Yancey County earns status as the tenth Certified Entrepreneurial Community in the country
Date Posted: 1/2/2012
Unique program developed by AdvantageWest recognizes documented commitment to encourage and support entrepreneurship
Yancey County has earned status as the tenth AdvantageWest Certified Entrepreneurial Community© in the country, demonstrating its commitment to encourage and support entrepreneurship as a means of economic development.
Developed in 2008 by AdvantageWest, the CEC program requires communities to complete a rigorous, five-step process to become certified. Those steps included assessing the community's current entrepreneurial landscape, creating a comprehensive strategy for entrepreneurial growth, marshaling the community's entrepreneurial resources, and identifying and nurturing the community's most promising entrepreneurial talents.
"The purpose of the CEC program is to create a business climate, with superior resources, where an entrepreneur can realize his or her dream," said Scott Hamilton, president and CEO of AdvantageWest. “Yancey County has persisted in working very hard to earn this achievement, and now they can proudly say they are ‘entrepreneur-ready.’”
“Yancey County is excited to be a Certified Entrepreneurial Community working with AdvantageWest and other regional and state partners,” said Wanda Proffitt, director of the Yancey County Economic Development Commission. “We have made a commitment to support and work with existing and new entrepreneurs within our county and region in order to grow our business community, because we recognize this is our future.”
With the CEC certification, Yancey will participate in a co-op marketing campaign through AdvantageWest to promote their new status domestically and internationally. Yancey County will be added to the award-winning CEC website (www.awcec.com), which highlights entrepreneurial success stories and the unique assets, resources and infrastructure of each CEC community. In addition, permanent street signage showing the CEC designation will be installed in Yancey County.
The new certification also brings with it improved access to capital through the AdvantageWest “Advantage Opportunity Fund” revolving loan program.
In a formal ceremony held Dec. 19 at the Burnsville Town Center, the members of Yancey’s CEC Leadership Team were recognized for their contributions in achieving certification.
Members of the team, in addition to Proffitt, are:
- Dan Asher, of the Energy Xchange;
- Randy Banks, of Mountain Air;
- Dr.Daniel Barron, of AMY (Avery/Mitchell/Yancey) Regional Library;
- Jana Bartleson, of Toe River Health District;
- Robert Branch, of the Small Business Technology Center at Mayland Community College;
- Denise Cook, of Toe River Arts Council;
- Rita Early, of Mayland Community College;
- Dale England, Yancey County Commissioner;
- Gwen Harris, educator;
- Donna Haynes, owner of Heartbeat Marketing and former marketing director of Mountain Air;
- Tim Hensley, of Mountain Heritage High School;
- Bryan Hyder, of Country Cablevision;
- Ginger Johnson, of Yancey/Burnsville Chamber of Commerce;
- David McIntosh, of Heritage Lumber, David's Limited and numerous other businesses;
- Tres Magner, of Yancey County Agriculture Extension Service;
- Colby Martin, of Yancey Board of Education;
- Jeanne Martin, of the Town of Burnsville;
- Janice McKinney, owner of McKinney Consultant;
- Jamie McMahan, Yancey County Planning;
- George Nero, of Yancey/Burnsville Chamber of Commerce;
- Marie Nicholson, of Mars Hill College and of Yancey Economic Development Commission;
- Patti Peterson, of United Community Bank;
- Ron Powell, of the Town of Burnsville and of North Carolina Step;
- Jerrie Storie, REALTOR and member of Yancey Economic Development Commission;
- Elizabeth Turner, of Centro de Enlace;
- Barbara Webster, of Main Street and of Quilt Trails;
- Bill Weeks, of MAY (Mitchell/Avery/Yancey) Coalition.
“Our CEC Leadership Team is a dedicated group of volunteers who have given countless hours to meet this rigorous process,” said Proffitt. “We look forward to continue working with and in support of our entrepreneurs.”
Yancey joins Haywood, Transylvania, Watauga, Burke, Mitchell, Polk and Macon counties, as well as the Town of Black Mountain and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, as certified communities. Several other communities are in different stages of earning certification. The CEC program is the first and only of its type in the country.
The CEC program has been presented twice before Congress and recognized at the National Consortium for Entrepreneurship Education. AdvantageWest has worked with economic development organizations in several other states who are interested in a CEC nationwide expansion project.
Entrepreneurial development is one of several job creation initiatives of AdvantageWest, a nonprofit, public-private economic development partnership that serves the 23 counties of Western North Carolina. Others are advanced manufacturing and industrial recruitment; agribusiness through Blue Ridge Food Ventures; the green economy; and the Western North Carolina Film Commission.
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MEDIA CONTACT
Kathi Petersen
kpetersen@awnc.org
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Testimonial
In an effort to respond to the diverse economic development needs of North Carolina, then State Representative Martin Nesbitt introduced legislation creating the regional economic development partnerships. It was this extraordinary insight that allowed AdvantageWest to become one of the most innovative and nimble economic development programs in the state.
Gordon S. Myers
Founding Chair
AdvantageWest Board of Directors
Amanda Baranski
, Executive Assistant & Assistant Corporate Secretary
AdvantageWest
134 Wright Brothers Way
Fletcher, NC 28732
ph. 828-687-7234
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