January’s session of Leadership Haywood looked slightly different than that of previous months. With our class participating fully through Zoom, participants got to learn about many different facets of Haywood County’s economy from a line-up of speakers; including many who have graduated from Leadership Haywood previously.
The President of the Haywood County Chamber of Commerce, CeCe Hipps, kicked off Leadership Haywood with an Economics 101 lesson regarding Haywood County and her role in the community. CeCe leads the charge behind the Economic Development Council (EDC) in our community. In her role for the EDC, she seeks to improve economic well-being and quality of life by playing a part in creating and retaining jobs that facilitate growth in Haywood County.
The emphasis of her presentation lies in the importance of the community working together in order to be successful. From local and state elected officials to regional partners, participants took away the importance of collaborating and problem solving as a team in order to make our community better.
The next presenter, Kevin Rathbone of Evergreen Manufacturing, showed us an inside look, virtually, of how the Evergreen mill in Canton operates. Kevin emphasized that the company is continuing to grow and expand despite the national pandemic. With a projected year of 2030, currently Evergreen paves the way in sustainability, and they will have products that are 100% recycled, recyclable, or renewable. With this large mill keeping Canton on the map, our class was appreciative to get an inside look at the growing business in Western North Carolina.
Tom Tveidt, Research Economist for Syneva Economics, visited our group and provided ample knowledge on his process for analyzing different regions of the community. Tom’s role in his position is to come to different communities and find out, objectively, what is going on. In order for businesses to make better decisions, Tom’s research helps companies with the numbers to make the best determinations. Tom spent some time explaining the in’s and out’s of Haywood County and what makes us so different.
Between our mill town of Canton and the tourism in Maggie Valley, Haywood County is in competition between other large cities in North Carolina. Haywood County falls in line with major cities such as Charlotte and Raleigh. This came as a slight shock to our group as we know Haywood County is much smaller than these North Carolina hubs. What is lacking in size is made up for in deep culture, businesses, and the heart of tourism in the Smoky Mountains.
After a lunch break, our participants came back to our session ready to learn more from our next few speakers. Ben Wilder, Tourism and Development Manager at the Tourism Development Authority (TDA), came and spoke with us regarding the tourism component of Haywood County. Ben gave insight on how COVID-19 has affected the TDA and shared with us their “Emerging Stronger than Ever” campaign.
The TDA has done a great job rising up from COVID-19 and re-thinking how to get new visitors into our area. They launched their “Embrace the Unusual” campaign this past year, and while it initially focused on COVID, this campaign is here to stay. Whether it’s embracing the strain of COVID, or waking up to elk in your backyard, Ben encourages travelers to come visit the Smoky Mountains and welcome all of the unique opportunities and outings the Smoky Mountain area has to offer.
Kaleb Rathbone, Asst. Commissioner of Western NC Agricultural Programs and Small Farms, came to the session eager to share about Haywood County’s diverse agriculture economy. Kaleb shared that agriculture is the economic driver for the state of North Carolina and plays a vital role in the community. He informed the group of the different crops and livestock that help the community thrive. Individuals left this presentation with a greater understanding of the value that agriculture still plays in our area.
Lastly, Kathryn Gould of HCC Small Business Center, presented us with incredible resources that our county provides for small business owners. Haywood Community College is one of 48 small business centers in the state that work collaterally to provide resources and education for new and established small business owners.
The Small Business Center is a state resource that helps not only start-up businesses, but also implements growth and stabilization. This free resource is provided by the state and many people are not aware of its accessibility. The center focuses on providing free education, resource referrals, advertising seminars, and one-on-one confidential business counseling.
The participants of the Economic session of Leadership Haywood did an exceptional job relaying an ample amount of information regarding the economy of Haywood County. With many different speakers who play a large role in the well-being of our community, our participants left with a better understanding of Haywood County as a whole.
