Recharged Economic Advisory Board Convenes

Commissioners Express their Views of Group’s Purpose

County manager Dan McMillan (standing, left) addresses a meeting between the county commissioners and the new Economic Development Industrial Coordinating Board. Photo by Kathleen McFadden

By Kathleen McFadden

The consensus around the table was that the timing couldn’t be better for restoring the county’s inactive economic development advisory board. The board met for the first time with the Ashe County Board of Commissioners on Monday afternoon in a brainstorming session. The point was to establish where the county is in terms of economic development and to hear the commissioners’ views on what they would like the board to do.

Renamed the Economic Development Industrial Coordinating Board at the commissioners’ December 16 meeting, the board is composed of former commissioners John Marsh and Rick Surber, businesswoman Vivian Miller, Jefferson mayor Dana Tugman, West Jefferson alderman Bob McCoy and retired teacher Delmas Parker. Six ex-officio members complete the board: county manager Dan McMillan, Commissioner Jerry Bare, Brian Crutchfield of Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation, Kitty Lawrence of the Ashe County Chamber of Commerce, Chris Robinson of Wilkes Community College and Anne Bowlin of the Ashe County branch of the Economic Security Commission. Bowlin did not attend Monday’s meeting.

McMillan facilitated the gathering, asking the county commissioners to express their goals and give the board some initial direction. The overall objective, McMillan explained, is to “have a force that’s diligent about trying to attract and retain industry in the county.”

Commissioner Richard Blackburn said that he hoped that the advisory board would work closely with the vocational department at the high school to encourage small, homegrown industry. Blackburn pointed out that the economic climate has changed and that the county can no longer rely on big industries. “We need to think outside the box a little bit,” Blackburn said, and focus on infrastructure, flexibility and competitiveness. He asked the board to develop an action plan with goals and benchmarks and to devote attention to the necessity of branding — both of the county and of the region if appropriate for certain proposals.

Commissioner Freda Goodman pointed out that the county “has been waiting for industry to drop out of the sky,” but she said that in the current competitive climate, “this is certainly not the case.” Goodman highlighted water and utilities as key infrastructure needs for attracting industry, echoed Blackburn’s focus on vocational education and asked the board to evaluate what the county currently has to identify strengths and weaknesses that can contribute to an integrated proposal for raising the county’s economic potential. “Let’s get off our duffs and do something,” Goodman said. “As a commissioner, I want to see recommendations brought to our board so we can take action on them.”

Commissioner Richard Calhoun also emphasized the importance of infrastructure and said that incentives might be necessary to help the county stand out in a competitive marketplace. However, Calhoun said, the board should not lose sight of the fact that the commissioners are committed to retaining the rural character of the county. Chairman Larry Rhodes charged the board with maintaining a focus on the county’s “great workforce,” as well as appreciating what industry the county currently has and helping it to grow. Commissioner Jerry Bare, whose request led to the reestablishment of the advisory board, thanked those who had agreed to serve on the panel and suggested that guest speakers might help them formulate ideas and concrete plans.

Board members then had the opportunity to highlight economic development work that is currently going on in the county and to discuss the eight-county Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) project that kicks off later this month. Several members expressed interest in attending the initial meeting convened by consultant Angelou Economics in Winston-Salem on February 24.

Because of the CEDS project, Chamber of Commerce efforts to launch a comprehensive local Web site called Ashe Online, a Duke Endowment-funded leadership program and ongoing talks with local business owners and operators about the economic advantages and disadvantages of the county, the consensus around the table was that the time is right to step up a county-level contribution to economic development planning. “I see this board as a perfect overlay to other economic development activity,” said Chamber executive director Kitty Lawrence.

McMillan agreed: “There are several things going on and several things coming that will help us do our job.”