What We Do

 The Chatham County EDC works across the county with local government and partner organizations to provide business assistance that improves the economic well-being and quality of life for Chatham County by creating and retaining good jobs that facilitate growth and provide a stable tax base.

 

Successful economic development strategy includes three components: attraction, retention, and entrepreneurship/small business development. Together, these components form a comprehensive approach to economic development to meet Chatham County’s needs, including diversifying workforce opportunities, supporting the county’s tax base, and improving quality of life for all of Chatham County’s residents.

 

The EDC dedicates extensive time and resources to developing active programs for each of these components; while the EDC staff works cooperatively to meet the needs of every Chatham County business, a dedicated staff member for each program can provide specialized attention for clients with specific business development needs.

 

Business attraction efforts target established businesses located outside of Chatham County and encourage them to move into the local community, where they can create new jobs for local citizens and increase the local tax base. 

 

Dianne Reid, EDC President, spearheads the business attraction program; Reid works with city, county, and state officials to showcase Chatham County as the ideal location for growing businesses that are looking to locate in North Carolina. Reid’s greatest success during her short tenure was to help recruit Uniboard USA LLC, a wood products manufacturer that will create over 100 jobs and invest $142 million in Moncure. Working with a nationally acclaimed commercial property realtor, Reid is working proactively to attract emerging growth companies from seven target industry clusters to the Central Carolina Business Campus. In addition, Reid is currently working with the Town of Siler City and UNC’s Center for Competitive Economies on a Golden LEAF Foundation-funded project to create local incentive policies that will help Siler City recruit companies that can fully utilize the local workforce. For more information about the EDC’s attraction program, please contact Dianne Reid at (919) 542-8275 or dreid@chathamedc.org.

 

Business retention efforts focus on keeping and expanding local businesses within Chatham County, in order to maintain existing jobs and encourage Chatham County businesses to create new jobs for local residents.

 

Jennifer Nelson, the Business Development Coordinator, oversees the EDC’s retention program; Nelson works with local and state partners to operate an annual visitation program for Chatham County’s established industries. In addition, Nelson and EDC staff can assist business owners by locating business expansion financing, finding the ideal site or building for expanding operations, facilitating the permitting process with local government officials, navigating local incentive policies for existing businesses, and providing up to date market research to plan for future expansion.   For more information about the EDC’s retention program, please contact Jennifer Nelson at (919) 545-8380 or jnelson@chathamedc.org.

 

Small businesses are a primary source of job creation in most economies; small businesses and entrepreneurs stimulate job creation, develop crucial innovations in products and production processes, and promote the diversification of the economic base. The EDC fully recognizes the important role that Chatham County’s entrepreneurs and small business owners play in the local economy.

 

Mari Howe, the Research and Innovation Manager, regularly works with entrepreneurs and small business owners to get their start-ups and fledgling businesses up and running. With a network of local service providers, Howe helps small businesses locate the resources they need to make their business a reality, including start-up training, financing sources, and technical and marketing assistance. Howe is also creating a comprehensive online directory of business resources that will position the EDC as the one-stop center for starting a business in Chatham County. For more information about the EDC’s entrepreneur and small business development program, please contact Mari Howe at (919) 542-8277 or mhowe@chathamedc.org.