|
 |
The Economic Development Commission was created by the Watauga County
Board of Commissioners in 1984. The nine (9) member board consists of one (1) County Commissioner and
eight (8) Board of Commissioners' appointees.
Our Mission
The Economic Development mission in Watauga County is to promote
activities or programs aimed at improving the local and regional
economy by:
- attracting or creating investment to expand the tax base;
- increasing jobs, wages, and personal incomes; and
- increasing the overall economic impact of the activities or
programs;
while preserving the heritage and enhancing the quality of life of
Watauga County's citizens.
Economic Development Plan
The following Plan of Action helps outline the priorities for
the EDC.
1. Continue routine client handling in response to inquiries
and troubleshooting for existing local businesses, including
site prep, funding, expansion, staffing needs and relocation.
2. Maintain an Economic Development website that includes demographic
information, all relevant economic data for the county, factual
information about the area as well as the list of available
sites and buildings.
3. Develop a comprehensive list of building sites available
for commercial and industrial use. Develop a system for access
to the information and for keeping it up to date in written
and web form.
4. Identify possible sites for an additional industrial/commerce
park. Create local client list as well as potential non-local
industries.
5. Continue discussions on the establishment of a “technology
park” and additional incubation facilities through
ASU’s involvement in the Millennial Campuses Act.
6. Strengthen relationships with NCDOC and AdvantageWest.
7. In conjunction with ASU's Appalachian Regional Development Institute,
improve the local education, training and business counseling
program for potential entrepreneurs and current industry in order to create
a culture of entrepreneurship in the County.
8. Make sure the economic development perspective is adequately
considered in the design of any Watauga County land use regulation.
9. Work with other economic development programs
in Northwestern North Carolina to develop a regional approach
to economic development.
|
|
| |
 |
|
|
|
