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ARC In the Region, a weekly snapshot of news, announcements and other tidbits from the Appalachian Regional Commission
ARC NEWS ROUND-UP  |  JULY 13, 2017

In this Issue

 
ARC Spotlight
Appalachia in the News
Investments in Action
Upcoming Events

ARC SPOTLIGHT

Capitalizing on Appalachia’s Arts & Crafts Traditions

Lynn Jenkins of Valle Crucis, NC demonstrates throwing a pot at the Folk Art Center in Asheville. Photo: Dale Neal, Source: Blue Ridge National Heritage Area website.
Traditional arts – like pottery, quilts, music and more--  are part of Appalachia’s culture. They are also important to the Region’s economy. In western North Carolina alone, the craft industry generates a $206 million regional economic impact annually. The Blue Ridge National Heritage Area (BRNHA), based in Asheville, North Carolina, is currently hosting a series of listening sessions as part of their ARC-supported effort to develop a network of "craft trails" to promote and brand the area’s arts industry. In addition to the listening sessions, BRNHA will conduct market research and site documentation, as well as develop a web portal and brochure for an initial 75 sites across the 25-county region. Meanwhile, in northern Appalachia, The Tioga County Council on the Arts in New York celebrated the launch of their own Arts and Agriculture Trail, a county-wide, self-guided tour through the area’s finest art studios and farmland. Also developed through support from ARC, the trail will cultivate the growth of the indigenous craft and agritourism industries, connecting businesses to consumers by offering increased visibility to independent, often geographically-isolated artisans in Tioga County. It’s expected to improve 160 small businesses in the county through expanded market access.
 
Investments like these are part of ARC’s strategic plan to leverage the Region’s natural and cultural assets. Together, they will connect, promote, and increase revenues for independent artists and crafts workers. They will also lead to economic growth for related industries, including food service, hospitality, retail, and outdoor recreation.

APPALACHIA IN THE NEWS

Independent spirit marks entrepreneurship, Charleston Gazette-Mail, Charleston, West Virginia
 
SPARK Academy awarded ADECA grant, The News Courier, Athens, Alabama
 
Washington County gets $1.8M grant to extend Halfway Boulevard, Herald-Mail Media, Hagerstown, Maryland

Greenville's Feed & Seed breaks ground, Greenville News, Greenville, South Carolina

Job Renewal in Appalachia, Wall Street Journal

INVESTMENTS IN ACTION

QuickJobs Training Meeting Workforce Demands in Anderson County, South Carolina
In 2011, Anderson County, South Carolina officials recognized the region had a number of companies that needed access to a well-trained workforce with expertise in a number of skilled trade areas, like heavy equipment operators, manufacturing, office skills, or culinary arts. To address the need with funding from ARC, they undertook building the Anderson County QuickJobs Training Center at the local branch campus of Tri-County Technical College. The project provided the facility and equipment necessary to develop and maintain the type of workforce needed by modern employers. QuickJobs, described by the program to include those in-demand by the local industries, are ideally filled within 6 months. Since ARC first invested in the training center in 2011, approximately 2,500 students have been trained, most of whom have found employment since.
The QuickJobs Center on the Anderson County campus of Tri-County Technical College in South Carolina, built with funding from the ARC.
Photo Credit: Tri-County Technical College

UPCOMING EVENTS

SOAR Summit
Pikeville, KY
August 3–4
2017 Tenn-Tom Waterway Opportunities Conference
Point Clear, AL
August 28–31
2017 West Virginia Brownfields Conference and Central Appalachian Regional Brownfields Summit
Morgantown, WV
September 12–14
Subscribe
www.arc.gov
Save The Date for ARC’s Annual Summit
Transforming Appalachia: Embracing Change to Drive Progress
Pittsburgh, PA | October 18-19, 2017
More information coming soon
 
The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) is an economic development agency of the federal government and 13 state governments focusing on 420 counties across the Appalachian Region. ARC’s mission is to innovate, partner, and invest to build community capacity and strengthen economic growth in Appalachia to help the Region achieve socioeconomic parity with the nation.
Appalachian Regional Commission
1666 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 700
Washington, DC 20009-1068
www.arc.gov
   |   info@arc.gov


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