Tag Archive for: #ncruralcenter

City of Oxford

Oxford Official Completes REDI Training From N.C. Rural Center

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Alyssa Blair, Downtown Development director for the City of Oxford, is among the most recent class to complete the Rural Economic Development Institute.

REDI, the N.C. Rural Center’s flagship leadership development program, is a three-month training program that offers participants resources and tools they need to tackle economic and community development issues facing rural North Carolina, according to a press statement from Bill Holmes, senior director of communications for the Rural Center.

In a press statement, Sabrina Richards, communications specialist for the City of Oxford, said “Alyssa’s participation in REDI reflects her ongoing commitment to professional growth and her passion for promoting economic development. We have no doubt that the knowledge and skills she has gained through this program will be invaluable in her role as Downtown Development Director and will continue to benefit the City of Oxford.”

Now in its 32nd year, REDI has trained more than 1,100 leaders across the state. As a graduate of REDI, Blair now joins that extensive alumni network that spans all of North Carolina’s 100 counties and includes graduates from the Rural Center’s other leadership training program,  Homegrown Leaders. Many of the center’s leadership alumni are active in state and local government and in philanthropic, nonprofit and small-business sectors, as well as in faith- and  community-based organizations.

“We had an amazing REDI class this year made up of a diverse group of participants from various sectors representing 18 different North Carolina counties,” said Olaunda Green, director of leadership training for the N.C. Rural Center. “Something magical happens when you put individuals into a room, who seemingly have nothing in common, but after going through this program, relationships form, connections are made and lifelong partnerships are created.”

Rural Center President and CEO Patrick Woodie delivered the final remarks of the graduation ceremony and encouraged the new graduates to return home to build bridges.

“Congratulations to this year’s class of REDI graduates for investing in yourselves and your communities through this valuable training,” Woodie said. “Rural North Carolina needs leaders like you willing to look at challenges in a new way, and we know you have many successes  ahead of you.”

To learn more, visit https://www.ncruralcenter.org/.

3 Warren Leaders Complete Rural Center’s “Homegrown” Program

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Three Warren County leaders – Demetrius Hunter, Crystal Smith, and Rose Ponton – all recently graduated from the N.C. Rural Center’s Homegrown Leaders program. This three-day regional leadership and economic development program develops and supports highly motivated local leaders committed to regional collaboration.

“This experience has really underscored the importance of authentic storytelling and engaged listening in addressing community challenges,” said Ponton, who is Warren County’s Community and Economic Developer – and also a Warrenton resident. “It was so valuable to meet other regional leaders and learn how we are all addressing similar issues.”

Smith, director of Warren County Cooperative Extension, stated, “I highly recommend Homegrown Leaders. The content is relevant to creating a thriving community.”

From his perspective as a local entrepreneur, Hunter said today’s leaders need to understand equity and inclusion. He is the owner of the Soul City Event Center. As well as Peanut and Zelb’s Produce that recently opened in Norlina.

“Leaders need to act on policy change and not be afraid,” Hunter stated. “Equity is not an invested dollar; it is a debt owed to my ancestors. Therefore, I am the recipient.”

The training, held in Pittsboro from April 18-20, attracted existing and emerging leaders from a 13-county region that includes the four counties in the WIZS listening area – Vance, Granville, Warren and Franklin – as well as Caswell, Chatham, Durham, Johnston, Lee, Moore, Orange, Person and Wake.

“Our Homegrown Leaders curriculum showcases the critical importance of innovation in leadership development and regional collaboration,” said Rural Center Senior Director of Leadership and Engagement Bronwyn Lucas. “It is vital to lift up our rural leaders and the critical work they do to enhance their communities. We are thrilled these talented graduates will now be joining the Rural Center’s leadership alumni network of more than 1,400 rural leaders across the state.”

Graduation certificates were presented to the program’s 33 participants upon completion of the training.

“Leadership development is at the core of the Rural Center’s work, and now more than ever it is important that our leaders are equipped with the skills and tools to foster growth and innovation,” said Rural Center President Patrick Woodie. “We’re excited to see the impact our Homegrown Leaders graduates will have in their communities and regions to create a thriving future for generations of residents.”

Class participants included economic development and health professionals, educators, and civic and nonprofit leaders.

To learn more, visit https://www.ncruralcenter.org/leadership/.

The Rural Center was established in 1987 and serves the state’s 78 rural counties with a special focus on people with low-to-moderate incomes and communities with limited resources. To learn more about how the NC Rural Center is developing and supporting rural leaders across the state, visit ncruralcenter.org.

NC Rural Center’s 2021 Rural Summit Featured Granville County

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The 2021 Rural Summit featured Granville County in its recent virtual conference, designed to discuss and share policy actions, education and successes with advocates for rural issues.

“The Secrets of NC’s Down-Home Tycoon” featured Granville County native Pratt Winston and Harry Mills, the county’s economic developer. The two Granville county men joined writer Billy Warden to discuss the intersection between entrepreneurship and living in a rural area.

During the 45-minute featured session, the three discussed various topics with a panel of facilitators, including conducting business in a rural area. “They asked what I thought about rural living and (whether) you can do business in a small town,” Winston said Thursday. “And I said ‘absolutely’ you can.”

The session began with a video clip and other pictures highlighting Winston’s life and business career. Although he lived for a few years in the New York suburbs and commuted to the city, Winston said there’s no comparison between there and Granville County. “For one thing, you don’t have to fight a whole lot of traffic” to get to work, he said.

“It really is an interesting story,” said Mills, of Winston and his decades-long career which includes work in far-flung areas across the world and the invention of a quirky looking radio that has maintained somewhat of a cult following since it first appeared on the scene in the early ‘70s.

Warden wrote a story about Winston’s storied career that appeared in the September 2020 issue of Our State magazine. Find the story at https://www.ourstate.com/a-space-age-oddity/

The Rural Summit, a production of NC Rural Center, was held virtually this year. Mills said the summit is just one way to show those who live in more urban areas just what rural areas offer.

In describing the workshop, the agenda stated that Winston is “arguably North Carolina’s most colorful business success you’ve never heard of –and a living testament to the vibrancy and potential of rural entrepreneurship.”

Being an entrepreneur in a rural community may not be that different from being an entrepreneur in a more urban area – it’s really just depends on the individual, Winston noted.  He added that what he hoped listeners, especially young people, learned from him telling his story is to have a goal, and then get about the business of accomplishing it.

“We’re no different (than anybody else),” Mills said. “We just reside in Granville County.” Increased exposure outside the immediate area tends to attract more people to visit and maybe to relocate. The NC Rural Center’s mission is “to develop, promote, and implement sound economic strategies to improve the quality of life of rural North Carolinians.” The Rural Center serves the state’s 80 rural counties, with a focus on communities with limited resources and low- to moderate-income individuals.

Highlighting rural areas, he said, can have multiple effects. In addition to noting the positives, it also sheds light on what rural areas need “and what we should have,” Mills noted.

According to information from the NC Rural Center, about 700 people from 85 counties across the state – from 12 US states and even one international participant – attended the three-day event.

See more online – https://www.ncruralcenter.org/advocacy-and-research/advocacy/rural-summit/