Category: Business & Entrepreneurship
Student Corner: What’s the deal with modular construction?
In May of this year, Marriott International announced that it would ramp up the use of modular construction in its hotels. Marriott said they anticipated signing on at least 50 hotels in 2017 alone that would be primarily modular, citing that this type of construction would enable them to generate r … Continued
Student Corner: The Electric Grid of the Future
The energy landscape is changing. More and more, renewable energy plays a larger role on how we generate and consume power. Fundamental differences between traditional power generation technology and renewable sources requires an overhaul of the entire energy industry, from infrastructure to busines … Continued
Student Corner: The State of Technology in North Carolina
The North Carolina Technology Association (NCTA) recently published the 2017 State of the Technology Industry Report providing interested stakeholders an in-depth review of North Carolina’s technology industry. The following blog post will provide a snapshot of the report that is available for downl … Continued
Student Corner: Brewery Incubators On the Rise
The CED Blog has previously covered the economic development power of breweries to revitalize downtown Main Streets. And the blog recently detailed the utility and potential of retail incubators in helping aspiring entrepreneurs launch a business and establish a physical store location. And now, som … Continued
Student Corner: North Carolina Biotechnology Center Fueling Growth in NC’s Biotech Industry
In the last couple decades the biotechnology industry has seen substantial growth globally and in the United States where the industry has reached a market capitalization of over $1 trillion (EY Biotechnology Industry Report). Growth in the biotech industry has soared as well in North Carolina follo … Continued
Local Food Systems and Economic Development: What’s the Measurable Link?
There is growing interest in cultivating and supporting local food systems in North Carolina. In previous posts, School of Government faculty member Rick Morse has addressed “Why Local Governments Should be Thinking About Local Food Systems” and examined the role of local food policy councils. Mos … Continued
Community Food Strategies: Food System Network Building in NC
As I have written about before, I see local food organizing as a powerful community building enterprise. Because everyone eats, local food efforts literally can have an impact on entire communities. And because local food organizing touches upon all aspects of community capital (social, environmenta … Continued
You say you want “Big Data” for Community Economic Development, but are you ready for it?
When you make a decision to go forward with a Community Economic Development (CED) project or policy, have you thought through the ramifications for your staff or budget? This year, a course paper on body worn cameras written by a graduate student in the MPA program at The University of North Caroli … Continued
Economic Development via “White Hat” Hacking? 2015 Statewide Conference – CityCamp NC
The 2015 edition of CityCamp NC was held in Raleigh, June 11-13. It is the sixth year of bringing citizens, local and state government, and businesses together to improve the quality of life through information technology (IT) and the use of open, public data. Local elected officials from Cary, Rale … Continued
Student Corner: CDFIs and Small Business Lending
Previous blog posts have discussed the role of Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) in North Carolina. CDFIs are typically smaller financial institutions that engage in mission-drive lending intended to expand access to capital in low-wealth and underserved communities in order to fo … Continued