City of Hickory Bits and Pieces - February 15, 2012

The following are three messages relating to meetings of specific groups of interest. These are opportunities to participate in the direction of the community, The first is a meeting of the Hickory Young Professionals group that will take place next week, the second is a meeting of the Future Economy Council of Catawba County that will take place this Thursday February 16, 2012, and the third is a follow-up to the Entrepreneurial summit that took place at the beginning of January; this event will take place at the auditorium at CVCC on March 6, 2012.

Hickory Young Professionals host an open forum

to discuss topics affecting young professionals and the Metro area

February 13, 2012 (Hickory, NC) – Once per quarter, the Hickory Young Professionals host an Inside the Metro Series event where HYP members are introduced to different community leaders in an intimate lunch-and-learn setting.  Much like Bravo TV’s, “Inside the Actors’ Studio,” a featured guest sits with an interviewer and answers questions about their career, the choices they made to get where they are, advice they have for young professionals, and what inspires them. 

On February 22, HYP will be hosting a Reverse Inside the Metro Series lunch event from 11:30am-1:00pm at Market on Main in Hickory.  Amy Powell, Senior Vice President of the Catawba County Chamber of Commerce, and Mandy Pitts, City of Hickory Communications Director and Brand Manager, will take the lead on interviewing the young professionals about a topic that has become a key priority and strategy as our county begins to develop a collaborative Competitiveness Plan for the future.  What needs to be done in order to attract and retain young professionals in Catawba County could very well be priority ONE.

Why has this become a key priority? According to the last census, 26.1% of people between the ages of 20 – 44 have left the Greater Hickory Metro between 2000 and 2010.  Some say this is caused by the lack of jobs, others say it is a quality of life issue.  During this event, the Hickory Young Professionals will have the opportunity to brainstorm solutions and present ideas on this topic for this chicken versus the egg scenario.

Other special guests have been invited to hear their ideas include: Danny Hearn, President & CEO of the Catawba County Chamber of Commerce; Kitty Barnes, Chairwoman of the Catawba County Commissioners; Scott Millar, President of the Catawba County Economic Development Corp; and possible attendee Mick Berry, Hickory City Manager.

Are you under 40 years of age? Do you live or work in Catawba County? You are invited to share your ideas concerning this important topic! To make your reservation, please visit www.hickoryhyp.com/calendar/. Click on Inside the Metro Series on the calendar date February 22.  Cost: $10.00 for HYP Members; Guest: $15.00   

Hickory Young Professionals (HYP) was established in 2008 to provide opportunities for young professionals in the Greater Hickory Metro Area to excel professionally, socially and economically. This initiative was a recommendation of the Catawba County Chamber of Commerce after they returned from an Inter-City Visit to Roanoke, Virginia in the fall of 2007. The Chamber recognized the economic impact of engaged, young professionals on the region, and the need to retain existing, and attract new, young professionals to the area.  Local business sponsors include Martin Starnes and Associates and Crouse Chiropractic.

Media Contacts:  
Dana Kaminske
Chair, Hickory Young Professionals 
P.O. Box 1968
Hickory, NC 28603-1968 
danakaminske@yahoo.com 
828-270-4153

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 The following is information (2 messages) about the Future Economy Council meeting being held on February 16, 2012 at the Chamber of Commerce:

Good morning! We are ready to begin a new year with the Council and hope you can attend our meeting next Thursday at 8:00 am at the Chamber. We also want to bring you up to date on our post-Entrepreneur Summit strategies utilizing Ted Abernathy, Southern Growth Policies Board, over the next 6-8 months. Hope to see you next week

Danny Hearn,

I have arranged for Quint Redmond 

TSR Agristruction - Agriburbia

Matthew C. “Quint” Redmond

P.O. Box 17747

Golden, CO  80402-7747

p 888/303.458.8554 x11 
c 303.809.1536 
f  303.295.0664 
qredmond@tsrAgristruction.com

To speak with the group via Skype at 8:30.  I have also arranged with Mary George to speak about plans for encouraging gardens and agricultural production across the county.  We will need to make sure that your Internet connection can handle the Skype connection and that there is a computer set up and ready to go for the meeting.

Dear FEC Member,

Food and our food supply has been one of the topics brought up at the FEC.  Another topic, supporting the local economy.  Both are at the center of our very survival and I think we are now more aware than ever that we must not become too dependent on outside sources.

 

At Thursday’s meeting we have a special agenda planned for you.  Mary George, Assistant Planning Director is going to talk with you about county efforts to address locally grown. Jeff Carpenter, County Extension Director, is going to give you a picture of the agriculture community and their impact in Catawba County. And Quint Redmond, from Agriburbia is going to tell us about their efforts to incorporate agriculture into sustainable communities. Quint’s website is http://www.agriburbia.com/ .  You may want to review this before the meeting.

 

I look forward to seeing you on Thursday.

 

Thanks,

Terry 

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The following is information related to a follow up meeting related to the Entrepreneurial Summit that was held on January 11, 2012.

Please note that the Entrepreneurship Speaker's Forum date has been changed.  It will now be held on Tuesday March 6th at 1PM (same time) on the CVCC main campus auditorium.  Sorry for any confusion.  Please call or Email if you have questions or need clarification.

Thank you!

In celebration of National Entrepreneurship Week, Catawba Valley Community College’s Business Department and the Catawba Valley Emerging Entrepreneurship Club are sponsoring a speaker’s forum on “Promoting Entrepreneurship in Our Community,” Tuesday March 6, at 1:00 p.m. in the Auditorium.

Guest panelists include Shane Cooper, founder and chief executive officer of DeFeet International, David Washco, founder of GoPriceDrive.com and ’11 Edison Prize Winner; Scott Millar, president of the Catawba County Economic Development Corporation; Danny Hearn, president of the Catawba County Chamber of Commerce; and Dr. Garrett Hinshaw, president of CVCC.

Startup companies are continuously cited as our economy’s most promising source of new jobs. In fact, a recent Kauffman Foundation study dispels the myth that the jobs created with business startups fail within five years.

Sponsored by CVCC, the Catawba Valley Emerging Entrepreneurship Club seeks ways to introduce members to individuals who have started their own businesses. Students participate in various activities that provide real-world exposure to the day-to-day operations of American businesses.

The public is invited to attend. There is no charge; however, seating is limited.

For more information, contact business faculty and club advisor Gary Muller, 828-327-7000, ext. 4672.

For more information about upcoming Small Business Center programs, please call the Small Business Center at 828-327-7000, ext. 4117 or visit our web site at http://sbc.cvcc.edu.

Jeff Neuville, Program Coordinator
828-327-7000, Ext 4102

Debbie Sawyer, Program Assistant
828-327-7000, Ext. 4117
E-mail: sbc@cvcc.edu
Web site: http://sbc.cvcc.edu
Office Location: CVCC East Campus, 2760 Hwy 70 SE, Hickory, 28602 behind Northern Tool & Equipment

City of Hickory Bits and Pieces - February 4, 2012

This was provided by one of the followers to the Hickory Hound:

I was curious and asked myself: how many of these farmers grow in Catawba County? Out of 38 vendors listed on the HFM website, I confirmed 8 of them (21%) grow or prepare products in Catawba County.

Anna’s Sweet Treats - ?
John H. Bigelow Photography - Mt. Pleasant, NC
Beam Family Farm - Lawndale, NC
Bluebird Farm - Morganton, NC
Blue Ridge Apiaries - Hudson, NC
Childers Farm - Whittier, NC
Coto Family Farms - Vale, NC
Crane/Herbville Farm - Granite Falls and Lenoir, NC
Crowe’s Produce - Morganton, NC
Daphine & Sons Asparagus Farm - ?
Davis and Son Orchard - Lawndale, NC
Diane’s Bakery - Hickory, NC
The Dog House - ?
Donna Wood - ?
Farmer's Daughter - Taylorsville, NC
Gayle’s Gardens - Caser, NC
Hoffman Farms - Lincolnton, NC
Ed Huss - ?
Interior's by Betsy - ?
Jerry Harris - ?
Richard Hill Farm - Lawndale, NC
Keller's Gourd Barn Crafts - Cornelius, NC
Lisa’s Baked Goods - Hickory, NC
Living Greener Days - Hickory, NC
Mills Garden Herb Farm - Statesville, NC
Muddy Creek Mushroom Farm - Morganton, NC
Nancy Jaeger - ?
O My Soap! - Newton, NC
Open Hearts Bakery - Morganton, NC
Raby’s Greenhouse - Hickory, NC
Ripshin Goat Dairy - Lenoir, NC
Rock House Farm - Morganton, NC
Setzer’s Nursery - Claremont, NC
Sipe Angus Farm - Claremont, NC
Snyder Family Farm - Granite Falls, NC
Summer Fresh Flowers - Newton, NC
Tumbling Shoals Farm - Millers Creek, NC
Whippoorville Farms - Hickory, NC

I was unable to find addresses for the other 8 (21%) of vendors.

A friend who is a chef in Atlanta, who is from here, left me a note when I asked about his thoughts on this issue.

This is a HUGE movement here in Atlanta too. Many of the more upscale restaurants buy from local, state, and regional growers, dairies, and farms. I would support anyone that offers a quality product or service that is produced as close as the ones you have listed here. Hickory's business community in general could try this as common practice and enjoy numerous benefits.

I asked Harry about his thoughts

Personally, if these folks are in our "region" I wouldn't quibble too much about, though Mt Pleasant and Whittier seem a bit far. My beef is with folks that farm at MDI then sell it. By the way, it seems that we didn't have too much trouble finding $140K to fix up 5 tennis courts. I have no problem with tennis courts, they aren't pools after all - (sic). HH

The Hound thinks this shows that we aren't focusing the farmer's market on local farmers per se, as some have (mis)led us to believe. In December, when a couple of threads were devoted to this issue, we were led on communicative ramblings that insinuated that the market was being limited in size and scope to help maintain price levels to make the marketplace function profitably for the local farmer/vendors. I don't know exactly how much of what Harry is stating about reselling from corporate purveyors is going on, but it would most definitely be interesting to have that proven and quantified. But aren't most of these purveyors going around a regional circuit? Going to 4 (or more) sites a week to sell their goods.

What our friend from Atlanta endorses is exactly what we have talked about on this very blog. And when we see the geography of where these vendors are homebased, then it shows that what we are discussing/proposing is already reality to a great extent. The only thing inhibiting the possibility of growth of this marketplace are the usual forces that have determined that everything must revolve around Union Square and their personal interests.

Take the leash off and Hickory will grow. This is the 10,000 pound gorilla. This is what is killing our local economy. And very few say anything about it and even fewer do anything about it.

Speaking of which, In an article on WHKY's website entitled Five City Tennis Courts to Close for Repair - 2/3/2012

Five City of Hickory tennis courts will close on Monday, February 6, while the courts are rebuilt over the next few months.

Tennis courts one through five at Hickory City Park, 1515 12th Street Drive N.W., will be closed, but the lower courts (six through eight) will remain open throughout the construction process. Construction is expected to continue through April.

The tennis courts designated for repair were built in the late 1970s and have severe cracks and splits. The cost to rebuild the courts is $140,000 and will include a new asphalt surface, along with new posts and nets.

The City has a total of 17 tennis courts. The remaining 12 will continue to be open for play.

The City will have a Dog and Pony show about the YMCA swimming initiative at this week's City Council meeting. The Mayor talks about this issue of kids learning how to swim. That's great, but the bigger issue is a focused program of Aquatic Recreation, Leisure, Sports, Exercise, and Rehabilitation. Where are these kids going to swim? Their toilet bowl?

If you want to hear the propaganda, then I suggest you be there, because if they don't address any relevant issues relating to getting an aquatic center built in Hickory, then I won't be writing about it on this blog. The YMCA is a good place for people who can afford it and don't talk to me about scholarships, that isn't affording it and the YMCA is already overcrowded. I'm going to be at the City Council meeting to report on happenings that impact your life. I'm not a subservient mindnumbed trick pony programmed to regurgitate nonsense.