Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments was one of two regions selected from North Carolina for the Phase V Region Stronger Economies Together (SET) program. Stronger Economies Together (SET) represents an exciting initiative launched in 2009 by USDA Rural Development in collaboration with the four Regional Rural Development Centers (RRDCs) and their land-grant university partners. The award decision involved an application, team commitment letters, a State site visit, and a National team review.
The purpose of SET is to strengthen the capacity of communities/counties in rural America to work together in developing and implementing an economic development blueprint that strategically builds on the current and emerging economic strengths of their region. The SET process has occurred or is occurring in 28 states across the U.S. The SET strategic plan will serve as a regional economic development roadmap for the Kerr-Tar Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy.
Here are some of the important elements of the Stronger Economies Together initiative:
• State Resource Teams bring the talents and resources of key state and federal agencies, land grant university Extension programs, and other organizations together to provide coaching and technical assistance to each of the regional teams.
• Step-by-step coaching to guide the design and implementation of a practical and viable regional economic development plan.
• In-depth data tailored to the region, describing its current and emerging clusters, comparative economic advantages, and detailed demographic and socio-economic information.
• Technical assistance is provided to the regions over a period of 6 to 7 months upon completion of the SET training.
• Experiences and insights will be shared among the regions thru multi-state meetings.
SET Team Members:
Barry Baker – Granville County
Donald Belk – Town of Youngsville
Ken Bowman – Warren County
Will Brooks – Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments
Melissa Catlett – Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments
Katie Conner – Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments
Diane Cox – Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments
Robert Davie – Town of Warrenton
Richie Duncan – Franklin County
Amy Edge – Tar River Land Conservancy
Ben Foti – Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments
Jessica Galdwin – Town of Butner
Ronnie Goswick – Franklin County
Justin Joregensen – Granville County
Stuart Litvin – Vance County
Sara Lloyd – Vance Granville Community College
Paul McKenzie – Cooperative Extension – Vance & Warren Counties
Allison Medlin – NC Department of Agriculture
Harry Mills – Granville County
Charles Mitchell – Cooperative Extension – Franklin County
Walker Montgomery – Piedmont Community College
Jackie Seargant – City of Oxford
Crystal Smith – Cooperative Extension – Warren County
Mark Warren – Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments
Paul Westfall – Cooperative Extension – Granville & Person Counties
Lauren Wrenn – City of Roxboro
Facilitators:
Becky Bowen – North Carolina State University
Susan Jakes – North Carolina State University
Brian Queen – USDA