With the growing popularity of food trucks, cities and towns across North Carolina are considering strategies to regulate the increasing number of mobile vendors selling meals while also recognizing the value of food trucks in terms of community & economic development. A food truck is a mobile, … Read more

This is the fifth in a series of blog posts on tools available to local governments to assist small businesses. Previous posts have covered revolving loan funds (parts I and II), loan loss reserves (III) and capital sources for loan funds (IV). The fifth topic in this series is crowdfunding. The his … Read more

Funding sources to capitalize revolving loan funds is the fourth topic in a series on tools local governments can use to assist small businesses. As discussed in Part II of this blog post series, local governments across North Carolina are using revolving loan funds to support their small businesses … Read more

State policymakers are considering a major reform of the tax code in North Carolina that could include a reduction in the corporate income tax rate.  One rationale for doing so is the sense that the state’s competitiveness for economic development is being hampered by a corporate income tax rate tha … Read more

Policymakers in Raleigh are grappling with how best to enhance North Carolina’s prospects for achieving higher levels of economic growth and prosperity.  This has resulted in a renewed focus on the state’s competitiveness as a location for jobs and private investment.  Much of the current policy dis … Read more

Pickled bamboo shoots, gourmet jams, and unpasteurized tea are just a few of the products coming out of Blue Ridge Food Ventures, a value-added food production and manufacturing facility based on Asheville, North Carolina. BRFV is an 11,000 square foot facility with a shared-use commercial kitchen, … Read more

My last post highlighted the potential of promoting entrepreneurship and small business assistance as an economic development strategy.  In order to provide appropriate support for entrepreneurs and small businesses, it is important for public officials and local assistance organizations to understa … Read more

As the U.S. economy struggles to build and sustain momentum in the aftermath of the Great Recession, one strategy that warrants greater attention by policymakers is entrepreneurship development.  As discussed in a previous post, there is some debate about the extent to which new, small firms drive j … Read more

This is the first post in a series that will profile examples of how local food systems can be viewed as a component of an economic or community development strategy. Cabarrus County, NC — Local Food System Cabarrus County, NC is located 22 miles north of Charlotte. Given its urban proximity, the c … Read more

It is widely recognized that small firms with growth potential can be significant job creators in a local economy.  Yet, the role of local governments in supporting entrepreneurs and small businesses is not always clear.  Small firms, particularly those with a high growth trajectory, have a variety … Read more