1 - Boards and Commissions – Annual Work Plan Summaries

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20 • Work with businesses and employment and job training partners to determine the various types of jobs that are needed by emerging and growing businesses, particularly in the biotechnology and information technology fields. Seek to establish a coordinated employment and training initiative to prepare a ready workforce to address these needs. • Current events, influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, have caused dramatic shifts to occur nationally in the food and beverage market, and the resulting disruptive effects in the existing and emerging food processing and manufacturing industry. Therefore, the Advisory Board recommends that Orange County Economic Development continue to collaborate with Orange County Cooperative Extension's staff in their effort to embrace and capitalize on these global, national, and statewide trends, particularly the efforts outlined in the current North Carolina Food Processing and Manufacturing Initiative. The Advisory Board believes this will have positive effects on the local economy, create jobs, and diversify and strengthen local agricultural opportunities and the Orange County tax base. • Assist and advise the County on the recommended levels and types of desirable retail, commercial, distribution and light manufacturing development that should be prioritized for recruitment into the County's three (3) Economic Development Districts and adjacent Commercial Industrial Transition Activity Nodes (CITANs). • Assist, advise and advocate for diverse, sustainable and appropriate economic development throughout our community that increases employment opportunities and the tax base, including the attraction and retention of new retail, light manufacturing, commercial, distribution, entrepreneurial, agricultural, arts, tourism, affordable housing & senior housing options. • Advise the BOCC and County Commissioner on the recommended economic development uses of Article 46 proceeds from the 1/4 cents sales tax revenues to fund various economic development programs. • Assist the Economic Development Department with the development of new marketing materials, ad campaigns and effective media strategy, and general "branding" efforts that best promote business recruitment to Orange County. • Remain involved with the County's agricultural economic development and business retention efforts by Orange County Cooperative Extension.