SILER CITY, N.C. (May 13, 2013) – On May 17, the Public Art Collaborative’s (PAC) Art-Force Program will unveil a result of the creative partnership between N.C. artist Hoss Haley and local manufacturer Floorazzo Tile – a display of 12 light sculptures that represent an innovative job-creation strategy, the development of a new product line for the manufacturer. By matching local artists with small manufacturers across the state, Art-Force aims to reaffirm a community’s connection to place, through the cross-currents of artistic design and production.

This Art-Force project – as part of a grant awarded by ArtPlace America, and with the support of the North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center, North Carolina Arts Incubator and Chatham Economic Development Corporation – paired downtown flooring manufacturer Floorazzo with North Carolina artists Hoss Haley and Rick Beck, resulting in a dynamic expression of three-dimensional forms: sculptural lighting, wall-screens and table tops. Beck is currently prototyping wall-screens and table tops using Floorazzo equipment and technology to assist the manufacturer’s extension into the architectural and design market.

Concurrent to the installation, an exhibition – entitled “Cross-Currents:  Artists + Manufacturer Strengthening Place” and located at the PAF Gallery of the NC Arts Incubator  (223 Chatham Ave. in Siler City) – will serve as an introduction to the team’s new products and the project. Both are part of the city’s Third Friday Gallery Walk and Celebration (6-9 p.m.).

“Siler City is home to a downtown area being transformed, redefined and restored with studios, galleries and a public plaza,” said Art-Force Co-Directors Jean Greer and Janet Kagan. “Art-Force’s goal is to ally artists and local manufacturers to serve as community change-agents, ultimately revitalizing the workforce, stimulating economic development and reinvigorating local heritage.”

“Setting it apart from most other rural communities its size, Siler City is in the midst of a turnaround, one propelled by the arts, where redevelopment of its historic downtown has put artists at the core of local enterprise,” continued Greer and Kagan. “The Haley, Beck and Floorazzo partnership looks forward to future opportunities to add vivacity to the town.”

Floorazzo Tile produces institutional flooring made from stone aggregate and glass bound in a nontraditional patented resin.

Artist Rick Beck is a noted glass artist based in Spruce Pine, N.C., who has been awarded numerous honors and endowments. Beck is part of the studio glass movement and has taught at the Pilchuck Glass School and the Penland School of Craft since 1988.

Artist Hoss Haley began his career as a blacksmith designing functional artworks. Since then, his creativity is evidenced in large-scale sculpture and functional artworks in concrete, stone aggregates, steel and bronze. Haley’s versatile experience with various materials and equipment design and fabrication processes are an excellent fit with Floorazzo, where he has conceived and prototyped a new three-dimensional product line for the company.

About Art-Force Incorporated

Art-Force Incorporated is a non-profit tax exempt organization based in Chapel Hill, N.C. that works to stimulate and diversify economic development in distressed communities by allying artists, artisans, and designers with entrepreneurs, small businesses, educational institutions, and local agencies to accelerate cross-currents of artistic design and production.   The program reaffirms a community’s connection to place through both innovation and sensitivity to local heritage.  The Program originates, develops, and manages creative partnerships that serve as community change-agents – creating new products, jobs, and a sense of belonging. For additional information, please visit: http://art-force.org.

About ArtPlace America

ArtPlace America is a collaboration of 12 of the nation’s leading foundations, eight federal agencies including the National Endowment for the Arts, and six financial institutions to accelerate creative placemaking across the USA. (http://www.artplaceamerica.org)

About North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center

North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center is a statewide non-profit research and granting organization whose mission is to ensure that rural development projects result in practical solutions; demonstration projects are implemented by a variety of partners throughout the state. The Center favors models with the potential for replication in other rural communities. In addition, the Center provides financial support through grant programs to test innovative ideas. (http://www.ncruralcenter.org)

About North Carolina Arts Incubator

North Carolina Arts Incubator is located in five buildings nestled in the heart of Historic Downtown Siler City and currently features 24 artists working in a variety of media from pottery to glass to fiber. The Incubator started in 2002 with a series of conversations among Siler City businesses and Central Carolina Community College Small Business Assistance Center. The Incubator focuses on re-development of the historic downtown and fosters small businesses in Siler City. The Incubator provides low rent studio space, business assistance, and a cohesive environment for artists as they worked to develop professionally. (http://www.ncartsincubator.org)

About Chatham Economic Development Corporation

Chatham Economic Development Corporation oversees the development and implementation of a comprehensive plan for economic development for Chatham County. (http://www.chathamedc.org)

Media Contact:
Lauren Bristol
(919) 277-1168
lbristol@fwv-us.com

Brookwood Farms’ success in supplying barbecue to schools started with a simple question: How could barbecue, which is a staple of Southern cuisine, not be a regular feature on school lunch menus?

The answer, they found, was a bit surprising. Students simply didn’t care for the barbecue being offered – often oven-roasted pork flavored with liquid smoke.

“What we were told again and again was that traditionally kids only want to eat chicken tenders and pizza,” said Craig Wood.

So what did they do? Read on to find out.

Brookwood Farms is the sponsor of the EDC’s annual High School Business Plan Contest.

Strategically located west of Siler City off Highway 421 and south of Interstate 85, this large parcel of undeveloped land will undergo a comprehensive assessment for possible large-scale industrial recruitment.

Duke Energy’s Site Readiness Program is designed to help communities served by the utility compete for new companies and jobs.

“This site has the potential to put Chatham County on a fast track for economic development,” said John Geib, Duke Energy’s economic development director for Chatham County. “It’s an enormous amount of land — about the size of the Charlotte Motor Speedway. That’s the size necessary for a large-scale manufacturing company or automotive project.”

As part of the six-month assessment, Duke Energy has hired McCallum Sweeney, a nationally known consulting firm, to conduct a site study. McCallum Sweeney has been instrumental in many high-profile automotive relocations and expansions.

Duke Energy will work with professional land-use planners to develop conceptual plans for the site. Duke, McCallum Sweeney and the planners will present all recommendations at a final report meeting in Chatham County.

“It’s a big boost to our efforts to have Duke Energy on our economic development team,” said Dianne Reid, president, Chatham Economic Development Corporation. “Western Chatham County, including Siler City, has lost more than 3000 jobs since 2006. Having Duke Energy’s professional assessment and input will get the industrial site ready to market nationwide.”

Duke Energy’s economic development team forges strategic relationships with prospective industries nationally and globally.

“However, our competitive edge comes from knowing our customers,” said Stu Heishman, Duke Energy’s vice president of economic development. “We have strong relationships with the local communities we serve like Siler City and Chatham County. We understand the needs of those areas and work to find the right the industries and businesses to meet those needs.”

Duke Energy’s program has been recognized by Southern Business & Development Magazine as one of the South’s top site readiness programs. Duke Energy’s overall economic development program has also been consistently named by Site Selection Magazine as one of the nation’s “Top 10 Utility Economic Development Programs.”

More than 35 counties submitted applications for Duke Energy’s Site Readiness Program in North Carolina and South Carolina.

The Chatham County site is one of 10 North Carolina sites chosen by the utility.

Ideal properties for Duke Energy’s site readiness program are 75 acres or larger, served by the utility. A qualified site can be best suited either for a single, large industrial facility, data center, or for a potential industrial park (multi-tenant site).

For more information about Duke Energy’s economic development programs, visit www.considerthecarolinas.com

Duke Energy
Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is a Fortune 250 company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information about the company is available at: www.duke-energy.com.

Contact: Lisa Parrish
Office: 980-373-2878 | 24-Hour: 800-559-3853
April 29, 2013

See also:

Chatham County megasite picked for Duke Energy program – Triad Business Journal
Chatham County mega-site seeks manufacturer – News and Observer
Duke Energy Assesses 1700-Acre Chatham Co. Tract For Business Potential – WUNC
Duke Energy brings clout to Triad recruiting – Winston-Salem Journal / Greensboro News & Record

Created by the North Carolina General Assembly in 2008, the N.C. Certified Retirement Community Program serves as a vehicle to market selected communities with exceptional quality of living as retirement destinations. As a CRC, RetireNC will highlight and promote Pittsboro as an attraction to the multitudes of retirees who in-migrate to North Carolina. The designation lasts five years, after which the town may consider recertification.

Pittsboro began the certification process in July 2012. Several organizations, businesses and citizens partnered to spearhead the application, including the Town of Pittsboro, Carolina Meadows, Chatham County Council on Aging, Chatham Economic Development Corporation, Fitch Creations and Galloway Ridge at Fearrington.

The $10,000 application fee and initial marketing funds were raised from the local business community. Sponsors include Carolina Meadows, Wythe Advantage/Coldwell Banker, Galloway Ridge, State Farm Insurance Agent Sara Donaldson, Straight Up Realty, Newland Communities, Fitch Creations, Barber and Barber, PLLC, Chatham Hospital, Lindou, Inc., UNC Health Care, Duke Energy Progress, Absolute Construction and Development LLC, Central Carolina Community College, Twin Rivers, Central Carolina Orthopaedic Associates, PLLC and Chatham Homes Realty.

The North Carolina Department of Commerce’s division of Community Development named the town a CRC in March. Pittsboro is the fifth town in the state to receive certification, joining Asheboro, Lumberton, Marion and Sanford as Certified Retirement Communities.

To learn more about the program, visit www.visitnc.com/retire. To RSVP for Thursday’s event, visit www.eventbrite.com/event/6420240111.

Update: View pictures from the ceremony here.

PITTSBORO – The Chatham Economic Development Corporation is hosting two public input sessions to gather feedback for a conceptual land use plan. The first meeting is April 23 from 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. at the Earl B. Fitts Center in Siler City (111 S. Third Ave.). The second public meeting is April 25 from 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. in the multipurpose room in building 2 at Central Carolina Community College in Pittsboro (764 West St.).

The conceptual land use plan’s objective is to position Chatham County for sustainable and balanced growth for future generations. It represents a broad framework for future growth and is not a comprehensive land use plan. Partners in the conceptual land use plan development include the Chatham EDC, Chatham County Geographical Information Systems, town planners from Chatham County, Siler City and Pittsboro, Chatham County Public Works and local utility directors.

The Chatham EDC will present four growth scenarios that cover Chatham County from the present until 2040. The conceptual land use plan focuses on balance, preservation, economic prosperity, collaboration among public services and local government and flexibility to adapt with change.

For more information about the conceptual land use plan, contact the Chatham Economic Development Corporation at 919-542-8274 or info@chathamedc.org.

Conceptual Land Use Plan Public Input Meeting
April 23, 2013 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
Earl B. Fitts Center
111 S. Third Ave.
Siler City, NC 27344

April 25, 2013 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
Central Carolina Community College
764 West St.
Pittsboro, NC 27312

The process has been reduced from a minimum of 53 days to 32 days. The minimum number of meetings held will be reduced from three to two and the minimum number of meetings each Board (Town and Planning) holds will be reduced from two to one. Required notices in the newspaper and adjoining property owner letters will include the date of the Planning Board meeting and date of the Town Board public hearing.

For additional information, contact Jack Meadows, Director of Planning and Community Development, at 919-742-2323 or jmeadows@silercity.org.

For more information, contact Eric Jonas at 919-663-1450 or efjonas@evhnc.org.

In winning the award, Pittsboro will receive marketing support from the state in a variety of ways to attract retirees to the community.

“This award is a huge accomplishment for the community, branding Pittsboro as a ‘preferred destination’ for retirees to consider, and meeting the state’s criteria, receiving endorsement and marketing support,” [steering committee member and Galloway Ridge director of community relations Pat Richardson] wrote in an email. “This certification says to interested seniors that Pittsboro offers a quality of life with all the amenities needed for retirement.”

Created by the North Carolina General Assembly in 2008, the N.C. Certified Retirement Community Program serves as a vehicle to market selected communities with exceptional quality of living as retirement destinations. As a CRC, RetireNC will highlight and promote Pittsboro as an attraction to the multitudes of retirees who in-migrate to North Carolina. The designation lasts five years, after which the town may consider recertification. Pittsboro joins four other North Carolina towns – Asheboro, Lumberton, Marion and Sanford – with the designation.

Plans are being made for a ceremony to celebrate the accomplishment.

Learn more about Chatham County’s exceptional quality of life for its residents and business owners here.