Economic Development

Session Topic:
Economic Development
Name of convener:
Rob Taylor
Participants:
Melissa Hanson, Bunk Spann, Gary DeLuke, Patrick Beville, Tim Futrelle, Kathleen McFadden,
Elif Kars

Main points from the conversation:
- Keep jobs local
- Reuse of shadowline facility as manufacturing facility
- Reuse of high school as renewable R & D facility
- Community wind power
- Research Triangle Park Model - Boone being mini research park
- University is a fundamental Strength
- Appalachian Enterprise Center
- not just train green jobs, create local green jobs
- Community Colle involvement
- NC State model of green job training - 2-3 weeks
- New High School facility gets kudos for using the facility as a future training tool for students
- Need housing for lower paid locals
- Need jobs beyond ASU, tourism, second homes
- Migrant workers are important and should be considered
- Budget cuts give opportunity to lead by example.
- Local food, agriculture a important possibility - Viticulture - Ginseng
- Products for local consumption supplied by local labor
- New industry should be sustainable - not just jobs for jobs sake - (i.e. company makes platic
widgets)