Warren County Community and Economic Development Director, Charla Duncan was recently named a Trailblazer in the October edition of Business North Carolina Magazine.

In a feature piece titled, Trailblazers: 20 young leaders focused on improving the state’s smaller cities, this acknowledgement focuses on identifying and recognizing thriving business owners and professionals under the age of 40 who work in NC cities and towns that have fewer than 100,000 residents.

Business North Carolina received nominations through July 15, 2022 for leaders who were under the age of 40 as of June 30, 2022. Nominations included short statements supporting these influential business leaders, citing key accomplishments in the last two years and basic biographical information including age, title, hometown, and number of years spent in their current community.

In her profile, Duncan (36) revealed what she believes what makes the Warren County community so special:

Warren County is a bold community dedicated to building a bright future for all who live here. We are fearless and undaunted by hard work. We are a community of creative, innovative and entrepreneurial spirits.

She also named Harry Mills, Granville County Economic Development Director as a mentor and friend who has served as “a big inspiration and help” for her.

Warren County Manager Vincent Jones, Commissioner Walter Powell, Economic Develop Charla Duncan, Secretary of Agriculture Thomas J. Vilsack, Haliwa-Saponi Chief Brucie Ogletree Richardson, Senior Advisor to President Biden Mitch Landrieu, and Reginald Speight, USDA NC Rural Development / Credit: Warren County Government

“On behalf of the County, I would like to congratulate Ms. Duncan on this well-deserved recognition,” said County Manager Vincent Jones. “We are looking forward to her continuing to help us move forward into a bright future ahead for Warren County.”

To read Charla Duncan’s full profile, you can find it here: Trailblazers: 20 young leaders focused on improving the state’s smaller cities – Business North Carolina
(businessnc.com)

Photo Credit: Submitted photo

Share

The post Charla Duncan Recognized as Trailblazer in “Business NC” appeared first on Warrenist | Warren County NC Arts Culture Lifestyle Events Calendar Warrenton Norlina Littleton News.

AccessOn Networks announced today that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded the company a $17.5 million dollar grant which will allow the Holly Springs-based company to bring high-speed internet access to more than 2,500 addresses, 100 businesses, 76 farms and 22 educational facilities in rural Warren and Halifax counties.

“People living in rural towns across the nation need high-speed internet to run their businesses, go to school and connect with their loved ones,” commented USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack. “USDA partners with small towns, local utilities and cooperatives, and private companies to increase access to high-speed internet so people in rural America have the opportunity to build brighter futures. Under the leadership of President Biden and Vice President Harris, USDA is committed to making sure that people, no matter where they live, have access to high-speed internet.”

Warren County Manager Vincent Jones, Commissioner Walter Powell, Community & Economic Development Director Charla Duncan, Secretary of Agriculture Thomas J. Vilsack, Haliwa-Saponi Chief Brucie Ogletree Richardson, Senior Advisor to President Biden Mitch Landrieu / Photo Credit: Warren County Government

“AccessOn Networks is thankful for the opportunity to receive this funding from the USDA,” said Steve Ledford, AccessOn Networks CEO. “This grant will allow us to help residents and businesses in Warren and Halifax counties that desperately need access to reliable high-speed internet. We would like to thank the Biden-Harris Administration, the USDA, Governor Cooper and NCDIT, Congressman Butterfield, Congresswoman Ross, the Haliwa-Saponi Tribe, Warren County Manager Vincent Jones and Halifax County Manager Dia Denton, county commissioners from both counties, and all of the residents, business owners and community leaders who supported this application. Their support was vital in helping us win this grant funding.”

Governor Roy Cooper / Photo Credit: Warren County Governor

There is no timeline for when this initiative will begin.

Read more: AccessOn Networks Awarded USDA ReConnect Grant to Bring High-Speed Internet to Rural Areas of Warren and Halifax Counties

Share

The post AccessOn Networks Awarded USDA ReConnect Grant to Bring High-Speed Internet to Rural Areas of Warren and Halifax Counties appeared first on Warrenist | Warren County NC Arts Culture Lifestyle Events Calendar Warrenton Norlina Littleton News.

Warren County Emergency Management has been named one of only twenty-four emergency management teams to receive funding from the North Carolina Department of Public Safety’s Capacity Building Competitive Grants program for emergency management agencies. The county will receive $383,500 toward improvements at the John Graham Gym, which will become the county’s central emergency shelter.

The funds from this grant will assist in the renovation of the John Graham gym in order to provide shelter during emergency events, such as hurricanes, ice storms, and any disasters where citizens are displaced.

“I would like to thank the NC DPS for providing these funds,” commented County Manager Vincent Jones. “I’d also like to commend Chief Bartholomew and our Emergency Manager, Captain Chris Tucker, for their diligence in identifying a need and pursuing a solution that will allow us to increase our ability to recover from disasters we may face.”

Jones stated that these funds will provide an emergency shelter that has all the required amenities to properly provide temporary shelter to Warren County residents in a time of need.

“This project will be a game-changer for our citizens that may become displaced during a disaster. This shelter project will be one of only a few in North Carolina,” stated Emergency Manager Chris Tucker.

Tucker also thanked Karen Solomon, Emergency services Senior Administrative Assistant, for her team work with this project.

Share

The post Warren County Emergency Management Receives $383,500 Grant appeared first on Warrenist | Warren County NC Arts Culture Lifestyle Events Calendar Warrenton Norlina Littleton News.

Warren County government was recently named one of thirteen grant recipients in North Carolina for the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Brownfields Assessment Program. The county will receive a total of $500,000 over three years for a community-wide brownfields assessment. The grant does not require a local match.

A brownfield is defined by the EPA as a property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.

The assessment program funded through this grant will allow the county to inventory, characterize, assess, conduct a range of planning activities, develop site-specific cleanup plans, and conduct community involvement related to brownfield sites. The grant will officially kick-off October 1st with the start of the federal fiscal year.

“This grant from the EPA is tremendous for Warren County. It falls right in line with the discussion the Board of Commissioners had earlier this year related to the work needed so that our potential sites for development or redevelopment are ready when opportunities arise,” stated County Manager Vincent Jones.

“These funds will now allow us to move forward with identifying and conducting assessments on sites throughout the County, so we will be ready when development opportunities are presented,” Jones continued. “I am excited to see our Community and Economic Development Department bring this program to life. I’d also like to thank North Carolina’s own, EPA Administrator Regan and his team, for their support of Warren County.”

Included in the project budget is funding for community meetings to engage citizens on possible brownfields identification as well.

“We can assess approximately 20 sites throughout the county,” explained Charla Duncan, Director of Community & Economic Development for Warren County. “We will also be able to build out an inventory of sites for possible future funding, and work on a brownfields redevelopment plan, but also we can better understand concerns involving our land and community.”

For more information, contact Charla Duncan at Warren County Community & Economic Development at 252-257-3115.

Share

The post Warren County Awarded $500,000 Grant from the Environmental Protection Agency appeared first on Warrenist | Warren County NC Arts Culture Lifestyle Events Calendar Warrenton Norlina Littleton News.

Exactly one year ago today, local government officials, artists, and entrepreneurs shared their encouraging words, greetings, and their talents to take part in the Fallin’ for the Holidays Virtual Festival.

After a nine-month period of uncertainty, sadness, and separation, for two hours on a Sunday evening, the Warren County community and beyond came together to celebrate the holiday season with music, spoken word, cooking segments, crafts, and messages from our family and friends from afar.

Prior to its airing, I promised a surprise guest would do the introduction. If you haven’t watched it yet, I won’t spoil it here.

Special thanks again to our participants: Jalon + Jada Mills, Stephen Misenheimer (Warren County Cooperative Extension), Mary Bullock (Warren County Memorial Library), Chef Ryan Grimm, Denise Allen (Sweet Delights Cookies), Jane Ball Groom, Thomas Park, Brandon Foster, Heritage Quilters, Carlos Bardales (sponsored by the Warren County Arts Council), and Santa Claus! Yes, I got an exclusive with St. Nick himself.

Holiday Greetings from Stephanie Wheeler, Christian Nwachukwu, Vee Wess, Oita Cheston Coleman, and Brooke Simpson!

Watch it for the first time or relive the moment by clicking the play button below:

Share

The post Revisiting the “Fallin’ for the Holidays” Virtual Festival 🎄 appeared first on Warrenist | Warren County NC Arts Culture Lifestyle Events Calendar Warrenton Norlina Littleton News.

For the second year in a row, the county’s growth rate was the highest in North Carolina compared to all other counties from the year 2019 to 2020. Domestic and international visitors to and within Warren County spent $49.6 million in 2020, an increase of 32% from 2019.

Of the $49.6 million related to visitor spending, $12 million came from lodging, $15.5 from food and beverage, $6.7 from recreation, $4.8 from retail, and $10.6 from transportation.

Warren County was the only county in its region to see growth; all other counties in the North Central region saw a decrease in visitor spending (including Chatham, Durham, Franklin, Granville, Harnett, Johnston, Lee, Orange, Person, Vance, and Wake counties).

The data comes from an annual study commissioned by Visit North Carolina, a unit of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina.

“We are fortunate that Warren County’s travel and tourism industry has been able to demonstrate such resilience during a difficult year,” stated Charla Duncan, Director of Warren County Community & Economic Development. “Individually, many of our businesses have certainly experienced similar challenges as other small businesses across America during this pandemic. The strength in Warren County, particularly during 2020, is that our natural and cultural assets are a stable, safe, and desirable resource for visitors.”

“Warren County has opportunities for day-trippers, weekenders, and repeat visitors, and our local economy benefits from that,” continued Duncan.

“It is great to see this positive news, as we adjust to the long-term impact of the pandemic,” stated County Manager Vincent Jones. “We hope that this new energy we are seeing as people discover and rediscover the charm of Warren County is sustained going forward.”

According to Visit NC data, the Warren County travel and tourism industry directly employs 231 people; this is an increase in employment-related to visitor spending since 2019. The total payroll generated by the tourism industry in Warren County in 2020 was $10.1 million.

In 2020, state tax revenue generated in Warren County totaled $1.6 million through state sales and excise taxes, and taxes on personal and corporate income. Approximately $3.4 million in local taxes were generated from sales and property tax revenue from travel-generated and travel-supported businesses.

These statistics come from the “Economic Impact of Travel on North Carolina Counties 2020,” which can be accessed at partners.visitnc.com/economic-impact-studies. The study was prepared for Visit North Carolina by Tourism Economics in collaboration with the U.S. Travel Association.

“We are extremely gratified that tourism thrived in 20 counties in the face of pandemic shutdowns and other impediments to travel,” said Visit NC Director Wit Tuttell. “And despite the bad news for North Carolina as a whole, our ranking at No. 5 among states for visitation is a position of strength for rebuilding our tourism economy. Given the state’s resilience and vast appeal of its natural beauty, our creative cities and our authentic experiences at every turn, we’re confident that we’ll regain what has been lost and exceed the spending records of the recent past.”

Warren County has seen an increase in visitor spending every year since 2016.

Statewide highlights include:

Domestic and international travelers spent $19.96 billion in North Carolina in 2020. The spending marks a 32 percent decrease from the $29.22 billion spent in 2019.

Fourteen of the state’s 100 counties saw gains in visitor spending: Warren, Greene, Yancey, Clay, Stokes, Polk, Northampton, Pender, Ashe, Alleghany, Rutherford, Jones, Currituck and Tyrrell.

Visitors to North Carolina generated nearly $3.0 billion in federal, state, and local taxes in 2020. The total represents a 26.6 percent decrease from 2019.

Twenty counties had increases in employment-related to visitor spending in 2020: Warren, Greene, Clay, Stokes, Ashe, Yancey, Alleghany, Pender, Macon, Northampton, Jones, Polk, Rutherford, Montgomery, Tyrrell, Dare, Carteret, Madison, Currituck, and Swain.

Direct tourism payroll decreased 24.5 percent to $6.4 billion.

Visitors spend more than $54 million per day in North Carolina. That spending adds $4.9 million per day to state and local tax revenues (about $2.4 million in state taxes and $2.5 million in local taxes).

Each North Carolina resident saves on average $170 in state and local taxes as a direct result of visitor spending in the state.

North Carolina hosted 37 million visitors in 2020.

Source

Share

The post Warren County Tops State in Visitor Spending Growth in 2020 appeared first on Warrenist | Warren County NC Arts Culture Lifestyle Events Calendar Warrenton Norlina Littleton News.