforce asked NCGrowth to investigate potential regional economic development strategies focusing on approaches that would increase local entrepreneurship and business development. The taskforce provided some initial areas of interest including a business incubator, placemaking initiatives, and a farmers’ market. For UNC’s Engagement Week, CREATE’s Economic Development Manager Jess Wilkinson discussed the purpose, methodology, findings, and recommendations for the Mount Olive Region project to accomplish these objectives. Considering the region’s unique assets and challenges to economic development including a city-wide sewer moratorium, Wilkinson emphasized focusing on projects where the community can have an impact in the near future. Through quantitative and qualitative analysis, CREATE has been able to aid the Mount Olive Region to identify economic development strategies to spur growth, increase connectivity among partners, and support local entrepreneurs. As a result of this project, Mount Olive has been able to use the data, findings, and recommendations provided by CREATE and build on the community’s strong sense of pride to support entrepreneurs and business resiliency in the Mount Olive Region.
Supporting Entrepreneurs in the Mount Olive Region of NC
The fragility of global supply chains was made evident through the COVID-19 pandemic and has continued to give rise to challenges throughout the duration of the pandemic. CREATE’s Assistant Director Alyse Polly presented on AICER, Anchor Institutions Create Economic Resilience, a program that enables anchor institutions to purchase with purpose in their local communities. The use of local and typically under-resourced businesses could potentially aid in the diminishment of supply shortages, such as those prevalent in the COVID-19 pandemic. CREATE’s first project that inspired AICER was with University of North Carolina at Pembroke (UNCP) and the Thomas Entrepreneurship Hub. Through the determination of UNCP to increase purchase of produce from local farms, the use of UNCP as an anchor institution has allowed for the local community to flourish economically through business growth, local employment opportunities, and establishment of new businesses. CREATE continues to expand the AICER program and strives to partner with additional anchor institution partners to further the economic prosperity of North Carolina.
Anchor Institutions Create Economic Resilience: Purchasing with Purpose