Some time ago, I promised to share my ideas about economic development for Oriental and Pamlico County.
One of those ideas comes from a study I read about three years ago concerning economic development in small rural counties. The advice was to avoid "big game hunting," - that is, don't bother trying to recruit factories or other large businesses. Chances of success are minimal. Even if you succeed, the county becomes vulnerable to changes in plans that can put many people out of work at the same time with no alternate sources of employment.
Instead of that approach, the study recommended recruiting "lone eagles." These are defined as small companies with a customer base beyond the county or even the state. Using the internet, they can locate anywhere and still service their customers. The attraction to such companies might be the small town quality of life and the desire to take advantage of local recreational opportunities.
In fact, there are a number of such enterprises in Oriental and elsewhere in Pamlico County. In most cases, the owners like to sail, appreciate the climate, and are able to get access to high speed internet connections. That is the key infrastructure requirement.
We need to recruit more lone eagles.
Last Monday at the Pamlico County Commissioners meeting, Mr. Joe Himbry of Bayboro briefed the commissioners on a concept to establish a web-based business center in the county. This idea is one of the outcomes of the STEP program.
Mr. Himbry received authorization from the Commissioners to seek a twelve thousand dollar grant from the Eastern Region to do a feasibility study to validate the concept. If it is determined that such a center makes economic sense, Mr. Himbry will seek additional government or private grants to implement the concept. Again, high speed internet connections are the key infrastructure requirement.
I look forward to following the progress of Mr. Himbry's study.
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2 comments:
As we operate a "lone eagle" web-based business enterprise with plans to settle in Oriental, I am very interested in this concept. I look forward to your next blog on this subject. Phyllis
Oriental has the opportunity for one of those "lone eagle" small businesses. The sad thing is that Bay River Sewer won't permit them because there is no capacity. They will permit residences, but not commercial. This is a huge disappointment for those of us who would love to have a sailing school as a neighbor and a blow for Oriental's business growth.
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