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martincountyeap@martincountyedc.com

What We Face           

Like many rural North Carolina counties, Martin County’s economy has been challenged with the loss of manufacturing jobs during the last five years.  Most resulted from NAFTA-related textile plant closures, forestry-sector contraction, and production and processing decline in the agricultural sector.  Martin County has responded to this challenge on three fronts.

First:  We’ve successfully recruited several new companies to the county, including Penco Products, Ann’s House of Nuts, PFG, Citgo Eastern.  This effort continues.  Within weeks we will be formally announcing the arrival of an international company’s first United States operation to the western part of Martin County.

Second:  Martin County understands that it’s not enough to simply recognize the importance of ‘home-grown’ jobs to our communities and for business climate.  Over the past year, we have ramped up our efforts to promote local entrepreneurship development to create and expand sustainable, locally-owned and operated small businesses.                                                                   

Third:  Our small business owners know that many residents’ dollars are spent outside the county.  County residents regret that they have to travel to spend their money due to insufficient product/service offerings within Martin County.  It’s no secret that the more offerings a county provides, the better chance all businesses have for increased growth.  To increase the critical mass of local goods and services in Martin County, we’re taking steps to help prospective entrepreneurs and existing business owners measure market demand so they can prudently extend product/service lines and/or launch new businesses.

“Value Added” in Martin County

Martin County offers many assets to start-up businesses.  The major road network, with highways 64-17-13-125 intersecting here, provides easy product distribution and opportunities to attract increasing visitor traffic to our service and retail sectors.  Speaking of visitors, the expansion of horse stalls at the Bob Martin Eastern Agricultural Center will increase the number of county visitors, increase the number of in-county visitor days, and increase the amount of money that they leave behind them.  The recent launch of the N.C. Civil War Trail, forth-coming construction of a Roanoke River Boardwalk and expansion of the Roanoke River camping platforms will, taken together, mean a steady increase in eco-tourism and heritage tourism to our area .... and opportunities for small businesses to capture the economic advantages of this tourism.

Major Economic Development Needs

Martin County’s major economic development need is jobs.  Martin County’s modified economic development strategy recognizes that many of the new jobs can be created by encouraging the creation of ’home-grown’ jobs  -- specifically the formation of micro-enterprises with 1-to-5 employees.

The exciting part of this strategy is that a healthy and growing entrepreneurial sector increases the chances of locating more industries in Martin County.  Industries see small businesses as a providing a better quality of life to their employees by giving their employees choices of where to shop for goods and services.  This enhances industries ability to recruit and keep the quality of employees they desire.  So, increased emphasis on ‘home-grown’ jobs is not a diversion from, but an adjunct to, our industrial recruitment efforts.

A targeted approach for small business growth is needed        
A more organized approach is needed to meet the immediate needs of displaced workers.  This need is confirmed by calls received at the EDC, Chamber, and MCC Small Business Center. All report increased requests from displaced workers interested in taking charge own destinies by becoming sustainable entrepreneurs.  Though highly motivated, displaced workers who want to become entrepreneurs face special challenges.  Most displaced workers have always been employees.  Though many possess the capacity to produce goods and services, they lack the entrepreneurial skills of planning, capital formation, marketing, human resources management, license and regulatory compliance, taxation and legal responsibilities.  This is why they requested technical assistance, capital formation assistance and help in locating affordable rental space.

So, how do we achieve small business growth? 
With the support of the Committee of 100, Williamston Downtown, the NAACP, MCC’s Small Business Center, the  EDC, county towns and other organizations, Martin County applied for, and received, federal grant funding to create the Martin County Entrepreneurial assistance Program [MCEAP] to help prospective entrepreneurs evaluate, launch, and succeed in creating sustainable ‘home-grown’ businesses.

What the MCEAP can and cannot do        

The MCEAP grant is specifically structured to: 

• identify displaced and low-moderate income workers, women, minorities (and those who

• employ such individuals) who wish to launch or expand micro-enterprises in Martin County, and        

• provide technical assistance that will equip the prospective entrepreneur not only to launch, but also sustain, the new enterprise consistent with his or her capacities, opportunities and risks.

The MCEAP provides technical assistance. This particular grant category does not award cash grants, loans, subsidies or other direct assistance.

The MCEAP will conduct outreach with private, non-profit, faith-based, and public sector entities to identify prospective entrepreneurs. Working with the Employment Security Commission, MCC Small Business Center, Chamber, and other groups, the MCEAP will determine prospective entrepreneur’s individual strengths and weaknesses concerning:      

• technical expertise with the product or service  

• knowledge of the community    

• business management experience (HR, fiscal, regulatory)                                                                            

• articulated business plan (written or oral)                                           

• knowledge of customer base (wants, needs)     

• resources (cash, equity, credit history)                                                                      

• competitive advantage/ disadvantages (‘value-added’, alternative supply options), and  

• personal energy to persevere           

Once the prospective entrepreneur’s situation is evaluated, the MCEAP will provide counsel to reduce business risks and maximize the entrepreneur’s chances for long-term success. The MCEAP will construct individualized technical assistance packages custom-designed for each prospective entrepreneur. Technical assistance may include: 

• educational services

• market research assistance          

• business plan assistance 

• technology training 

• youth apprenticeships 

• marketing assistance

• access to on-going, individualized counseling through SCORE, East Carolina University, etc.

• access to a “Quick Response Team” (legal, CPA, financial services, etc.) for emergent problems

•  assistance in dealing with regulatory and permitting issues

• peer networks 

• technology training 

• manufacturing/ production technology enhancement consulting

• identification of rental space

• business incubation services (coordinated with WIP) 

The MCEAP will also work to develop a local equity investment pool. This is not an exhaustive list of MCEAPs services

Where We Stand Today?
As soon as an MCEAP coordinator is been selected, outreach efforts to identify prospective entrepreneurs will begin. As prospective entrepreneurs are identified and evaluated, technical assistance will immediately commence. This process may start as early as August 1st but will certainly be underway no later than mid-September. 

What YOU Can Do?
If you know of an individual who is considering starting a micro-enterprise, tell him or her about the MCEAP; have him/her contact us so they’re at the top of the list. Whether you are a business owner, manager or professional [active or retired], consider sharing your skills as a mentor. Martin County needs your acquired expertise and we’ll honor your constraints. Until we retain the MCEAP Coordinator, please contact us via email to martincountyeap@martincountyedc.com. Thank you for your interest and support.     

“For almost five years PAW napkins have been sold in the United States through distributors, said Waldemar (Val) Albrecht, president of Carolina Design Napkins Corporation. “We are now marketing our napkins directly in the United States to give our customers better service.”

Carolina Design Napkins will offer three-layer napkin products in various patterns of up to eight colors. The company will introduce more than 500 product choices and will also be able to customize a special collection.

One such special collection will feature a napkin for the First Flight Centennial Celebration being designed for retailers along the Outer Banks. The company also will be able to manufacture napkins with company logos later this year. 

The company has reached a distribution agreement with Martin Enterprises to ship the napkins to stores in the U.S. Martin Enterprises, located in Williamston, is a community rehabilitation program for adults with developmental disabilities and other challenges.  Their focus is vocational training and community job placement.  The first shipment of napkins was delivered to Martin Enterprises last week via a cargo container shipped from Europe to the Norfolk Port. 

“It is exciting for Martin Enterprises to be able to support an international company with its distribution from the states,” said Becky Renn, executive director for Martin Enterprises. “We hope this venture will lead to our organization being able to support future economic development projects with other international companies.” 

PAW was introduced to Martin County through a European marketing consultant with North Carolina’s Northeast Partnership, a regional economic development organization serving 16 counties in Northeast North Carolina. 

"The Martin County EDC's aggressive recruitment efforts continue to bear fruit.  By paving the way for PAW to distribute its unique products in the U.S., the County is positioning itself for a manufacturing facility in the future," said Northeast Partnership Chairman Jack Runion. "We believe there are many more opportunities like this for Martin County and Northeast North Carolina," Runion added. 

Jim Ward, Martin County Economic Development Corporation Executive Director hopes this project will begin reversing the trend that has seen the loss of jobs to other countries. “If we are able to support foreign companies with establishing U.S. subsidiary companies, we will be the first in line to build their U.S. manufacturing plant,” said Ward. 

While he realizes that this is a unique marketing approach to replace the loss of traditional industries in the region, Ward believes it is worth the time and effort. 

“Martin County competes daily with counties in 49 other states that want the same thing -- jobs and investment,” Ward said. “To be successful in our regional efforts to locate companies here, we must approach economic development with creativity and the Carolina Design Napkins project is one of the projects our board is embracing to sustain Martin County’s future.” 

Will Martin County become the home of major international companies’ investments? Only time will tell if the project is successful but Martin County officials point to Carolina Design Napkins as being an effort that should be involved in the county’s mix of recruiting new industries to the region. In the meantime, Carolina Design Napkins available in stores in the U.S. will be stamped with a Williamston, USA address.