The decline of the textiles and traditional manufacturing industries in eastern North Carolina has put communities like Rocky Mount at a disadvantage when it comes to sustaining long-term economic growth. Rocky Mount is a town of just over 57,000 people located on the Nash and Edgecombe County line that shares some of the challenges to economic development that are present in many eastern North Carolina communities. The grant will help strengthen the regional economy by expanding Fresno’s value-added food sector into a regional food processing cluster that generates higher paying jobs for area residents. In Fresno, California the SC2 team helped facilitate a partnership between multiple federal agencies that resulted in the City receiving a grant from the Economic Development Administration (EDA) to support the agribusiness sector in the San Joaquin Valley region. In the small town of Chester, Pennsylvania SC2 program assistance helped pave the way for a $4.5 million investment in a much needed local grocery store, the City’s first new grocery store in over a decade. These strategies take inventory of the city’s assets, identify their competitive advantage, and develop the community capacity necessary to strengthen their economies. SC2 allows federal teams to work side-by-side with community leaders and provide them with the technical assistance they need to execute their community development strategies. The teams work collectively to develop and implement plans that efficiently use existing resources and take advantage of federal programs that align with community goals. SC2 is a multi-faceted program that sends teams of federal experts to participating communities to work alongside local government leaders and other community stakeholders. The SC2 initiative was first launched in July 2011 with six participating pilot communities across the country and it has since been expanded to include additional communities, including Rocky Mount.
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The initial SC2 annual report is full of good information on the program’s purpose, objectives, and positive outcomes that have been realized in participating communities. Rocky Mount, NC was recently named as a participating community for this innovative federal program that local officials hope will strengthen the City’s struggling local economy. The White House Council on Strong Cities, Strong Communities (SC2) initiative is a new approach to economic development support at the federal level that combines funding and hands-on technical assistance services for distressed communities across the country. Student Corner: Strong Cities, Strong Communities: Rocky Mount, NC By CED Program Interns & Students Published April 3, 2014 Community and Economic Development – Blog by UNC School of Government