Innovations in Economic Development
through Local Food Economies

Registration for this event is now closed.

10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Please choose only ONE location from our three regional events:

Registration Deadline: Sept 6, 2017 | Registration Cost: $15 (includes a local foods lunch!)

Registration Information: Space is limited.  This invitation is non-transferable and the event is designed for planners, developers, and city and county administrators. Registration is limited to no more than two participants from regional governments, counties, cities, and towns. Registration payments must be received by August 21, 2017, to reserve your seat.

To download the printable flyer, please click here.

Questions? Contact us:

Laura Lauffer, Extension & Outreach Program Manager, North Carolina Growing Together Project
Center for Environmental Farming Systems | North Carolina State University | lwlauffe@ncsu.edu| 919-444-1478

Robyn Stout, State Coordinator, NC 10% Campaign
Center for Environmental Farming Systems | robyn_stout@ncsu.edu | 919.515.5362

*Note: APA-NC is a co-sponsor of this event, and CM credits are pending!

Counties, cities, and towns around North Carolina are discovering innovative ways to encourage economic and community development by strengthening and expanding local food systems. These projects offer opportunities to build resilient local economies, expand small and mid-sized businesses, and contribute to local economic impacts.

At these regional events, participants will be able to:

  • Discover innovative projects from your own region and around the state that build economic & community development through local food systems.
  • Learn more about – and network with – staff from the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, the North Carolina Department of Commerce, the North Carolina Rural Center, and other statewide agencies.
  • Learn what tools and practices you can take back to your own community and how you can help food & farm businesses grow and succeed – in urban, semi-urban and rural settings alike.
  • Meet other planners, economic developers, city & county managers, and elected officials who share a commitment to building resilient local economies through the support and expansion of small and mid-sized businesses that contribute to local impacts.
Network with State & Nonprofit Agencies at Each Event:
Discover Innovative Projects Across North Carolina

* More speakers are being added frequently – please check back often! *

James “ Jimbo” Eason of Covington Spirits, LLC: Jimbo is a creative beverage alcohol executive with expertise in all phases of newly developed brand concepts. He is skilled in sales, marketing, advertising, design, distribution and production. As a young man in college in the 1980’s, Jimbo developed a passion for wine and was voted, tongue in cheek by his friends, “most likely” to get into the alcohol beverage business, and so he did, and so it goes for the past 34 years and counting! He and his partner run Covington Spirits, a company that works with third generation sweet potato farmers in rural eastern North Carolina, to produce an exceptional sweet potato vodka that is available in all ABC retail beverage locations in the state.

TRACTOR (Toe River Aggregation Center): TRACTOR Food & Farms is a group of over sixty small family farms nestled just outside of Asheville in Burnsville, NC. We help support local agriculture and provide you, area restaurants and local grocery stores with a diverse selection of fresh produce. TRACTOR brings local farms to the table. This food hub works with regional distributors, areas restaurants, and local consumers to provide a selection of high-quality mountain fresh products in aggregated orders. Check out their video, learn about Bowditch Bottoms, one of their farms; see their Mountain Heritage FFA spot; see their most recent Ingles commercial; and view these neat drone videos on farm to fork and Bowditch Farm! Tres Magner is the Yancey County Cooperative Extension Director and has worked for the North Carolina Cooperative Extension for 15 years.  He has worked as a Program Evaluator for Smart Start, and ten years at the Crossnore School, a children’s home where he served as the Director of Development.  He has a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Chapel Hill, and a Masters in Counseling from Appalachian State University.  He serves on the Board of TRACTOR as one of the founding members. He even knows what to do with a butternut squash now! Jeff Vance serves as the County Extension Director for the Mitchell County Extension Center.  Jeff has worked for the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service for twenty-five years, all in Mitchell County.  He began his career as an Agriculture Extension Agent in 1992 with responsibilities for horticulture, forestry and pesticide education.  In 2004 he moved into the position of County Extension Director.  Jeff has a B.S. in ornamental horticulture and a Masters of Agriculture and Extension Education both from N.C. State University. Jeff has been a member of TRACTOR and the board since its inception.  He serves as treasurer of the board.

Bert Lemkes, born and raised in the Netherlands, fourth generation in greenhouse industry, has worked in various horticulture businesses around the world before immigrating to the United States in 1987. Before joining Tri-Hishtil as general manager, he was working at Van Wingerden International, a greenhouse business also in Mills River, North Carolina. Bert will discuss how Henderson County’s Agricultural Economic Development office worked with this international greenhouse company to relocate in Mills River.

Blue Ridge Food Ventures: is an 11,000-square-foot shared-use kitchen and natural products manufacturing facility that offers support in product development, guidance through the maze of government regulations, equipment for bottling and packaging, advice on marketing and label design, and much more. Based in a building that houses other incubators and AB-Tech’s Small Business Center, BRFV has hosted more than 400 aspiring food entrepreneurs, many of whom, like Roots Hummus and Smiling Hara Tempeh, have gone on to grow successful food production and manufacturing businesses in the state.

Renee F. Paschal has served as the County Manager of Chatham County since 2015, and previously as the Assistant County Manager from 2003-2015. Renee’s 28 years of local government experience and her MPA from UNC-Chapel Hill gave her a wealth of experience administering county projects. She provided leadership to a unique comprehensive planning process focused on public engagement, which resulted in agriculture as a top economic development goal, and supervised planning and operations management for the opening of Chatham County’s new Agricultural Center in 2017, a $12 million investment by the County in agricultural development. She serves as the Secretary/Treasurer of the NC City and County Managers Association.

The Sandhills AGInnovation Center will be owned by Richmond County and will provide much-needed services to the economically important agricultural industry in the Sandhills region. The development of the Center is supported by a feasibility study funded by Moore County, which documents the area’s strong commitment and support for the agricultural industry. The purpose of this venture is to provide an economic development support structure for farm and food entrepreneurs in the region. This facility will provide a space for training, rental cooler and freezer facilities, processing equipment, shared-use farm equipment and value-added kitchen equipment at a fair market price to producer groups and individuals. The AGInnovation Center received a $475,000 grant from the Golden LEAF Foundation in 2016. Manager Davon Goodwin grew up in Pittsburgh, Pa. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, where he studied biology with a concentration in botany. While in college, Davon enlisted in the Army Reserve and served in Iraq and Afghanistan, where he earned a Purple Heart after he was wounded by an improvised explosive device (IED). Since 2012, Davon is also a board member of the National Young Farmers Coalition, where is works to strength access for young farmers. Currently, Davon owns and operates OTL Farms, where he grows muscadine grapes and raises heritage livestock.

The High Country Food Hub is a 1400 sq. ft. centrally located facility with a business management structure facilitating the aggregation, storage, distribution, and marketing of locally/regionally produced food and other products. Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture, the non-profit organization which operates the High Country Food Hub, has 13 years of history working with farmers and producers to strengthen the High Country’s local food system by supporting women and their families with resources, education, and skills related to sustainable food and agriculture. The High Country Food Hub opened in June 2016 when the first producers began renting freezer storage space.  A grand opening event for the Food Hub was held in October 2016. The online marketplace went live in April 2017. The Food Hub facility and its infrastructure provides farmers and producers with cost-effective cold and dry storage space, new markets for their products, and time and money saved through coordination of shared services and bulk ordering of supplies. Shannon Carroll, the Food Hub Coordinator, worked as an instructional technology specialist in K-12 education for 30+ years and is now dividing her time between the Food Hub Coordinator position, working part-time as the Lettuce Learn garden coordinator for Parkway School and helping with SunCatcher, a passive solar greenhouse family business. Shannon is a certified Master Gardener. As the Food Hub Coordinator, she manages the day to day operations for the rental of storage space; delivery, aggregation and distribution of local products stored in the hub and/or sold through the online marketplace; the marketing and administrative tasks of operating an online marketplace; recruitment and evaluation of potential producers for the online marketplace; assisting producers with setting up their producer profiles and managing their product listings; and the coordination of bulk orders, deliveries to the Food Hub for producers and coordinated trips to the processing plants.

Jan Leitschuh, Sandhills Farm to Table Cooperative:  Jan has a BS in agriculture from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. She has worked professionally in both journalism and the horse industry, operated  a farmers market stall for several years, and organized community food/movie events, solar and kitchen-garden tours. In 2010, she co-founded Sandhills Farm to Table Cooperative with Fenton Wilkinson, and continues to serve there as the Produce Manager. In addition, she writes a monthly produce column for PineStraw Magazine, is an award-winner painter and author, and hiked the entire Appalachian Trail in 2003. Sandhills F2T has been a key partner in the development and funding of the Sandhills AgInnovation Center.

Sarah Daniels, Executive Director, Feast Down East: Feast Down East is a nonprofit organization working to grow the local food system in southeastern North Carolina. The programs of Feast Down East help to connect small-scale family farms to local markets and improve access to healthy foods in underserved communities. The organization operates a USDA-recognized food hub, located at the historic train depot in Burgaw, which helps farmers market and distribute their products to wholesale buyers in the Wilmington area. In order to increase demand, Feast Down East helps educate consumers on the importance of buying local and provides information about where and how to purchase local food from a variety of sources. In an effort to achieve a vibrant, equitable food system, the organization recognizes that additional support is needed for individuals and communities that face unique barriers such as financial, geographic or educational challenges. As a result, Feast Down East operates a program that distributes fresh, local produce to public housing neighborhoods. Sarah Daniels became Executive Director of Feast Down East in April 2017. Sarah holds a Masters of Public Administration in Nonprofit Management and a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from UNC Wilmington, as well as a bachelor’s degree in Music Performance from the University of Georgia. While studying at UNCW, Sarah became interested in the role of nonprofit organizations in local food systems development and the work of Feast Down East, in particular. As part of her MPA degree, Sarah completed an internship with the organization and her capstone project was an evaluation of the food hub’s wholesale and, at that time, retail product lines. For the first year out of school, Sarah worked as Finance Director at a historic theatre. She was then hired as Associate Director of Feast Down East in September 2015, a position she held until her recent promotion to Executive Director. Outside of work, Sarah can be found performing as a classical violist, doing Muay Thai kickboxing, or working in her home vegetable garden.

Mike Ortosky is the Agriculture Economic Developer for Orange County, North Carolina, where he is working on an Agriculture Economic Development Plan for the County and a regional food system initiative. Mike is a Landscape Architect, Soil Scientist, and Rural Economic Developer.  His career has included environmental assessment and restoration, land planning and design, business management, and community and food system development.   A graduate of North Carolina State University, he has worked for NC State University and the US Department of Agriculture.  He cofounded and managed Soil & Environmental Consultants, PA, (www.sandec.com) an environmental consulting and design firm as well as The Earthwise Company (www.earthwiselife.com), a community and agricultural development effort. He also owns a small vegetable farm in Saxapahaw, North Carolina.

BioNetwork provides high-quality economic and workforce development solutions for students, colleges, and biotechnology and life science industries throughout North Carolina. BioNetwork was established in 2004 through funding from the Golden LEAF Foundation. We were charged with addressing the growing education and training needs of the state as it transitioned from traditional manufacturing economy to a high-tech, skill-intensive biomanufacturing economy. We received recurring funding through the NC General Assembly in fiscal year 2005-2006. North Carolina has experienced a 31% increase in bioscience jobs since the year 2000, which is four times the national growth rate. The state’s private sector employment grew by only 1% in the same period. The bioscience industry generates more than $73 billion in annual economic activity and provides 228,000 jobs that pay an average annual salary of $81,000 (Batelle 2014). Andrew Capps is the Food, Beverage, and Natural Products Education and Training Coordinator for BioNetwork. He works with food, beverage, and natural products businesses to develop customized trainings that involve topics like food safety and defense, regulatory practices, laboratory methodology, and auditing and documentation practices. Additionally, he oversees a rentable test kitchen for BioNetwork. His academic preparation began at North Carolina State University, where he earned a Bachelors of Science in Microbiology and minors in Biotechnology and Genetics. He then attended the University of North Carolina: Wilmington, where he taught a biomedically focused microbiology laboratory course and conducted research involving statistically based genetic mapping of corn populations. Prior to joining BioNetwork, Andrew served as QA Specialist, Microbiology Supervisor, and Chief Microbiologist at the NC Department of Agriculture: Food and Drug Protection Division. Andrew joined BioNetwork in 2014.

Tanya Weary has been the Director of the Small Business Center for Vance-Granville Community College since April 2012. She co-created an Agricultural Entrepreneurship Program aimed at training new farmers in a former tobacco region for new agricultural and food-related business endeavors. Weary holds a B.A. in English from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a Masters in Public Administration from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke.  During her MPA study, her thesis focused on downtown incentives, specifically developing a program for Oxford entitled O.R.D.E.R. (Oxford’s Revitalizing Downtown & Economic Rule. Weary is the Chair of the Business Growth and Development Committee for the Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce.  She also serves on the Henderson-Vance Downtown Development Commission Economic Vitality Committee.

Piedmont Food and Agriculture Processing Center has a mission: Improve the local agricultural economy by enabling people to start and grow successful agricultural product businesses. PFAP is a shared use kitchen serving food entrepreneurs from across the Piedmont of North Carolina.  We provide kitchen space and equipment along with support for launching and growing food-based businesses. Eric Hallman, Executive Director of PFAP, is an experienced entrepreneur and non-profit manager.  He is also an educator and former public servant (elected to three terms on the Hillsborough Town Board).  Eric is committed to building the food and ag economy of the region, particular the rural community where he also lives.  He brings his background in education, management, and entrepreneurship to helping emerging food and ag companies succeed.

Vidant Health is one of the largest health care systems in North Carolina. The organization serves 29 counties and exists with the mission to improve the well-being of eastern North Carolina. The purpose of the Neighborhood Farmer’s Market is to exemplify the Vidant Health mission and support community sustainability. Jennifer Dietsche is the Director, Enterprise Project Management Office, Systems & Procedures Division, and Neighborhood Farmer’s Market Project Lead. Jennifer joined Vidant Health in 2008, and currently serves in a leadership position. Jennifer has been influential in leading the project team and their efforts around the Neighborhood Farmer’s Market. She earned a master’s degree in Strategic Leadership from Roberts Wesleyan College and a bachelor’s degree in Education from the New York State University of Fredonia.

Working Landscapes is a non-profit rural development organization based in Warren County, NC that supports the development of regional food value chains throughout northeastern North Carolina.  Through the Working Landscapes Food Hub, disused commercial buildings in downtown Warrenton are repurposed as agricultural/food ventures.  The Hub houses the Chopped Produce Initiative, a venture that processes locally-grown vegetables for schools and other institutions. Gabriel Cumming, PhD is Associate Director and Co-founder of Working Landscapes.  He previously served as Warren County’s Economic Development Director, received his doctorate from UNC Chapel Hill and his bachelor’s degree from Swarthmore College.  He also runs a stakeholder engagement consulting company and co-owns a small real estate development firm.

Ardis and Henry Crews are the owners of The Crews Farm, a Micro Market Demonstration Farm in Vance County, and founded the Green Rural Redevelopment Organization (GRRO) in 2008.  The Crews Farm has become a trend setter in Micro Market Farming in the state. Additionally, Ardis is the director of the Micro Market Farm School. Ardis and Henry’s work with GRRO aims to help rural municipalities in eastern NC.  Vance and Pitt County have made vacant lots owned by local government agencies available to GRRO to develop additional Micro Market Gardens/Farms. Henry has been working with Vidant Hospitals to develop the Mobile Farmers Market model, which Vidant is hoping to expand with additional locations throughout the region.

Dawn Jordan is the Agricultural Economic Development Director for Polk County, North Carolina. She oversees agricultural development opportunities including new and existing production operations, expansions, value added, marketing development and local/regional distribution. Her position includes oversight of the County’s Farmland Protection Plan and Farmland Preservation Program, a monthly Friends of Agriculture Breakfast, the annual Farm Tour and two annual Americorps Service member positions. Current policy efforts have been updating the County’s Voluntary and Enhanced Voluntary District ordinance, American Viticulture Area designation and working with NC Farm Bureau Agritourism Policy Committee to define agritourism for the state.

Tiffany Henry and Rob Hawk co-founded the Appalachian Farm School in the seven western counties of North Carolina in 2013 with the WNC Food Policy Council. The program matches the resources of Southwestern Community College’s Small Business Center and the Jackson & Swain County offices of North Carolina Cooperative Extension to train entrepreneurs in farm business planning, operations, and financing. Tiffany Henry is the Director of the Southwestern Community College Small Business Center, and organization focused on increasing business success through quality one-on-one counseling, educational seminars/workshops and providing informational resources. Tiffany is a dynamic, team-spirited, results- oriented professional with a goal of providing clients with the tools they need to be sustainable and successful. Tiffany received her A.A in Business Administration from Southwestern Community College and her B.S in Business Administration and Law from Western Carolina University.  She is also a certified trainer in REAL Entrepreneurship. Tiffany joined the staff of SCC in March 2013 with over 13 years in the private sector with finance, sales, lending, management, legal and project management experience. She serves on the Macon County Certified Entrepreneurial Community Leadership Team, The Corporation for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Board at WCU, and Jackson County Business and Industry Committee. Tiffany has been recognized as the Small Business Center Network 2014 Rookie of the Year, the 2015 Innovation Award for her work with the Appalachian Farms School and was recently acknowledged as a Top 10 Small Business Center within the state of North Carolina. Rob Hawk is the County Extension Director of Jackson & Swain counties, a professional with over two decades of experience in conservation, agriculture, and livestock management. He serves on the NC Cattlemen’s Association and several county and regional groups addressing agricultural economic development goals.

 

 

*CM Credits pending for APA members!