Newcomers Discover The Good Life in Elizabeth City
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The story of Elizabeth City is an intriguing tale. The setting is beautiful. The characters are friendly‚ and the plot revolves around the community’s efforts to grow and prosper.
And the final pages? Well‚ the story’s not finished yet‚ but the ending is bound to be happy.
The name of the story is “Discover the Good Life Daily‚” and it’s part of a major marketing effort to increase awareness of Elizabeth City and northeast North Carolina as a destination for economic development and tourism.
“I like to say we have it all‚ from the ocean to the opera‚” says Matt Wood‚ chairman of the Albemarle Economic Development Commission. “You can enjoy the river in your front yard‚ head north for world-class entertainment and shopping‚ or go to the beach. You can enjoy all those amenities‚ but without metropolitan congestion.”
The attractive community nestled on the Pasquotank River is an easy sell‚ thanks to the region’s outstanding quality of life‚ mild climate‚ excellent infrastructure‚ transportation options and location near the popular Outer Banks vacation spots. The friendly town on the Intracoastal Waterway has even earned the nickname “Harbor of Hospitality.”
“For potential businesses we have land available‚ and we have a well-trained‚ ready workforce‚” says Wood.
Between 7‚000 and 8‚000 skilled workers‚ from computer techs to welders‚ travel to Tidewater Virginia to work every day‚ but would much prefer jobs closer to home‚ Wood points out.
The marketing campaign‚ launched in August 2004‚ is a joint project of the Albemarle Economic Development Commission‚ the Elizabeth City Area Chamber of Commerce‚ the Committee of 100 business group‚ Pasquotank County and the city.
Funding was provided through the city‚ county‚ business groups and a number of private “community investment partners‚” says Chamber President Rhonda Twiddy.
In planning for a new regional identity‚ the AEDC sought input from a wide range of local citizens.
“We wanted to set goals that met the needs of the community and came from the community‚” says Twiddy‚ who also serves as a member of the Albemarle Economic Development Commission.
“We really tried to be very thorough and very diverse.”
The commission hired Chesapeake-based advertising agency Cahoon & Cross to put the plan into action. The results have included a new Web site‚ brochures‚ promotional ads and a public relations campaign.
Five priorities were set: to improve the community’s image‚ develop and implement a marketing plan‚ establish a convention and visitors bureau‚ focus on downtown development and‚ working with local educational institutions‚ coordinate development plans with workforce development.
Heading up the campaign is Bruce A. Drahos‚ the new director of economic development for the Albemarle region. A former commander of the Coast Guard’s Aircraft Repair and Supply Center (ARSC)‚ he has both management and economic development experience. In his last three years at ARSC‚ Drahos was responsible for the creation of 250 new jobs‚ including 50 apprentice jobs for local students.
Successful economic development‚ he says‚ means more than just new jobs.
“My focus is on a partnership with our community investment partners‚ getting business people and average citizens to want to stand up and be counted‚” Drahos says. “It’s not about economic growth – it’s about economic vitality.”
The timing for this campaign is excellent. Improvements to U.S. 17 will help bring the world to northeast North Carolina’s door‚ while the new Tanglewood Industrial Park has 300 acres of prime development property ready for business.
“This is a community that has sometimes been perceived as having economic strife‚” he says. “But this is a community that is coming together to deal with our problems‚ maximize our strengths and be prepared for the future. We’re going to be in the crosshairs of development for next several years‚ and we want to make sure we do this right.”
Story by Laura Hill
