Michael Bobbitt: Notes From The Peanut Gallery (EDC Meeting)

I attended the Economic Development Commissions Board of Directors meeting held on March 14, 2012. This was a public meeting and the only public in attendance was the local paper and I.

The meeting opened with a presentation by Charles Hayes and Debbie Lilly of Research Triangle Regional Partnership (RTRP). Here is the link to the Triangle Regional Partnership’s web-site, www.researchtriangle.org. Three members of the RTRP’s fifty-nine member board are from Vance County. I came away from the meeting with these observations and one very pointed critique of Home In Henderson.

• State budget cuts are impacting the RTRP’s revenue flow and Mr. Hayes was here to make a pitch for money to fund the RTRP to make up some of the loss in State grants. He is looking for Vance County to put in ‘five cents per capita’ into RTRP. What the County would be buying is advertising, commonly called economic development. This five cents per capita is our tax dollars being spent to advertise the county at trade shows and on the Web. To be fair if advertising did not work, we would all be paying directly to watch TV and radio.

• RTRP is selling a software suite for use by economic developers to assess demographics, conduct research, and prepare grant requests. The software suite sells for $60,000 to $90,000 if buying it directly from the vendor. RTRP is offering the suite for $3,300 for the first year plus a $700 to $1,000 maintenance agreement. Not one of the business executives in attendance asked how much for the second year and subsequent years, the duration of the whole contract, or which version of the suite they were buying. How many years will we be locked into a contract for this software suite? What is the difference between the $700 and the $1,000 maintenance contract? Is that maintenance cost per month or annual? Hopefully the business executives will ask these questions long before committing any tax money.

• Following Mr. Hayes’ presentation Board members made their presentations including a discussion of the three branding suggestions. Branding is the catch phrase that attracts prospective businesses’ attention toward Vance County. Before adjournment into executive session Chairman Watkins made a surprising statement and maybe directed to me personally. I have given Mr. Watkins’ statement much thought.

• According to Mr. Watkins, HomeInHenderson is a negative factor on the growth of the area. Granted HiH does present all views printable regardless of the author’s knowledge of the facts, truths, their ability to craft a coherent sentence. That is what a blog site does and readers must weigh each writers view.

Mr. Watkins I welcome you and your peers to post (to write and submit) on HiH your opinions, your plans, your pleasures, your disgusts with Henderson or Vance County. I’ll even offer to help you start posting. Use your name as I do or a pseudonym as many do. RTRP wants our money to advertise this area to the world. As a businessman you know word of mouth is the best advertising. Together we can use our voice on HiH to promote our home town to the world at no cost, unless advertising.