Tag Archive for: #granvillecountyeconomicdeevelopment

Granville Names Charla Duncan Economic Development Director

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Charla Duncan has been selected to be Granville County’s Economic Development director. Duncan returns to Granville County government with more than 10 years of experience in economic development and local government administration. She is set to begin in the new role May 1.

In her new role, Duncan will lead the county’s economic development recruitment and retention efforts, with a particular focus on the development of the Triangle North Granville Business Park, according to information from Granville County Public Information Officer Terry Hobgood.

For the past six years, Duncan has held various positions in Warren County, including most recently as director of Community & Economic Development. She was Warren’s interim economic development director after initially being appointed to the position of Senior Assistant to the County Manager.

During her time in Warren County, Duncan was instrumental in securing more than $5 million in development grant funding and identifying and acquiring three county-owned sites for future development.

She spearheaded the update to that county’s 2022 Comprehensive Plan and established a board of directors and hired staff for the Warren County Tourism Development Authority.

Duncan was the county’s lead on the NC Department of Transportation S-Line passenger rail project, led efforts to expand local broadband internet access and oversaw efforts to cultivate the expansion of Glen Raven fabric manufacturing – a project that invested more than $80 million and created more than 30 new jobs at its Norlina plant.

Named a Trailblazer by Business NC in 2022, Duncan also was named Emerging Leader of the Year in 2023 by the N.C. Economic Development Association. She currently is a member of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina and represents the North Central Prosperity Zone – a 15-county region that includes Granville County – Economic Development Advisory Council.

Duncan is also no stranger to Granville County Government. Before her time in Warren County, Duncan spent more than three years in the Granville County Administration Office as Grant Coordinator and Management Analyst.

“I cut my teeth on county government with Granville County, and I’m truly excited to come back to an organization and a community that feels like home in many ways,” said Duncan. “I developed a lot of great relationships while I was a public servant here from 2016-2019, and I look forward to building on that history. As a native of Warren County, I’m grown from Kerr-Tar soil, and I bring with me a deep respect for our rural communities and what we have to offer, as well as protect. I believe in responsible development, and I’m eager to work with Granville County residents, businesses, and leaders on a thoughtful, creative, and intentional pathway forward for the community.”

Duncan is an NC Certified Economic Developer and a graduate of the UNC School of Government Municipal and County Administration program. She received her bachelor’s degree in English with a Secondary Education Licensure from UNC-Greensboro and a master’s degree in public and Nonprofit Management from New York University.

Granville Names New Economic Development Director

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-information courtesy of Granville County Public Information Officer Terry Hobgood

A seasoned professional in the area of economic development has been selected to be Granville County’s new economic development director.

Joseph Stallings is scheduled to begin his new job on Mar. 18, bringing with him 13 years’ experience in economic development in Garner, Benson and most recently as director of economic development for the North Carolina Railroad Company in Raleigh.

“I am excited and honored to have been selected as Granville County’s next Economic Development Director,” said Stallings. “Granville is an exciting place to continue my career and take the many lessons I have learned about smart and sustainable economic development on the local and statewide level. It’s an exciting opportunity to come to Granville in this moment and build off the work that has been happening here for so long.”

In nearly two years with the N.C. Railroad, Stallings facilitated statewide and local economic development efforts in partnership with the N.C. Department of Commerce, the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina as well as municipal and county governments to recruit and expand existing industries in North Carolina, according to a press statement from Granville County Public Information Officer Terry Hobgood.

Stallings oversaw the planning and implementation for the N.C. Railroad’s Build Ready Sites program, ensuring that locations along existing railroad infrastructure were ready to welcome new or expanding industries by reducing red tape and development delays with local regulatory and permitting agencies. Stallings worked with partners across North Carolina to ensure that all areas with existing rail infrastructure were prepared to handle industry expansion.

From 2015-2022, Stallings was economic development director for the town of Garner, managing all major recruitment and expansion efforts as well as its downtown development efforts and small business development program. He also oversaw the operations of the non-profit Garner Economic Development Corporation to ensure a like-minded approach with the non-profit board, the Town of Garner, and Wake County.

Stallings developed Garner’s first economic development strategic plan and worked with local property owners to market developable land that could attract desirable employers to Garner resulting in the recruitment of the largest industrial investment in Garner’s history.

He got his start in local government in Benson and was its economic development and media coordinator from 2011-2015. While in Benson, he negotiated recruitment and retention incentive packages, led Benson’s media efforts, and implemented Benson’s Main Street North Carolina program. Stallings also ran local business development incentives programs, including the town’s façade improvement grants and revolving loan funds for local business start-ups.

“My time in rural and suburban but growing towns like Garner and Benson has prepared me for this role,” Stalling said. “I plan to work with local and regional partners to ensure that Granville County is positioned to compete as a preferred destination for top employers now and for decades to come.”

Stallings is a graduate of the Master of Public Administration program at Appalachian State University, where he also received a bachelor’s degree in political science with a concentration in Town, City, and County Management with a minor in Regional Planning.  During his professional career, Stallings has continued to pursue professional development educational opportunities and has graduated from the Municipal and County Administration and Local Government Federal Credit Union Fellows program at the UNC School of Government. Stallings is also a graduate of the Rural Economic Development Institute at the North Carolina Rural Center in Raleigh and received certification from Oklahoma University Economic Development Institute.