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3 <br /> 1 Steve Brantley, Director of Orange County Economic Development, said it is a delight to <br /> 2 do his job in Hillsborough, where there are many opportunities. He reviewed the following <br /> 3 information from the agenda packet: <br /> 4 <br /> 5 Article 46's New Business & Agriculture Grant Programs <br /> 6 Orange County has a new Agriculture Economic Development Grant program and a <br /> 7 Business Investment Grant program which are now available to support growth by small <br /> 8 agricultural and business firms. The two (2) new grant programs are funded by the "Article 46" <br /> 9 one-quarter cent sales tax to support economic development, are about to "go live" in the next <br /> 10 few weeks, and can assist Hillsborough's small farmers and businesses. More details will be <br /> 11 released soon in an ad campaign to be placed in the local media. <br /> 12 <br /> 13 Business Investment Grant <br /> 14 (Small Grants up to $1,500, and, Large Grants from $1,501 - $10,000) <br /> 15 <br /> 16 Agriculture Economic Development Grant <br /> 17 (Small Grants up to $1,000, and Large Grants from $1,001-$10,000) <br /> 18 <br /> 19 Morinaga America Foods, Inc. <br /> 20 • Construction of the company's initial 100,000 square foot candy manufacturing facility is <br /> 21 proceeding, with completion planned for mid- 2015, and an Open House ceremony set <br /> 22 for late October. Town of Hillsborough & County leadership and elected officials will be <br /> 23 invited. <br /> 24 • The company recently accepted 850 resumes from candidates during a job fair at the <br /> 25 Waterstone campus of Durham Tech. <br /> 26 <br /> 27 2015 Agriculture Summit <br /> 28 The annual Orange County Agriculture Summit was held on February 16th in <br /> 29 Hillsborough at Orange County's newly renovated Whitted Building facility. <br /> 30 <br /> 31 Orange County Arts Commission <br /> 32 The Orange County Arts Commission, previously based in Chapel Hill, has relocated to <br /> 33 Hillsborough and will be housed within the Economic Development Department. Martha <br /> 34 Shannon is the Executive Director. <br /> 35 <br /> 36 Recent Staff Changes within Orange County Economic Development <br /> 37 Mike Ortosky is the County's new full-time "Agriculture Economic Developer" who <br /> 38 assists County residents engaged in farming and food system initiatives. He is <br /> 39 developing an Agriculture Economic Development Plan for the County and will also <br /> 40 assist the formation of a proposed food council, serve as a liaison with tenants of the <br /> 41 Piedmont Food and Agriculture Facility (PFAP), and pursue related food system goals <br /> 42 that benefit farmers, businesses, and residents in Hillsborough and Orange County. <br /> 43 Yvonne Scarlett, a fifteen year staff member of the County agency and a Hillsborough <br /> 44 resident, now fulfills the new "business retention" professional role created by the Board <br /> 45 of Commissioners. The business retention economic developer assists existing <br /> 46 businesses, large and small, to encourage their retention and expansion here in the <br /> 47 County. <br /> 48 Amanda Garner assists the department director in "new business recruitment" <br /> 49 regarding the attraction of new business prospects in manufacturing, commercial and <br /> 50 retail development. <br />