Major Community Workshop Coming to Downtown Henderson

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The city of Henderson is hosting a two-day community workshop to develop a plan for using local foods to support downtown revitalization. The workshop will focus on planning for a downtown farmers market and public space, but will also explore ways to improve walkability, promote downtown, and identify next steps in developing other food-related enterprises that could support economic and community development.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), US Department of Agriculture (USDA), US Department of Transportation (DOT), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), and Delta Regional Authority (DRA) selected Henderson for the Local Foods, Local Places technical assistance program, which will result in an action plan for strengthening our downtown through local foods.

A team of these agency partners and their consultants will join local stakeholders to conduct a workshop in Henderson on June 6th and 7th. Your participation and knowledge of the local area is needed to help make this event a success. The workshop will bring together many key stakeholders from throughout our region to develop an action plan primarily around, but not limited to, these goal areas:

  • Design a Thriving Place: Create a vision for the site of the downtown farmers market and surrounding area
  • Sustain a Thriving Market: Management and growth strategy for the downtown farmers market
  • Connect People to Downtown: Promote the place, improve walkability, and provide education and entertainment programs at the farmers market that draw in more people
  • Plan for Additional Programs that Use Food to Build Community: Identify next steps towards long term goals of a grocery store, community kitchen, and community gardens in the downtown

The workshop will include presentations on community livability and the roles that local foods play in supporting it, plus small group working sessions and discussions on the community’s vision and goals, and specific actions for reaching them. The workshop will lay out an action plan for moving forward.

  • Who: Stakeholders and community leaders such as you, local residents, and elected officials; along with representatives of EPA, USDA, DRA and contractors from Renaissance Planning.
  • What: Discussions on local foods and community livability, group work sessions, and networking that will result in an Action Plan.
  • Day 1 Evening Session: Tuesday, June 6th from 5:30 to 7:30 PM at Perry Memorial Library (Farm Bureau Room)
  • Day 2 Action Planning Work Sessions: Wednesday, June 7th from 9:00 AM to Noon and 1:00 to 4:00 PM at Perry Memorial Library (Farm Bureau Room)
  • Please RSVP: Contact Carolyn Powell, Director of Henderson-Vance Downtown Development Commission by email at carolyn.powell@hendersondowntown.com or phone at (252) 810-9785 to RSVP for the workshop.

Your expertise, experience, and enthusiasm for the community and region will help make the workshop a success. We look forward to seeing you there.

Community Meeting – June 6th, 2017
More info: https://hendersonncdowntown.com/event/local-foods-local-places-community-meeting/

Planning Session – June 7th, 2017
More Info:  https://hendersonncdowntown.com/event/local-foods-local-places-planning-session/

Other Upcoming Events:
Spring Fling:  https://hendersonncdowntown.com/event/spring-fling-2017/

Independence Day Celebration:  https://hendersonncdowntown.com/event/independence-day-2017-celebration/

Economic Development Show 05/10/17

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H/V Chamber to host ribbon cutting for Cook Shack Catering

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Monday, May 22, 2017

Ribbon Cutting at 10:00 am

Cook Shack Catering Company

3778 NC Hwy 39 S, Louisburg, NC 27549

Phone: (919) 497-0669

Web: www.cookshackcatering.com

Please be advised that a Ribbon Cutting will be held for Cook Shack Catering Company at their location in Louisburg on Monday, May 22nd at 10:00 a.m.  to celebrate their membership with the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce.

Please join the Chamber Board and staff in this celebration to help support and formally welcome this new business into the Chamber.  The celebration is open for all to attend. 

Cook Shack Catering was established in 2004 by Austin Murray. Over the years, Cook Shack has grown to be “one of the area’s premier caterers”. They cater from the mountains of NC to the coast of NC. Cook Shack caters to events large and small and offer and have a wide variety of catering menu options.

For more information, please contact them at (919) 497-0669 or check them out on the web at www.cookshackcatering.com

HVDDC looking for vendors and performers

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The Henderson Vance Downtown Development Commission is hosting a few upcoming events to bring people downtown!

Spring Fling is on June 3rd, 2017, featuring food trucks, including craft beer Aviator Brewery, DJ and Dancers on Breckenridge Street.

Independence Day Celebration on July 1st, 2017 featuring a parade down Garnett Street starting at 10:00 a.m., leading to activities on Breckenridge Street.

Each event we are seeking more vendors and performers. Check our webpage for vendor forms and return to us as soon as possible.  

Do you have a business already in downtown Henderson? We encourage you to consider a vendor spot during these events to bring more attention to your location! Bring samples of your merchandise, flyers and brochures etc!

Find ways your business or group can take advantage of these events!

Are you a church or non-profit?  Consider a bake sale, or ask your members to donate items to sell at the event!

Contact us at info@hendersonncdowntown.com

VGCC presents free business seminar on Pinterest

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The Vance-Granville Community College Small Business Center is offering a free seminar, “Pinterest Made Easy,” on Thursday, May 11, from 2-4 p.m., in Building 7 on the college’s Main Campus in Vance County.

Leading the seminar will be Chisa Pennix-Brown, CEO of Lady Bizness, based in Greensboro. Pennix-Brown has 15 years of experience in business coaching, community outreach, and social media insight. She recently gave a pair of well-received presentations on using mobile apps and Facebook at VGCC’s Small Business Summit in Warrenton. 

With 175 million monthly active users, Pinterest is an increasingly popular social media site for sharing images and videos. “If you have a business where visuals are important, then you want to be on Pinterest,” said Pennix-Brown. She will discuss ways that businesses can use Pinterest to drive traffic to their websites and their other social media outlets. Attendees will learn how to start a business Pinterest page, create their own images for Pinterest sharing, build followers on Pinterest, and use applications to integrate Pinterest with their other marketing.

Registration can be completed online at www.vgcc.edu/schedules/small-business-center. Because this will be a hands-on seminar in a computer lab, seating is limited to the first 18 participants who register by May 5.

For more information, contact Tanya Weary at smallbusiness@vgcc.edu or (252) 738-3240.

–VGCC–

H-V Chamber to Host Ribbon Cutting for New Downtown Business

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Please be advised that a Ribbon Cutting will be held for Fierce Feet by Tweet at their 133 South Garnett Street location in Henderson on Thursday, April 27 at 10:00 a.m. to celebrate the official opening of this new business and membership with the Chamber.

Please join the Chamber Board and staff in this celebration to help support and formally welcome this new business into the Chamber and Henderson.  The celebration is open for all to attend.

Their hours of operation will be 9: 00 a.m. til 6:00 p.m. Monday – Saturday and 1:00 p.m. til 6:00 p.m. on Sunday.

For more information, please contact them at 252-425-2287.

Entrepreneurs encouraged to dream at VGCC summit in Warrenton

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Established and budding entrepreneurs, representatives of area businesses and non-profit organizations, and a group of Warren County High School students received inspiration as well as practical advice for using technology in marketing during the Small Business Summit, held at the Warren County Armory Civic Center in Warrenton on April 6.

The summit was the fifth such free event organized by the VGCC Small Business Center, in partnership with the Chamber of Commerce of Warren County, the Warren County Economic Development Commission and the Lake Gaston Regional Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Center.

This year’s event was entitled “Driving Your Business: Staying Ahead of the Curves.” The keynote speaker was Tammy Crowley-Deloatch, a nationally certified personal trainer and president of New Day Fitness in Roanoke Rapids. Her presentation was called “Put Your Dreams to the Test” and was based in part on a book with a similar title by John Maxwell.

“Most people have dreams, but they have no idea about how to achieve their dreams,” Crowley-Deloatch told the audience. Her “test” involved ten questions that each entrepreneur needs to ask in order to succeed, such as “the passion question,” which asks if the dream is compelling the dreamer to follow it. She encouraged small business owners to be responsible “dream-builders,” not merely “fantasizers.”

Crowley-Deloatch advised her audience that “we’re going to fail more than we succeed, but we only learn through failures.” She said that over her 33 years as a small business owner, “I had some growing pains but they made me stronger. It’s been a long journey but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.” She concluded, “I can’t wait to see what each of you do with your dream.”

The opening session of the Small Business Summit was called “Google – Get Your Business on the Map” and was led by Craig Hahn, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce of Warren County. “Google is by far the largest search engine,” Hahn said. “It’s how people find everything.” He said small businesses need to learn how to use their Google search results to bring in customers by inputting information that is up-to-date. Hahn took participants through the steps of “verifying” their listings on Google and using a free tool called “Google My Business,” which is for businesses or organizations that make in-person contact with customers.

The two other sessions at the summit were led by Chisa Pennix-Brown, CEO of Lady Bizness, based in Greensboro. Pennix-Brown teaches small business courses at community colleges across the state.

In the first seminar, “Business Apps Made Easy” (1-3 p.m.), Pennix-Brown taught participants how they can save time and money using mobile apps. She gave her audience examples of apps, almost all of which are free or have free versions, that businesses can use for graphic design, newsletters, press releases, videos, meetings and social media postings. Her second seminar was called “Facebook Made Easy.” Pennix-Brown gave the participants a step-by-step guide to creating a business page on Facebook and how to use the page to engage customers. One of the latest tools that businesses can use, she said, is “Facebook Live” video streaming. She encouraged entrepreneurs to understand their own brands. “Ask yourself, what distinguishes you from other businesses like you?” Pennix-Brown advised. She said entrepreneurs need to “sell” their own personality as part of branding. “If you have succeeded, it’s because of something in particular about you, not just your products,” she said.

CenturyLink was the summit’s presenting sponsor. Other sponsors were Halifax Electric Membership Corporation, The Warren Record, The Lake Gaston Gazette-Observer, WIZS 1450 AM, The Daily Dispatch and WARR 1520 AM.

For more information about the services provided by the VGCC Small Business Center, call Director Tanya Weary at (252) 738-3240 or e-mail her at smallbusiness@vgcc.edu.

–VGCC–

Kerr Tar Council of Government 04/12/17

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Stay Alert: Five North Carolina stores pay fines for price-scanning errors

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RALEIGH – The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Standards Division has collected fines from stores in Brunswick, Durham, Forsyth and Mecklenburg counties because of excessive price-scanner errors.

“We want consumers to be confident that the price on the shelf matches the price that’s scanned at the register,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “Stores have a responsibility to make sure their pricing is accurate, and most stores pass inspection. Ones that don’t are fined until they come into compliance. Consumers who would like to file a complaint about a store can call the Standards Division at 919-707-3225.”

The department conducts periodic, unannounced inspections of a business’ price-scanner system to check for accuracy between the prices advertised and the prices that ring up at the register. If a store has more than a 2-percent error rate on overcharges, inspectors discuss the findings with the store manager and conduct a more intensive follow-up inspection at a later date. Undercharges are also reported, but do not count against a store.

Penalties are assessed if a store fails a follow-up inspection. In addition to the penalties paid, the store will be subject to re-inspection every 60 days from the last inspection until it meets the 2-percent-or-less error rate. Additional penalties may be assessed if the store fails a re-inspection. Following are stores that paid civil penalties in the first quarter of 2017:

  • (Brunswick County) Walgreens #2530 at 5098 Southport Supply Road, Southport, paid $660 in penalties. An initial inspection in November found an error rate of 10 percent, based on five overcharges in a 50-item lot. A second inspection in January found an error rate of 3.33 percent, based on 10 overcharges in a 300-item lot. The store passed inspection in March.
  • (Durham) Office Depot #2687 at 5600 South Miami Blvd., Durham, paid a total of $3,320 in penalties. An initial inspection in October found an error rate of 16 percent, based on eight overcharges in a 50-item lot. A second inspection in November found at error rate of 7.33 percent, based on 22 overcharges in a 300-item lot. The store paid $1,710 in penalties. A third inspection in January found an error rate of 5.33 percent, based on 16 overcharges in a 300-item lot. The store paid $1,610 in penalties. The store was inspected in March and had an error rate of 3 percent, based on nine overcharges in a 300-item lot. The store has been assessed a $1,915 penalty and will be re-inspected.
  • (Forsyth) Staples #1135 at 430 Hanes Mill Road, Winston-Salem, paid a total of $4,280 in penalties. An initial inspection in September found an error rate of 20 percent, based on 10 overcharges in a 50-item lot. A second inspection in November found an error rate of 7.67 percent, based on 23 overcharges in a 300-item lot. The store paid $2,760 in penalties. A third inspection in February found an error rate of 3 percent, based on nine overcharges on a 300-item lot. The store paid $1,520 in penalties. The store will be re-inspected.
  • (Mecklenburg) CVS #3896 at 9308 Kendall Drive, Charlotte, paid a total of $2,810 in penalties. An initial inspection in October found an error rate of 10 percent, based on five overcharges in a 50-item lot. A second inspection in November found an error rate of 7 percent, based on 21 overcharges in a 300-item lot. The store paid $1,605 in penalties. A third inspection in January found an error rate of 2.67 percent based on eight overcharges in a 300-item lot. The store paid $1,205 in penalties. The store passed inspection in March.
  • (Mecklenburg) CVS #6518 at 11430 North Tryon St., Charlotte paid $1,425 in penalties. An initial inspection in December found an error rate of 8 percent, based on four overcharges in a 50-item lot. A second inspection in January found an error rate of 7.33 percent, based on 22 overcharges in a 300-item lot. The store passed inspection in March.

Economic Development Update 04/05/17

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