>> PATRICK WOODIE, WELCOME TO
"NORTH CAROLINA NOW."
>> THANK YOU.
IT'S GOOD TO BE HERE.
>> YOU ARE PRESIDENT OF THE
NORTH CAROLINA RURAL ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT CENTER.
FIRST OF ALL, TELL US ABOUT THE
ORGANIZATION AND THE WORK THAT
YOU DO.
>> WELL, THE RURAL CENTER HAS
BEEN AROUND FOR 27 YEARS.
IN JANUARY WE'LL TURN 28.
WE'RE A PRIVATE NONPROFIT
ORGANIZATION.
AND OUR MISSION IS REALLY ALL
ABOUT IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF
LIFE OF THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN
THE RURAL PARTS OF OUR STATE.
AND WE'VE BEEN PRETTY TRUE TO
THAT MISSION FOR 27 YEARS.
WE'RE GOVERNED BY A 30-MEMBER
BOARD OF DIRECTORS.
AND OUR FOCUS REALLY IS ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT, IS HOW DO WE
IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE?
HOW DO WE MAKE THE ECONOMY
STRONGER AND BETTER?
AND HOW DO WE SUPPORT BUILDING
THE CAPACITY OF RURAL
COMMUNITIES AND RURAL PEOPLE?
>> YOU SERVE 85 COUNTIES HERE IN
NORTH CAROLINA.
TELL US ABOUT THOSE COUNTIES AND
HOW THEY DIFFER FROM THEIR
METROPOLITAN COUNTERPARTS.
>> WELL, WE -- WE CERTAINLY SEE
A LOT OF DIVERSITY AMONG THE 85
RURAL COUNTIES, PROBABLY MORE SO
THAN WE DID WHEN WE WERE FOUNDED
IN 1987.
BUT, YOU KNOW, CERTAINLY WHAT WE
SEE TODAY IS A STATE THAT'S
CHANGING RAPIDLY.
AND SO WHAT THAT MEANS TO RURAL
COMMUNITIES IS VERY DEPENDENT
UPON WHERE YOU LIE WITHIN RURAL
NORTH CAROLINA.
WE HAVE SOME URBAN ADJACENT
RURAL COMMUNITIES THAT ARE DOING
VERY WELL, THAT ARE CLEARLY PART
OF THEIR URBAN LABOR SHEDS, THAT
ARE VERY WELL CONNECTED TO
WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT WORLD OF THE
METROPOLITAN AREAS.
AND THEN WE HAVE THE MORE
ISOLATED, REMOTE PLACES IN THE
STATE THAT ARE NOT QUITE AS WELL
CONNECTED BUT ALSO HAVE A LOT TO
OFFER, A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES TO
BUILD ON, AND WE TRY TO HELP ALL
THOSE COMMUNITIES REALLY
UNDERSTAND WHAT IT IS THAT'S
UNIQUE ABOUT THEM.
WHAT ARE THEIR OPPORTUNITIES FOR
BUILDING UPON THAT LOCAL
ECONOMY?
AND THEN GOING ABOUT REALLY
IMPLEMENTING THAT FROM A -- WITH
THE -- THE -- REALLY, THE VISION
THAT COMES FROM LOCAL
LEADERSHIP.
>> RESEARCH AND INNOVATION ARE
PRIORITIES IN THE WORK THAT YOU
DO.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> CAN YOU GIVE US SOME EXAMPLES
OF HOW RESEARCH AND THAT
INNOVATION, HOW IT'S PLAYING OUT
IN THE COMMUNITIES THAT YOU
SERVE?
>> WELL, OVER TIME, YOU HAVE
SEEN IT PLAY OUT IN MANY
DIFFERENT WAYS AT THE CENTER.
VIRTUALLY, EVERYTHING THAT WE DO
AS A STANDING PROGRAM TODAY
STARTED OUT AS A RESEARCH
PROJECT SOME TIME AGO AND REALLY
HELD PROMISE AND -- AND THAT'S
HOW WE CAME TO DO IT.
EVERYTHING THAT WE ADVOCATE FOR
AND EVERYTHING THAT WE DELIVER
THROUGH THE CENTER IS REALLY
RESEARCH-BASED AND DATA-DRIVEN.
THAT'S THE WAY WE'VE ALWAYS
OPERATED, AND IT ALWAYS WILL BE
THE WAY WE OPERATE.
WITH RESPECT TO SORT OF THE
WORLD WE FIND OURSELVES IN
TODAY, IT'S REALLY UNDERSTANDING
WHAT IS THAT CHANGING ECONOMY?
WHAT ARE THE SECTORS OF OUR
ECONOMY THAT HOLD REAL PROMISE
FOR RURAL AREAS?
AND WE'VE SEEN IN MANY WAYS A
RESURGENCE OF RURAL
MANUFACTURING.
AND WHILE WE'LL BE THE FIRST TO
SAY IT'S NOT -- FIRST OF ALL, I
GUESS, IN THE ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT WORLD, FOR THOSE
FOLKS THAT ARE LOOKING FOR A
SILVER BULLET, THE FIRST MESSAGE
REALLY IS THERE IS NO SILVER
BULLET.
IT'S GOING TO TAKE REALLY
FOCUSING ON ALL ASPECTS OF THE
LOCAL ECONOMY AND WORKING TO
BUILD ALL OF THOSE THINGS.
IT'S NOT DOING ONE THING TO THE
EXCLUSION OF ALL OTHERS IN ORDER
TO FIND SUCCESS.
SO REALLY HELPING LOCAL
LEADERSHIP UNDERSTAND WHAT THEIR
UNIQUE OPPORTUNITIES ARE AND HOW
THEY CAN CAPITALIZE ON THOSE TO
REALLY MAKE THE LOCAL ECONOMY
STRONGER.
HOW DO THEY FIT INTO THEIR
REGION?
HOW DO THEY FIT INTO THE REST OF
THE STATE?
AND, QUITE HONESTLY, HOW DO THEY
RELATE TO THE REST OF THE WORLD?
BECAUSE THEY'RE NO LONGER
COMPETING WITH THE COUNTIES NEXT
DOOR OR THE STATE NEXT DOOR.
THEY'RE COMPETING ON A GLOBAL
BASIS WITH WORKERS ALL OVER THE
GLOBE.
>> AND THIS IS A CONVERSATION
YOU'RE GOING TO BE HAVING WITH
HUNDREDS OF RURAL LEADERS LATER
THIS WEEK --
>> IT IS.
>> -- WHEN YOU CONVENE THE NORTH
CAROLINA RURAL ASSEMBLY.
TELL US ABOUT THAT EVENT AND
WHAT YOU'RE REALLY HOPING TO
ACCOMPLISH AND FOR FOLKS TO TAKE
AWAY FROM PARTICIPATING IN IT.
>> WELL, OVER 27 YEARS, WE'VE
ALWAYS HAD AN ANNUAL CONVENING
OF OUR RURAL PARTNERS.
THEY'RE REALLY THE LEADERSHIP OF
RURAL NORTH CAROLINA.
IT'S THEIR OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY
GET TOGETHER, NETWORK WITH EACH
OTHER, LEARN FROM EACH OTHER,
AND FOR US TO REALLY BRING SOME
GREAT PRESENTATIONS, GREAT
INFORMATION, AND NEW UP-TO-DATE
DATA TO THEM THAT HELPS THEM IN
THE CONTEXT OF THE WORK THEY'RE
DOING IN THEIR OWN COMMUNITIES.
AND SO WE MISSED LAST YEAR, BUT
WE'RE BACK THIS YEAR WITH A
RURAL CONVENING.
WE'RE REALLY PLEASED WITH THE
RESPONSE THAT WE'RE GETTING, AND
WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO THE
INFORMATION THAT OUR PRESENTERS
ARE GOING TO BRING TO OUR
AUDIENCE ON THAT DAY, AND IT'S
INFORMATION WE THINK WILL BE
USEFUL TO THEM AND REALLY TAKING
IT BACK HOME AND USING IT IN
THEIR DAY-TO-DAY WORLD AS THEY
GO ABOUT IMPROVING THEIR
COMMUNITY.
>> AND WHAT ARE SOME OF THE
THINGS THAT YOU EXPECT TO HEAR
AS THOSE 400 FOLKS FROM ACROSS
THE STATE GATHER TO FOCUS ON
RURAL NORTH CAROLINA?
>> SO WE'RE GOING TO BEGIN THAT
MORNING WITH A SERIES OF THREE
PRESENTATIONS.
ONE'S REALLY GOING TO FOCUS IN
ON THE CHANGING DEMOGRAPHICS OF
OUR STATE.
WE'RE A RAPIDLY CHANGING STATE.
THAT COMES AS NO SURPRISE TO
ANYBODY.
BUT IT HAS SPECIFIC IMPLICATIONS
IF YOU'RE IN RURAL NORTH
CAROLINA AND DEPENDING UPON
WHERE IN RURAL YOU ARE.
SECONDLY, WE'RE GOING TO REALLY
FOCUS IN ON THE ECONOMY.
HOW ARE WE DOING?
HOW ARE WE DOING VIS-A-VIS OUR
URBAN COUNTERPARTS?
HOW ARE WE DOING VIS-A-VIS THE
REST OF THE COUNTRY AND WHAT ARE
THE STEPS WE NEED TO BE TAKING
TO MAKING THINGS BETTER?
AND THEN FINALLY, WE BELIEVE ONE
OF THE REAL CHALLENGES THAT
FACES US AS A STATE, BUT
PARTICULARLY IN RURAL AREAS, IS
A WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
CHALLENGE.
HOW DO WE GET THE EXISTING
WORKFORCE THE SUPPORT, THE
SKILLS, THE TRAINING, THAT THEY
NEED TO FILL THE JOBS OF THIS
CENTURY AND THE FUTURE?
AND SO WE'RE GOING TO HAVE SOME
GREAT PERSPECTIVES FROM EXPERTS
THAT ARE GOING TO HELP US GET
CURRENT ON ALL OF THAT
INFORMATION.
>> THERE'S ONE OTHER PROJECT
THAT I WANT TO MENTION, WHICH IS
THE SMALL -- NORTH CAROLINA
SMALL BUSINESS CREDIT
INITIATIVE.
>> YES.
>> BECAUSE YOU'VE BEEN GETTING
ACCOLADES ON THIS FROM THE U.S.
DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY, WHICH
HAS SAID THAT THIS IS ONE OF THE
TOP PROGRAMS OF ITS KIND IN THE
NATION.
>> YES.
>> SO TELL US WHAT THIS IS ABOUT
AND WHAT IT TARGETS.
>> WELL, THE SMALL BUSINESS
CREDIT INITIATIVE IS REALLY
ABOUT THREE PROGRAMS THAT WE
OPERATE AT THE RURAL CENTER.
WE WERE -- WE WERE ASKED BY THE
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA TO
REALLY -- BECAUSE OF PREVIOUS
WORK WE HAD DONE IN THIS AREA,
WE WERE ASKED TO DEPLOY THIS
FEDERAL FUNDING ON BEHALF OF THE
ENTIRE STATE.
AND SO WE DO THAT.
WE WORK HAND IN HAND WITH THE
BANKS OF NORTH CAROLINA, MOSTLY
COMMUNITY BANKS, BUT REALLY WITH
ALL THE BANKS, WITH CERTIFIED
DEVELOPMENT FINANCIAL
INSTITUTIONS IN OUR STATE, AND
ALSO WITH FEDERALLY INSURED
CREDIT UNIONS.
AND WE OPERATE THREE DIFFERENT
PROGRAMS THAT ARE DESIGNED TO
REALLY HELP THE BANKING INDUSTRY
IN OUR STATE SAY YES TO LOANS
THAT THEY OTHERWISE WOULD HAVE
TO SAY NO TO.
AND SO IT REALLY HELPS MITIGATE
THE HAZARDS OF LENDING FOR THE
BANKS WHILE AT THE SAME TIME
LEVERAGING PRIVATE -- PRIVATE
DOLLARS TO REALLY INVEST IN
SMALL BUSINESS ALL ACROSS NORTH
CAROLINA.
IT'S THE ONLY THING WE DO AT THE
CENTER THAT IS STATEWIDE IN ALL
100 COUNTIES.
AND WE'RE RECOGNIZED AS ONE OF
THE TOP FIVE PROGRAMS IN THE
COUNTRY.
>> PATRICK WOODIE, THANK YOU SO
MUCH FOR COMING TO SHARE MORE
INFORMATION ABOUT THAT --
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH.
>> -- AS WELL AS THE ASSEMBLY
COMING UP LATER THIS WEEK.
WE APPRECIATE IT.
>> THANK YOU.
