The N.C. Rural Economic Development Center and partnering organizations will launch an intensive effort this fall to stimulate manufacturing growth in a six-county region of Eastern North Carolina.
The long-term project will focus on strengthening aerospace and automotive manufacturing in Lenoir, Greene, Wayne, Wilson, Edgecombe and Pitt counties.
The Industrial Extension Service of N.C. State University and the N.C. Small Business and Technology Development Center of the University of North Carolina System will partner with the Rural Center to provide technical assistance to new and existing businesses. North Carolina’s Eastern Regional Partnership, an economic development group, also is collaborating on the project.
The effort is made possible by a $715,000 grant through the federal Rural Jobs and Innovation Accelerator Challenge of the U.S. Commerce and Agriculture departments. Officials in Washington announced the grant earlier this month. Read more.