Economic Incentives

Local Partners

Mitchell County Government
Mitchell County has a county-manager form of government. Its 5-member Board of Commissioners appoints the members of the County’s Economic Development Commission (see description, below), and provides funding for it. The Board of Commissioners established the Economic Development Incentive Grant Fund of Mitchell County, which can be used to assist private industries and commercial businesses that are interested in occupying vacant manufacturing facilities in Mitchell County. This Grant Fund also assists businesses that want to expand existing facilities or build new ones that will provide new or add more employment opportunities in Mitchell County.

Mitchell County Economic Development Commission
The Mitchell County Board of Commissioners reconstituted and reorganized the Economic Development Commission (EDC) in April of 2013. The EDC is a 9-member board with representatives of the business, education and local government sectors. The purpose of the EDC is to encourage and promote economic development in the county. The EDC’s mission is to provide a unified economic development program that will encourage and promote the establishment, development and retention of industrial, commercial, residential and retail businesses in Mitchell County. The EDC provides support to existing businesses and industries and works to recruit new ones.

Town of Bakersville
As the Mitchell County seat, the Town of Bakersville is home to the Mitchell County Courthouse and most Mitchell County Government offices. Bakersville has a mayor-council form of government. The Town has its own public water and wastewater collection systems. It also provides police protection, residential garbage and recyclables pick-up, street maintenance and streetlights. The Bakersville Creekwalk, along Cane Creek in the downtown area, offers recreation and community gathering opportunities.The Town of Bakersville’s representative on the Mitchell County EDC is currently its Mayor.

Town of Spruce Pine
The Town of Spruce Pine operates under a council–manager form of government. It provides both water and wastewater services inside and to some areas outside its corporate limits. Other services include police and fire protection, parks and recreation, downtown economic development (see Spruce Pine Main Street Program description, below), street maintenance, pick-up of leaves and brush, among other services. The Town regulates land use in its planning jurisdiction through its zoning ordinance.

Spruce Pine offers several incentives for businesses, including a revolving loan fund with an interest rate of 5% and a building façade grants program for commercial properties within the designated Spruce Pine Main Street area. Façade grants provide a 50/50 match (up to $2,000) to successful applicants for expenses related to permanent building façade improvements. The Town Manager represents Spruce Pine on the Mitchell County EDC.

Mitchell County Chamber of Commerce
The mission of the Mitchell County Chamber of Commerce (Chamber), a 400+ member organization for area businesses, is to support business and promote community. Led by a 19-member Board of Directors and two staff members, the Chamber promotes Mitchell County and its member businesses, and provides networking opportunities, training and other support services for these businesses. It operates a Visitor Center near the Blue Ridge Parkway in the National Park Service’s Museum of North Carolina Minerals, which sees more than 200,000 people a year. The Chamber also has an office in downtown Spruce Pine.

The Chamber organizes the annual North Carolina Mineral, Gem and Jewelry Festival. The festival, which started in the early 1950s, brings approximately 50 vendors and 6,000 visitors from around the country to Spruce Pine for several days each summer. Two other mineral and gem shows occur concurrently with the North Carolina Mineral, Gem and Jewelry Festival in the Spruce Pine area, increasing total visitation to approximately 10,000.

Spruce Pine Main Street
Spruce Pine became a designated North Carolina Main Street community in 1991. The Spruce Pine Main Street area generally consists of properties between Oak Street and US Hwy 19E intersection on the east, Greenwood Road to the west, Walnut Avenue and Oak Avenue to the north and US Highway 19E to the south (see inset on Map 8).

Spruce Pine Main Street, Inc. (SPMS), which manages the local Main Street program, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation with a 15-member Board of Directors and an Executive Director. SPMS operates with funding and other support from the Town of Spruce Pine as well as volunteers. The mission of Spruce Pine Main Street, Inc. is to foster and promote the economic and cultural viability of our downtown center through a spirit of cooperation.

SPMS hosts/co-hosts several annual downtown festivals and develops and implements projects and programs, such as the Main Street Central Park project, to enhance downtown. Its work is guided by the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s model for downtown economic development, known as the Main Street Four Point Approach®, which emphasizes organization, design, promotion, and economic restructuring. In 2012, SPMS adopted a Downtown Master Plan.

BAMA
Bakersville Area Merchants Association (BAMA) which represents businesses from Ledger to the northern end of Mitchell County.  This organization believes in growing businesses through partnerships that builds self promotion and marketing.  The Bakersville Area Merchants Association (BAMA) is a nonprofit organization located in Bakersville, North Carolina. It focuses on the promotion and improvement of local business conditions, providing support and resources to local merchants. The association also operates the Bakersville Area Welcome Center, which offers information about local businesses, attractions, and events to both residents and visitors. BAMA is involved in various community activities, including hosting interns through programs like NCWorks NextGen and organizing events such as the Rhododendron Festival. Additionally, BAMA provides small business grants to help local businesses with improvements and enhancements

Federal Partners

US Economic Development Administration
A branch of the US Department of Commerce, the Economic Development Administration (EDA) is the only federal government agency focused exclusively on economic development.  EDA accomplishes its mission through strategic investments that foster job creation and private-sector investment.  Investments are made within the following EDA programs:

• Public Works – provides funding for physical infrastructure necessary for business attraction/expansion

• Economic Adjustment – assists state and local governments that are experiencing challenges to their economic base

• Trade Adjustment Assistance – helps strengthen the competitiveness of American companies that have lost sales and employment because of increased imports

• Local Technical Assistance – provides funding for feasibility studies for potential economic development projects (industrial parks, incubators, etc.)

The EDA operates through six regional offices nationwide, and has Economic Development Representatives that are points of contact at the State level.  Recent EDA investments in Mitchell County include a Local Technical Assistance grant to assist TRAC with a branding/wayfinding project, and a Public Works grant to the Town of Spruce Pine to improve infrastructure serving PRC Industries.

Appalachian Regional Commission
The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) is a regional economic development agency established by Congress in 1965.  The ARC region covers portions of 13 states, including the 29 western counties in NC.  The ARC provides matching funds to local governments, non-profits, and educational institutions for projects that increase job opportunities and incomes.  ARC program areas include asset-based development, infrastructure, education/training, entrepreneurship, health, telecommunications, and transportation.  ARC programs in NC are managed by staff of the NC Department of Commerce, Rural Economic Development Division, with local assistance provided by Local Development Districts (LDD).  The LDD serving Mitchell County is High Country Council of Governments.  Past ARC investments in Mitchell County include a grant to improve the access road serving the County’s industrial site, and a grant to Graham’s Children Health Services for telemedicine equipment for the County’s elementary schools.

US Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development branch operates over 50 programs to improve the economy and quality of life in rural areas.  Common programs include:

• • Business and Industry Loan Guarantees – guarantees bank loans to rural businesses
  • Community Facilities Loans and Grants – provides funds for health care facilities, town halls, child care centers, fire trucks, etc.
  • Housing Programs – a variety of housing programs provide loans and grants directly to homeowners
  • Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant – provides funding to local governments for water and sewer system improvements
  • Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant – capitalizes revolving loan funds for local utilities (i.e., electric cooperatives) to make loans to businesses that will create or retain jobs

USDA Rural Development programs are administered through a network of Area and Local Offices.  The Area Office serving Mitchell County is in Asheville; there is a Local Office in Spruce Pine.

US Small Business Administration
The United States Small Business Administration (SBA) provides assistance to small businesses through the following functions:

• • Access to capital
  • Entrepreneurial education and training
  • Government contracting assistance
  • Advocacy (related to regulatory burdens on small businesses)

The SBA’s two primary loan programs are the 7(a) program and the 504 program.  The 7(a) program provides funding to small businesses through a private lender.  The 7(a) loans can be used for purchase of real estate and equipment, as well as working capital.  The 504 program provides loans directly to businesses for real estate and equipment.  The 504 program is managed through Certified Development Companies, eight of which operate in NC.

Technical assistance is provided by the SBA through support of US Export Assistance Centers, Small Business Development Centers (at University of North Carolina system universities), Women’s Business Centers, Veteran’s Business Centers, and SCORE chapters.