Anson Economic Development Corporation

Shortly after he first of the year, every household in Anson County received a postcard from South Piedmont Community College announcing a program that has the potential to positively change the lives of thousands of Ansonians while simultaneously helping us to build the workforce we need to compete for economic development projects down the road. Called the Anson Advantage, this program offers free tuition and fees to any Anson County resident in one of more than 30 practical work skill programs the college offers. Offerings include such in-demand fields as HVAC, Culinary Arts, Electrical Systems, Industrial Maintenance and Welding, and range in duration from 10 weeks to 10 months. Different communities have gone about bridging the workforce gap in different ways. In Iredell County, I was involved in the development of a very good, but very elaborate, program called the North Carolina Manufacturing Institute. The idea behind the NCMI was that companies would join the organization, p...

As many of you are aware, REV Uptown is located in what was originally a Roses Store here in Uptown Wadesboro. One of the original decor plans for REV called for some framed prints of Roses Stores from that period. After conferring with Steve Bailey and finding that the Historical Society didn't have any photos of  the actual store, I decided to call Roses corporate office and see if they might be able to provide some. When I identified myself to the Roses representative on the line as the "economic development director from Wadesboro," he initially made some comments about "nothing finalized yet" before I explained the purpose of my call. I wrote it off to mistaken identity, but in retrospect... The worst kept secret in Anson County right now is that Roses is returning to Wadesboro. They will be moving into the former Walmart space in Anson Station, between the Food Lion and the Tractor Supply. The store will be a Roses Express, which is a smaller footprint...