Town Council Work Session - March 2026

Yes sir. He was just Sure.

[laughter]

to somebody who

I can I can send him your contact.

Thank you.

Sure. Sure. No problem. Hey Randy,

nice to see you. presence on the

radio down east. All right. Good afternoon everyone. And if you would please stand for the flag to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands one nation under God indivisibley and justice proceed. All right. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you, council members, for joining us. We've got a pretty robust agenda for you. We've got some expertise that we've brought in. Gonna turn it over. I'd like

Joanna for your team, too. We've got some members maybe for the council. So, if you introduce your team and our guest speakers.

Okay, great. Thanks, W. Good afternoon, everybody. Um, to my immediate right is Colleen Mores. Klein is our economic development manager for the department. And then next we have Bailey Robertson. Bailey is our marketing coordinator for the department. And then last but not least, our newest addition is Michelle Boys. And Michelle is her official title is program support specialist, but she wears several hats um for us, including welcome center manager and merchandise and a lot of other stuff. So she's she's our allaround everything, do everything person. Um and then um our guests and our facilitators today um two folks that I've known for a good good while. We've all been in economic development for many years. [laughter] Um many years. So officially um Dan Parks is a um instructor at at ECU and then um Charles Hayes is a senior fellow at ECU. But in addition to that, they have a lot of other credentials that um I won't bore you with today, but just to to know that I've known these two gentle

Okay. [laughter] Um I've known these two gentlemen for I think most my entire career so maybe 30 plus years. Um Dan has facilitated many um other meetings and retreats and um economic development programs have been a part of. Charles Hayes is a uh recovered economic development practitioner like myself um and also is a past president of NCEDA as I am. So again, you've got a wealth of knowledge in the room with these two gentlemen. So looking forward to their um presentation today. Mr. Mayor and council,

we've got set up in three blocks with breaks. We figure we need to feed you at some point, too. So we'll do that. So the first block's about an hour. Second block an hour, and we finish out with two block with that. Joanne, are you starting the presentation? Let's go here.

I'm gonna turn it right over to Charles and Dan.

This is your director. [laughter] Thank y'all for letting us be here today. We um very excited about this. We do these things um um around the state. Um when I retired from the previous position I had in 2016, one of the things that I noticed was that every everybody everywhere around the state um like you and everywhere um all the elected and volunteer leaders um wanted to do the right thing for their community. They want concerning economic development. They wanted to make their community better. But so often, and I'm sure this is different, but so often the elected and volunteer leaders didn't really understand what economic development was and what its purpose was. And so we we we set about Dan and I did with the ECU to launch a program that would allow us to go around the state teaching teaching or presenting what economic development is and what it is not. And we've done about what 34 35 of these I think. And [clears throat] um and I don't know what I Dan does all these slides and I just talk but um so I'll catch up with him sometime but um um a week ago yesterday we did one of these programs in one of our rural counties in North Carolina. Um and we we're this is only the second city we've done. We've done Lexington, North Carolina now Apex. Typically we do counties. Um but um and I'll tell you something about if I don't forget about that place we did a week ago. First um um I'm old. I know it don't look it. It don't sound like it, but I am. Um and um I've done a lot of things. I've been a county manager. I've been the economic developer. I've been an instructor at community college system. I've own my own business for 10 10 years. And recently I was the head of the research triangle regional partnership with the regional economic development program. Shane reminded me that he used to

produce a radio show. I was all he said about my face. Would you say something?

I said your voice. [laughter]

But but I heard my face in the good face the radio but um anyway that was so so I've done done lots of things and um we're excited to be here. Um one of the things I'm doing now is not on that now is is fascinating. I'm a on a board of advisors of an AI company. Um and the name of the company is Altim ULI ulim. Um it focuses mainly on on digital twins and um and and those sorts of things. But um um but it's a AI company. And when the founder asked me to come on the board, I said why you want me? I don't know anything about AI. He said that's why. [laughter] And so you know so it really is fascinating. And so that's a whole different thing. Dan now um the research triangle regional partnership was the regional economic development organization that um was was started in the early 90s mid 90s and what it recognized was that economic development was regional it wasn't just one place over the others and so they set forth two things anyway we needed a strategy um and Dan was on the team to put together our first strategy that was of any note and it um it was recognized by the United States Department of Commerce as the best regional economic IC development strategy in the nation and Dan is was the lead guy that did that. Um he is the best strategist of um anywhere we can have a contest and and I'll win [laughter]

but he really he really is good at what he does. He he's he is among the best and he's done private sector government the whole whole stuff. And this is just a little bit of our team. This is this the Hayes Group Consulting is the one that does this. Hayes Group is owned by my wife Jan Hayes and she lets Dan and I work with them. Um but she is um of some

note also. Um currently she is um chair of the impact committee on the um um North Carolina Community Foundation. She was 16 years on the um um Central Carolina Community College board. She's a recent vice chair of the Rural Infrastructure Development Authority. She ran the United Way for 10 years. I'm in Lee County. Um, and I'm probably missing out on a lot of things, but I know she's on the foundation of the of the um of the of the community college now. And then the other one is Julian Philpot. Julian was a long-term lobbyist and chief legal counsel for Farm Bureau. Um, so he knows everybody around the state because every county in the state has a Farm Bureau office and all that. He um, he's really good. Bob Joyce is with us. Um he is a recently retired economic developer. We bunch of retired folks. We got you know don't we flunk retirement so we just do stuff but um but Bob was a was the developer of the year um for um NCEDA, North Carolina Economic Development Association and he he is um one of the leading experts in economic development. So now what I want to do is I think I met most of you but but I haven't and I don't want you to go in that link but I want you to tell me hey Sean I didn't meet you. I want you to tell me who you are and and something about you but I want you to do it like this. Hello I'm Marcus Aurelius leaders of the armies of the north [laughter] I'm deputy town manager leader of the performance and strategy portfolio. There you go.

Hello.

Hello. I'm Randy Bosber and leader of

Shane Reese, co-leader of the Apex Young House class. [laughter]

Mappy mayor pro leader of [laughter]

Ernest leader of uh the mid senior

s um I'm co-leader of the town council freshman class

reporting everybody

all right

I want to know who did Okay. Joanna Helms. Charles, nice to meet you. [laughter] Leader of the economic development department.

Uh, Colleen Marray, um, leader of small business and development recruitment retention in the town of Apex. Bailey Robertson, leader of economic development marketing. I'm Michelle Boils, leader of the town of Apex Welcome Center. Chris Johnson, leadership leader of transportation infrastructure development.

Hi, I'm Shannon Fox, leader of long range planning.

Hello, Stone. I am the leader of operational development.

Hi, I'm Drew and I'm Lauren Bowie, leader, leader of the

Thank you all for that. I appreciate that. that helped Dan and I know you know a little bit of something about what everybody is and what they're doing. Um as I said the economic development academy that was set is the division the academy has two branches. One is what we're doing today and the other one that can go student e professional economic development can go through the program and if they're successful they're they can end up being a North Carolina certified economic developer which Colleen has done. share them. I mean, we we started these programs and it's been very successful. But the mission is to demystify economic

development for all. That's that's what we're trying to do. What is economic development for you? And the mission is to expand the knowledge of economic development and its dynamic to professional practitioners, government officials, community leaders, and citizens so we can make better decisions statewide. And um the value is grounding what economic development is and what it is not. um this in the foundation for actual planning and a week ago yesterday we were in a in a rural county your median household income is $144,500 and that's the median median household income place we work which is an hour and a half from here the median household income was $44,100 you 70% of everybody every adult that lives in Apex has a at least a bachelor's degree 70% In the place we were hour and a half from here, it was 13.2%. So we teach in North Carolina in this big wide array of things. Um when I was landed when I was working with the research triangle regional partnership, of course we had Apex and Raleigh and Durham and Chapel Hill and also Oxford and also you know some of the other places. So it was um it was interesting. So, it still is, but um upon um completing this class, you will um you will get a certificate that's um suitable for framing any East Carolina graduate in here other than this lady. Well, I'm I'm sorry for the rest of y'all. [laughter] Anyway, you'll get a certificate suitable for framing when you finish it. And and Dan, you're going to talk about session after.

Yeah.

Any questions about that part of it? Thank you.

Well, we're glad to be here this afternoon. Um, just a couple more words about about Charles and how we got here. I was with NC State University for a number of years. NC State is a not only a land

grant university, but it's a a university that prides itself on extending its resources to North Carolina. So, it was it's a rich place. There are a lot of different initiatives. When Charles Charles was CEO of the research triangle region, that region pioneered for North Carolina a lot of different economic development concepts, notably clusters of innovation, target industries, how we zero in on exactly what we need to support. So Charles had a vision that East Carolina picked up on, which was this academy. When I was at NC State, we tried to get it there. but uh different different bureaucracies, but ECU really stepped up and said, "We want to do this." And some of that was where they're located in eastern North Carolina, but as Charles said, this has now become a a statewide initiative. But uh one of the things that I admire about Charles experience when he was CEO of the research triangle region which you're in some of the most affluent places in the country and some of the most challenged places in the country just within this region we have Warren County we have Franklin County counties that border Virginia and we have the triangle. So that diversity is is uh something to work with. But today this is about apex and your place your future. You see our our session outcomes are pretty straightforward. You'll get some key terms and concepts. We want to focus on the economy and apex notably. You see where it says external forces. We want to take a pause and really focus on these trends that are swirling around us faster than we can keep up with. My granddaughter is a freshman at UNCC Wilmington biochemistry. She was an honor student. She was very valuesdriven. She go on hospice trips with her church

and and she and her friends very much values and purpose driven to be young people. as they were applying to university, each one of them would my wife and I would host gatherings for them. As they grew up, we we got to know them and we said, "Well, what's on your mind as you're about to enter college and university and think about your life going forward?" And they said, "Well, we feel like the world is shifting under our feet, that that young generation." And my granddaughter as she's gotten through much of her freshman year, well, she's into her freshman year, she said she's she's not sure if what she's studying how that's going to relate four years from now, eight years from now. So, this thing about key trends, future trends, macro trends, economic development trends, and how that might uh be important for us in Apex. We want to spend some time on it. We're also going to look at uh some potential strategies. Uh we know that you have a strategic plan for the town. We've really looked at that. Uh we really like how it's presented, by the way. So, we'll we'll make reference to that. But we we're going to look at some potential strategies for economic development. In other words, what's working with economic development, but also what's needed for economic development. Uh and this is not a lecture. We're actually going to put you in work work some of your table partners. We'll get to the point where we say uh let's look at these big trends. We want you to small group, larger group. So we'll have a couple of uh interludes for that. Our agenda we're going to talk about placebased economic development and that's what this is. This is about our place. It's a formal discipline of study placebased economic development. Uh as Charles mentioned, what is economic development?

What is it not? Is economic growth is economic development. There's economic competitiveness. There's different ways to look at economic development. We'll take those in turn. In a few minutes, I'm going to ask you to make some notes. going to ask you what what you're hearing in the community about economic development. What you're hearing friends, neighbors, and others say that their issues are. What are you hearing about their issues for economic development? And we're we're also going to ask you what do you see as successes? So, what are our challenges and what our issues? What are some of our successes? Uh and then we're gonna Charles and I have prepared coming here we've looked at some information some data about Apex so we can really talk about the economic developments economic dynamics in Apex as we as we get into it. I mentioned the future trends that could impact Apex as we close out. I think after the dinner as we start to close out, we're going to look at how the how the office actually works, how the economic development practice actually works, how it works here in Apex. So that's our agenda. Uh and then uh we will close out number seven as I mentioned what's working, what's needed. Now the power of place. Now remember in a few minutes I'm going to ask you to make some notes about what you're hearing about economic development issues and apex. But this is about the power of placebased economic development and the peak of good living. You know I really like your logo as I've looked at websites where your logo appears and it changes color but it's sort of transparent translucent. It's it's a nice image and you have a nice tagline that many places do not have. By the way, most places are struggling to find

a tagline and the peak of good living that kind of that's not that's a that's a summary state. It's almost a value proposition. Come here. This is the peak of good living. So, it's about apex, our place, our future. This notion of place economic development is rooted in the triple bottom line. Is that a familiar term? Triple bottom line. It's about an organization for place that says we're not just about money. We're not just about profit. We're also about people and we're about our community. We're about our society. So that's the the basis of placebased economic development and what it represents is is a dedication on your part to improve the life and experience for residents, businesses, visitors etc. the placebased economic development. We understand municipalities having done strategic planning for several and we understand that and this is in your your plan as well. Efficient high performing government, intergovernmental collaboration, livability, health and safety, infrastructure. Those are all strategic priorities for most municipalities. Tourism, culture, entertainment, whole arena of the creative economy. But then economic vitality is really a strategic priority for almost every place and it is here at Apex as you stated in your in your plan. What's the name of your plan again by the way? It's the

same plan. [clears throat] All right. Now, Charles is going to take us through a couple of slides. Then I'm going to ask you to make some notes in just a sec.

Thank you, Dan. Um so what is economic development? Um there's a definition there you see and if you're in class that's what you would be expected to um get to to put back. Um um it's the

process that influences growth and restructuring of an economy to enhance the economic and social well-being of a community. Okay, that's what economic development is. Um what we say is it's the creation of wealth or prosperity for a place. That's what we're trying to do. Not wealth for an individual, not wealth for a particular company, not wealth for anything, but a wealth for a place. That's that's what economic development is. And then three ways to grow, not only three ways. And of course, books have been written about all of this. Um, lectures given and everything, but the three ways are you can see what you don't have and you say, Joanna, get on the plane, go recruit it. Go get me, get me one of those. I need that. Bring that here. So, you recruit it. And that's what gets all the noise about economic development. That's what everybody talks about. Um, and North Carolina is one of the leading states in the union and with leading places in the world that has done really well in recruiting industries. Started back in the in the when Luther Hodgers was governor, they had something they called Hodgegers raiders. They put them on people on a line drive around the country looking for business. And North Carolina has offices now situated in several foreign countries that's just designed to do that. So recruiting. So if you don't have it, you go recruiting. Other way you look around and say, "Wow, look what we've got. This is all really cool." So you put together the rules and regulations that would make that company or business stay and to expand. who you put together all of the things necessary and that may go from everything with I need I heard Governor Hunt talking to a company one day and he didn't have the authority to do it but they said we need some graduates from your school of engineering in this do you have that program and he said he said I'm I'm not sure but if we don't we'll start but you know so you look at that you provide industry what they need and and so so or or maybe in some places we need a stop

So you you know you put out you look you look at that and there the business retention and expansion programs that everybody has not everybody but most most economic develop development organizations have to work towards that. And the other way is you look and you see well let's create it. Let's put together a culture of of failure. Well that's what creativity is. You fail more times than you succeed. Let's put a put together a culture that says it's okay if we fail. Council of Austrial Development does that. Um First Flight Venture Center that's in here does that sort of stuff. But you know that that's that culture popup this popup start up this and everything. And those those all three of those wax and wayne in the importance and what and certain communities have different different things they look at. But those are the three things. And so what what what Dan and I tell organizations such as Apex if if you want to do economic development and if you have a $100 to spend where are you going to spend it third a third a third two3 one third dot going to play in that space you know what are you going to do those are decisions that you have to make but that's it they're the only three ways that there's nothing else so that we see um economic development and we're real strong on this and and And some people think we're crazy as economic developers, but it's not about growth. Economic development is not about economic growth. Um Sue is from China. Um when I was that one time years ago, there was a um three Chinese scholars that were at Duke University and they'd been over here for six months, some sort of exchange thing or something. And during that six months, they traveled the United States and they'd been to, you know, the West Coast, everywhere. And for some reason, they came through my office. I was anyway must been on that punch card or something to show up and and do an exit interview before they went back to

China. And so just three of them and me. And I asked him, I said, "You're all three um welltraveled, educated um young men um that really are knowledgeable about lots of things. Is there anything that you learned during your six months here in the United States that surprised you? Is there anything you learn?" And they said without having that you could what surprised them was that you could see the moon in the daytime. I said, "No, you know, I didn't know you could either, you know, but it's something we just don't even think about." But they were all from Beijing, and Beijing was so polluted that they they were 30ome years old, they never knew you could see the moon in daytime. Um, and so, um, so that was economic growth. And you can look at other places now. Now, we're not, we as a country are not immune to that. Um, in the 1970s, the Khoga River, that's out of Cleveland. What happened to it? caught on fire. So I mean so we you know so that's not economic development that is not creating wealth for a place that that's um that's growth GDP is increasing some people are getting very wealthy but it's not economic development now all those may argue with you with us Dan and I about that but they would be wrong [laughter] so Dan any questions about that now you probably already knew what economic development was and what it is not but now you even know more and you know But but um anyway, so there you go.

Well, the thing about a place like Apex, it's really u a balance, I guess, attention in terms of decisions that you all make as leaders. What do we want Apex to be? You know, as we as we drove in here today, I had been to Apex in years. And as I said to a couple of you, there's a vibe here when when you when

you come in town, it's the appearance of the place and how to how to safeguard that. I lived in Atlanta for several years and the little towns that were their own charming little places were tidal waves by Atlanta. And that that can happen. But somehow you're you're close to the trial of strong and Apex has only been enhanced over over the decades. So that notion of how we safeguard still moving ahead making those decisions. Now Charles mentioned China and I just want to say there's a YouTube channel called China Business Today. I would encourage you if you haven't looked at it to take a look. China business today hosted by an American businessman who's been in China for 25 or 30 years. What's happening in China is a marvel. What's happening internally, how they're building their infrastructure, how they're focusing on particular sectors like technology. We all just need to be aware of that. external China is uh partnering and developing in different parts of the world Africa South America so it's really something for us to understand but China business today I would encourage you to look at that now I want to ask you to take a moment and uh put yourself in this scenario imagine you're attending a forum and folks are talking about economic development they're raising issues about what they see in a economic development issues. What would they say? Ask you if you would just make some notes and you just make some notes on your yellow pad. It would be fine. This is just for you. But take about three or four minutes and just write down what are you hearing people say across the community in terms

of what what they think is important about economic development. some of their hopes, dreams, some of their fears, some of the issues they don't like. What do you hear? Take a few notes. We'll open it up.

taking notes. open this up and probably still make as you hear others. I start over here with this side of the room and then we'll shift around. You guys have anything you'd like to voice in terms of what you're sharing as economic development. No. Um,

so I think a lot of the discussion

and so is it sustainable and how are we protecting a small town character

exactly what we're talking about?

Maybe I should even all I was gonna say is um to your point about the title weight you just mentioned. So I'll add on or echo what Randy said and I did add one more thing is how to learn best practices from other municipalities like for instance those ones you mentioned outside of Atlanta to make to keep Apex's character um and community vibrant um even if some sort of title wave comes but the other I would say it's actually pretty specific uh is how to um recruit recruit or incubate businesses that um will plug in well with the potential uh children's hospital.

Yeah. Good. Yeah. So, that's part of what you're hearing. Let's go back there. What are you guys hearing? This is kids table, I

guess, back there. [laughter] What are you guys hearing? What What are you hearing folks say? Yeah. Okay. Anything else that you're hearing?

Issues.

Wait a minute. I got an issue. Y'all go to cocktail parties. Y'all go talk. Y'all go to sports things. Y'all go to this. Nobody ever says anything to you about Apex is growing too darn fast. I can't believe all this stuff. Well, I don't want a date or something. Well, I do want a date or so. Y'all Y'all don't hear any of that?

Yep.

[laughter]

land cost land cost

we'll come in here and get some finish this topic off what you guys probably hear a lot come down First, we'll finish up. What What are you guys hearing in terms of when you and when you talk with folks in the community? Economic problem. What do you hear?

Affordable housing. Um the housing cost is skyrocketing during the years and so many people our county values our you know uh firefighters police officers they cannot afford to live where they serve.

May have grown up here but can you afford [clears throat] to live?

Yes. Some seniors they said they might their house because of the

yeah I was just going to add

actually hear the opposite with regards to you know they start to Apex to other

places like all these big announcements that mattress And then what we talked about some of the business that been here small businesses they're like closing for different reasons but just the state of this we've had 14 years the amount of Japanese cool place to eat everybody

what's the reason for the for that

place the rental Yeah. also think the most view from the residents that were just tax so much about the community and then the benefit to the community but tax income for us I guess We do have water availability.

Yes. That's eological impact like the clearing of lens to make

finish up here. Anything you haven't heard you'd like to add issues you're hearing

side is finding employees um like you know especially for retail restaurant because again it's the cost burden uh of living here. So finding the the people who want to work those jobs and then

transportation like public transportation not really our issue but it's affecting um the business community uh access to capital um didn't know that Apex had a tourism development division. Charles, you have a summary yet or

um y'all all real real nice? But um what what you're hearing and what I heard that you were hearing is is growth sustainable? We're growing like like I don't know what growing like weed, but can we sustain it? What are the best practices? I don't we don't seem to know what the best practices are. We need to look more at that. And how do we keep the current of Apex with all this growth? What what's happening? Things are changing just so fast and um can't find capital to grow. Some of the businesses say land cost is terribly high. The infrastruct growth is out outpacing the infrastructure. Have you seen the traffic recently? Cost of living is way too high. Can't even have the employees of the city afford to live here. And why does Holl Springs get all that growth anyway? and um not that but oh saying that we're not keeping up with the growth infrastructure not going you can't find employee what what are we going to do and and you better own a car if you can't drive for no public transportation so anyway that's that's what I heard [laughter] there two big things we didn't hear in and maybe it comes out in what's working didn't hear anything about education didn't hear anything about healthare Most places we go, those are big issues. When I say the rural places we go, that's an issue.

But you're not really that's not really

an issue here, the education system and healthare system. Most people feel secure in that. You would say unless there's more. You also didn't hear a lot about jobs and I think we kind of are an anomaly in that space as well that we have a lot of employment. Yeah. So when we hear oh we're going to bring 700 jobs I mean we always welcome jobs. It's like oh okay great in my I think we take jobs for granted.

Yeah. [clears throat] Okay. Let's just shift uh mindset here for a bit. What we did in number one is what they said while you're here. What would you say economic development successes in April? Take a couple minutes and we'll close out with What are you looking for on this? You looking for specific factors that exist, projects that are successful?

Could be, it could be projects, could be initiatives, it could be uh downtown development, it could be new restaurants opening, entertainment. Quality of life as well as business is in it.

kinds of things show up in the media in terms of economic development,

economic development, news, things like that. I

think the children's hospital is really the biggest news. the children's hospital and the economic potential that that has as an anchor to bring in high quality growth.

Yeah.

Okay. Let's build on that. How about right here, guys? Anything you can point to? It's in the news. Sounds good. an atmosphere. I know it goes both ways. People complain about but I spent a lot of time in places like Henderson, Wilson, Rocky Mount, Ron Graphics. You know, these are places that would kill for Yeah. And the fact that we have a I think a reputation for being a place where people want to be a place that people are fleeing from.

Yeah. We just spent a yearong project in Ron and their their big issue is how dilapidated and this is not this is how dilapidated our place is. It just affects our whole well-being. Now I think through the planning process they now want to be known as the city of resilience. They want to rise because physically be a lot of investment to raise that level of you know other things

out but [laughter] [clears throat] I was going to point out there was announcement made a few years ago about the line and that project initiated Sanford. So I think that really um brings attention to what was possible here that was a big deal any other successes that you hear about meeting. Yes sir. I think before all that I think the town did ahead if town not look at building the infrastructure to put sewer in the big branch basin there would be no there would be no children's hospital there wouldn't be any of that B I mean that 1500 acres of of land been sitting there for my entire career until town made the decision a few years ago move forward to actually put the infrastructure. That's that's my view.

I would argue that goes back even further to when the U because I had that on my list too, the infrastructure and the support of that. But going back to the western weight treatment plan selection for that helping being in that partnership with Carrie. So that yeah that's that's that's even better our our partnership and what we have done regionally to set oursel up to have water and sewer availability uh partnerships that the leadership of this town did only with car many years ago best thing they ever did because we are you know you can't have industry an economic

with the way construction. [clears throat]

Yeah, just infrastructure in general, but

I had that on my list too. Um, we haven't really talked about the investments in downtown Apex preserving that sound piece that we're that we're known for despite all the growth. holding on to that piece of our heritage.

Yeah. Okay. Any other successes? Yes, sir. brag on the people in this room, but I would say our quantity small business incubator program at the very least um well at most it's going to it spins out and produces small businesses that impact area but um I think just as important is folks who've been through that enjoyed it speak highly of it and become ambassadors not only for the program itself down.

It's key word ambassador. Key word.

Yeah.

I'm gonna let Charles just a second. What we always listen for and what we always look for as we're reading about a place. What are our defining characteristics and what is it? the peak of what

peak of middle

that's that's sort of ethos but talk about how things Marty how things developed how decision good decisions were made in order for things to be developed with a track that sat there for a long time that becomes a defining characteristic you know decision making can become a defining characteristic it's not just the physical result how we make decisions can be that Charles

um what I heard is that um what you what you say you hear is that you're all forward looking you're all looking beyond what is now um you you're talking about the children's hospital how wonderful and how that's going to change and that's going to be positive and impactful and you you can go yeah yeah I was great you didn't get that um and you almost We did [laughter]

and and you're going to say you do say that growth is good. We got to manage the growth. Make sure it grows in a lot of way. But that which ceases to grow begins to die which is Henderson and Ronald Rapids and those places you just mentioned. Incidentally next month we'll be doing this in Henderson. So um so so it's um so that the S line looking forward. I mean like when many of y'all think that line would be built 10 years, 15 years, 20 years, five years. Okay, I bet I'll bet. But but anyway, the point is you're looking forward when children's hospitals are not coming for long. It takes a long time to build all that. So that'll be that'll be in the future. The Sline that's in the future, but so you're looking in the future and in the past you are also looking in the future. That's apex. You made the decisions about infrastructure. you made decisions about other things that have allowed for this good growth. Um, and you you're partnering with other local governments. I think you heard mention Carrie didn't hear anybody mentioned you build an Apex on another county. You got you got growth going on in CH. Um, okay. What what sort of I mean that that that's partnership out that's really really amazing and investment in downtown. I mean, you go to some of these places that you see, I mean, the downtowns are just they got, you know, but nobody nobody go say nobody's except everything, but typically when when Joe Allen and her team are recruiting, they don't say, "Well, show me your strip shop. I mean, they want to see you downtown."

So um Dr. Strip Shop is in our lives, but another way that the three ways you grow we mentioned and one of the ways is through entrepreneurship and uh small business growth and so you recognize that and you're doing that and it's creating as Dan said ambassadors and that's um that's that's great. So um you know you're all doing good so far. Don't mess up. [laughter]

[clears throat]

Well, there's clearly a lot to celebrate here. We certainly certainly get to that notion of ambassadors and champions toward the end. Uh we're going to let you take a stretch. Uh we will be we do have a a PDF the glossery. You can it's about a sixpage document. We'll make sure you have that through distribute that as you see fit. But there's a lot of terms there that sort of arcane, but they're part of the economic problem. Go take a break. Maybe come back at 4:37. 437. Start back. When we come back, we want to look at what Charles and I have gleaned in terms of the economic dynamics in Apex. And we'll also take up this topic of all these trends swirling around us like artificial intelligence. Yeah. What does it mean for Apex? And

with Dan, what we've gleaned by looking at Apex, what we try to do is make the assumption that we don't know anything about Apex and we're considering making maybe an investment somewhere or maybe move our family um somewhere here. So I go online, I look what what I see, what can I All right.

They're right. They're right. back in session.

You okay? A lot of times people don't come back after breaks. We appreciate that. Uh Charles mentioned that on the way here, uh we really try to customize this this time that we spend with you. There's some common threads about what economic development is, what it is not, which is common principle. But since this is about Apex, we took a step back and as Charles mentioned, we we pretended that we were going to invest somehow in Apex. We were going to bring our business here, our family here. What could we learn about Apex on the way here to help us with with that decision? Well, as we went on various websites, certainly economic website, the town website, we look at tourism, we look at certainly Wake County, we look at research trial region, uh, number of different sources, but as I mentioned, this stands out. It's a it's a nice logo. It's it's an effective tagline. That's attention g. There's even a video link there as you'll get these slides by the way and there's a link that you've likely seen on basically welcome to Apex is very very script but we start with that we also understand a bit about the triangle location and the fact that Apex is sit Apex is not involved but Apex can can and be its own place and so access

the triangle the research fun so that's a plus if we're thinking about place we want to locate so the location here almost in parallel except for greensburg I think that's a good location okay we also look at now this is this is real this is really it really caught my attention these accolades that Apex has received it was sort Mindboggling. Wow.

And it's in it's in descending date order, you know, the most recent one down to the one that was furthest away. But all those accolades with the number 10 best, the number three best, the number one boom town, best place to live in America was one time magazine. I think it was a Time Money magazine. This list is hard to match. hard to match. I don't remember another place we've been in the 30 odd counties we've done and the municipalities where we work where this combination of things could be said. I don't know. Do you get much press about this? Is this this uppermost in folks mind that this is really a high vibrated place?

Yeah. Wow. So that that caught our attention. population growth is is Charles, you want to talk about your ways about population?

Um, the growing [laughter] and as we said, managing that growth is something. But, you know, you didn't have to grow. I mean every you know and so what caused you to grow? Why was it? Well, the research triangle that you know the three un three research one universities in this close proximity

Raleigh and Durham and just the triangle itself you're part of that and as I mentioned um Apex um Apex was on the um on the major line of the Seabard Aine Railroad. Seabboard Aine Railroad originated in Richmond, Virginia and ended in Jacksonville, Florida. They had one one line that went off that vein and that went to Portsmouth, Virginia. And that Portsouth land line came to the main line in Nor and Norana had that was a big railroad hub between Richmond and then Hamlet was one also, but Hamlet was larger. But anyway, so that's where it came. So at that time, what Apex was known for, Apex was this highest point on that rail line. Everybody knows that and um everybody here knows that. But but North Carolina was what I'm trying to say. North Carolina was more of a player in that economy than Apex was in 1950. The population were the same. But both of you both Apex and North had about a thousand people. Now North Atlanta has about a thousand people. [laughter]

That's true.

And it's and Henderson looks good to them. So, so, so and I'm from Nora. So, but anyway, so, so growth and so how you manage that growth and then Dan mentioned earlier that the title wave swept over Atlanta. I mean I mean everybody knows that and everybody everybody sees that and the um you know used to say when Delta that was the only hub around said if you want to go to hell you got to go through Atlanta first. So, um, yeah, but everybody went, you know, that that's just that's just what what happened. So, the growth there and the population growth and, um, and and [clears throat] we'll see we'll see our state now um has almost 11 million people or maybe a little over 11 million people. We'll soon be in the eighth or ninth largest state in the union. It's growing and um, and where is it growing?

Well, you can pick the places. You all know them, but um um but you know that but Apex is one of them and it's um and how you grow and how you continue to grow will be be interesting

and it's it's robust. I mean you're approaching 100,000 but that's a that's a robust like the 12th or 13th largest city in North Carolina.

Yeah.

Wow. The other thing that strikes us is that this is a very highly rated education system as far as we can tell. And that's important. That's one of the drawbacks of many places, but it seems like here there's been a concerted effort to to really grow the education system. And of course, as we're sitting close to the big research universities and others, but the county school system, the private charter school system, higher education is pretty much here. So that that's that's a definite plus. Talent and workforce is is the number one issue in economic development these days. It's either the lack of talent for the jobs we have open, lack of skilled talent, or we don't have any jobs for the people who want to work. but building the right talent and aligning that talent with with the the likely industries that are going to grow here. That that's a part of the strategy. How do we really uh build that talent, make opportunity for folks and take advantage of those high growing sectors and we'll look at those. What we're seeing here is is a linement of demographic that say you there's an abundance of talent here in I've got I've got a question. Does everybody know what it means to be a right to work state? I had a North Carolina sitting senator

stand me down one day and told me that a right to work state that we ought not be a right to work state and a right to work state meant that you could not join a union. I said, 'Well, that's not so mean. That's not so. So, a right to work state means you have a choice. A company can't say the only way you can come to work to this company is if you do join a union and we're a right to work state and um and that's a really really big plus. Anyway, so I want to make sure it wasn't confusing and we we checked this around and I mean that that um she stood me down and said I was wrong. I said, "Well, son, I don't know what to say." myself. [laughter] But I I know you guys, this is a lot of your work anticipating where this progress going to occur, what kinds of technologies, what kinds of industries that we can target. And I'm sure you work a lot with community college and others to really ensure that there's an abundance of workforce talent here. Now tell me about this this this caught my what does apex mean to you? Tell me about this.

The the question or the think apex.

Yeah.

Okay. [laughter] What does apex mean to you?

Well, how how did it originate and how did how does it manifest today?

Okay. So, um, uh, 2014ish, um, had a town council person that wanted folks to and everything they did, they she wanted them to think Apex, whether it was purchasing product, um, going out to eat, your your neighbors, whatever that might be, think of Apex first. And so there originally the initiative was going to be about business but then it morphed into more um uh identifying community heroes and then also uh a day of service. So we

actually have two initiatives for think apex now which is um again um uh identifying and um uh awarding uh different um community heroes whether they are a business or an individual or a youth or a nonprofit. That's our think apex awards. Um those are um awarded by town council, but they're voted on by past winners. And then the Think Apex Day is a day of service that volunteers can do lots of different um productive things in the community, whether it's painting equipment at a a park or drawing pictures for folks in a nursing home.

People really have responded to this.

It's it's it's got so large. Thank goodness I got to give it away to CDSC because it was too big for my department. So, our community development and neighborhood connections department now uh oversees that.

That's pretty cool. Always looking for those ways to communicate, connect. That's really good. Now, we always look for any kind of news that we might find. Some of these you've already mentioned like the radio development. We just kind of go online and and say, okay, are there news items that Apex is posting? We see radio. We see there's infrastructure improvements around the CF CSX line. Uh uh there infrastructure as well as PE plan 2015. So you guys are probably familiar with these initiatives. If you're not you should be but it's interesting to a business like us if I'm thinking a business my family these are again strong robust dollars. We look for that. Just be mindful of what goes in the news. I know you are, but people people are looking now. We're going to talk, we're going to shift talk about future trend. We've looked at kind of what's now Apex, the dynamic are strong, but we want to look at the future. And this happens to be my ancestors in Guilford

County. And one of them is quite skeptical of the book of Matches. He's not sure that's going to be a thing. But he was wrong. Not the person in my family to be wrong. So that's a that's a future trend uh symposium. Now uh everybody needs a favorite philosopher. Charles and my favorite philosophers Yogi Barra, not Yogi Bear, Yogi Bar catcher of the New York Gang. Yogi said the future ain't what it used to be. Well, he's never been more right. And he also said predictions are hard especially when they're about the future. Yogi is right twice. Yogi comes back again. But uh as we think about the future, what we're hearing today is a lot of automation, robotics, artificial intelligence. This cartoon says all the humans are out sick today. They call it flu season. Meanwhile, the robots are working. And I like this. That's crazy. My parents are vacuum cleaners, too. So, we're moving into a brave new world when it comes to these things. We're going to take this on as a in a kind of a pattern. And Alan needs your help distributing some pages here. We're going to look at an analysis. Every manufacturing company that I've worked with, they look at this analysis. They call it P SLE, but it's the same thing as P. These macro trends will have a little cheat sheet on this in a moment. These are moving very fast around us as for social and then technological, economic, ecological, political. We want to really look at these trends in a moment how they might affect a so that acronym steep. Now, as we work a lot with manufacturing and we work a lot in places where they're trying to attract manufacturing, retain manufacturing,

the reality is there are less jobs. Manufacturing is yielding less jobs than we ever thought it would. Um that also extends to distribution plants like Amazon where we work to attract that facility or that industrial company and the projection is 500 jobs. Well, three years later it's 200 jobs because of automation, robotics, etc. So this notion of smart factories is also lights out factories which means being a little human interaction in those factories. The major trend certainly a major trend as I mentioned earlier in China but it's a major trend with us we've moved a long way from the industrial revolution on through the digital and analog revolution. So when we think about future jobs and making choices on what we're trying to attract, this is an element what what will be there in terms of manufacturing, distribution. Uh now you've just been handed I think Allan has we try not to say pass out. He's distributed uh a page and this is a little cheat sheet. These are this is a bulleted definition and I'm going to ask you to work with this in a moment on behalf of Apex. If we look at the social there's a there's changing attitudes toward I've got yellow highlighted changing attitudes toward working leisure. As I read research on the younger generation and they're starting to uh they're in the workplace, they're starting to come into the workplace, their attitudes, younger folks attitudes toward the balancing balance of work and life is more important. uh Deote did a study in and of of millennials gen and Gen X

which is not you know not the youngest of generations but what they found in that study was how important purpose the idea of purpose is if you look at a list of preferences purpose actually is higher than paycheck on the list of preference so kind of hopeful the fact that people are driven toward purpose and value. So it's it's a social trend also social media is its own trend and that actually ties into technology. These are not isolated. So the social trends tie into the technology trend and under technology it's amazing the pace of change. It's amazing uh when we talk about building a a data storage warehouse and the controversy around that. These are things we haven't faced until now. But the impact of AI is so pervasive especially for economic development because what we're about in economic development is certainly jobs. It's also a quality of life marketplace, you know, but it's it's largely about where and how we're going to make a living and and artificial intelligence AI is a whole body of of work, whole body of study as we look at economic health under economic there's there's uh those issues of inflation which right now we're really scaring distribution of uh economic growth income disposable income those are issues prompts for economic major trends under ecological and several of you have mentioned that in apex you pay attention to the ecological I think you were talking about there somebody one of you was talking about if there's a development people have expressed

questions about well how's that going to is that going to harm something is it going to [clears throat] be a a problem for our ecology or environment that's That's uh it kind of borders into the political because we don't all agree about climate change. We don't all agree about climate change. You look at data, you look at science, but it's it's it's out there. It's an issue. This notion of sustainability is a big issue. The whole green energy sector is growing. It's growing more in other places actually than here here in the United States, but it's it's growing. I think if you're an investor, you're look the political to round this out. It is about the dominant political party of the moment, but it's also about the dominant political view of the moment. And we just have to be aware of uh one of the great things Charles and I have experience in doing these kind of seminars. We work with a county. You have a county commission and they're divided. Republicans, Democrats. What we found is our place, our future. It's common bond. Republicans, Democrats, independents. It's a good thing. Economic development can be common bond. It can create dialogue with people who don't always like each other or talk with each other. So, that part has been really really rich. So, you have your uh you have your page. Now I'm going to ask your help with the video. Uh about a five minute video. It's entitled Did You Know. The sound is not essential. It's just sort of background background sound. These videos have been produced for almost 20 years and they're updated every year started in Boulder, Colorado. But uh just uh make some notes if you would in terms of implications for Apex as we watch it. Go ahead.

I'm moving back and the next hand out when you're ready.

Okay. It's like my granddaughter said, the world is shifting beneath our feet in a number of ways. But what stood out to any of you in terms of implications for us, implications for our place, our future? Anything stand out?

Happens every day.

Quicker every day. No question. And change in ways we couldn't have predicted. How much technology focus in technology?

Yeah. You say the road is

so a lot of the change in the growth right and so as we think of our future 30 years down to prepare for right technology [clears throat] know not only in the way that we work amongst ourselves with our residents but also like the kind of economic development that's going to come our way probably technology technology development Anything else?

More data center.

Well, that's a physical manifestation.

AI please I mean will outperform human and lots of jobs will be replaced by AI. Yeah.

And the jobs that we didn't know would exist, you know, just a few years ago. So we just had to stay on the forefront of that. Anything else? Hey, [clears throat]

I would say the point about hybrid work being here stays.

Say that again. being here about what we don't extension to [clears throat] more long-term less immediate than the hybrid work with autonomous vehicles. Talk about impacting transportation spending, infrastructure, uh what all that looks like.

Well, you know, this is this is talking about trends and so you have a a long range planning person over here. What do you think? Are you looking at stuff like that? A long range plan.

Right now, we're actually working with the government readiness that looks at some of these major trends. Yes,

ASAX has a history of looking ahead of making decisions that will lead you forward in the future. So, it's as you said, it's um this is changing and it's quicker. Um what example I use a lot is that when um when the automobile was invented um it put the buggy whip manufacturers um out of business 50 years later. So, so now something's invented and maybe you got five months. I mean, I mean, it's just the speed is just unbelievable. Unbelievable. And so, how you adapt to that? What does that mean for Apex? And and then that mean that's it's huge implications. It used to be um when I was in high school, you could drop out of high school at age 16 and go to the local textile mill and be fully trained within one day to make enough money to buy a house, buy a car, provide for your family, and you can't do that today. So, education and what's the trends there? What is our anyway? So, lot lots of things that are excit exciting times. So, so y'all gonna fix that? [laughter]

Well, in the time we have, we at least want to sort of jump start our thinking about this. Uh, you have a you have a little sheet that has passed that kind of looks like this. And, uh, we'd like you to give some thought to it. Looks like this.

And maybe the three of you could work together. Three of you. You may not like each other, but you can work together. Yes,

three of you can work together. Three. We only work with groups of threes. You three can work together. You three can work together. You three can work together. You three can work. Isn't that something?

Yes.

Groups of just a group. Other than that, we we can't work with them. So, groups of threes what we would and what what would be helpful to do? Start wherever you like. You do not have to take this into work. If you want to start with political or if you want to start with economics, start there. But as it says in the suggested instruction up here with your table part list issues on the worksheet, evaluate their potential impact on apex. Sometimes they're positive or negative. You might indicate that if you choose, but if the three of you working together, likely somebody is the primary. And we're going to ask for a short report out as we close out this session. Go ahead and get started with your table partners. Refer to the steps up here. We'll circulate if you have any questions. I think about oh 10 minutes is about all we have to

see. So,

how about

Yes. That's an easy technology. just copy paste also social advance. asking to get around. [laughter]

Yeah.

Infrastructure is I think it I'm so sure you want to jump to

It gets

used [clears throat] to social media.

we're basically that's either I just saw or just

Yes.

I think heard. So, infrastructure preservation. Even though that's what happened, And they see those things like one triangle. Take another minute or so, please.

Another minute or so.

I guess Sorry. Hybrid state government.

Anything else?

[laughter]

All right. Okay, we have we have a volunteer

volunteer to start

the slide is what's important. The slide is what's important.

I've heard a wondrous tale of what dinner's going to be. her to cook out along the way. I don't know.

But we may not have time to hear everything, but we want to hear the highlights. This group has has offered to go first and Charles, you can uh help the rest of the room, but if you guys wouldn't mind sharing some of the highlights that you came up with in your work together. So

one of the highlights that we had was a trend in the political realm talking about government instability. Um with the way that currently we as a camp we do not rely upon our federal and state partners provide grants and funding and things of that um in the same way that we were. So we find ourselves looking to and trying to figure out how we can maintain regional multi-governmental partnerships with say our county or local other municipalities in order to help fill that gap and create alliances. That way we can find ways to get that funding outside of ourselves or maybe combine forces in order to get to the needs that we have that we want to make. And that also kind of extends over to the environmental uh trends where we're seeing more and more roll back in terms of environmental regulations. And it impact on us is we want to maintain our status as being in the forefront of environmental protection and environmental stewardship. So we find ourselves needing to once again look at some of these regional alliances and looking at different sort of partnerships because a lot of the grants and the funding and you know maybe even some of the regulatory backbone that we were looking for at the federal and state level have been rolled back giving that we may be stepping into that group a little so

that's excellent I think and I I don't know if it's a trend or not but it's what's happening now it appear to be a trend but what you what you all come come up with a good example right here in the in the triangle is that about $300 million that we've lost in research dollars. $300 million. So what does that mean? Each million dollar there are 9 to 12 direct jobs not indirect direct jobs. So we just lost 30,000 jobs in the research trying 30,000 jobs they're gone

unless you put together some sort of collaborative approach to do this to get the money to keep flowing because that's gone right now. Think about that is no new anyway [laughter] on a high note we got here. We got so many good ideas. [laughter] Um so one of the things that's more the diversification of mobility um and mobility like demand for mobility is kind of the different types of mobility becoming more and more important to people. So whereas you know 40 years ago everything was most car oriented whereas now um there's a lot more demand for walkability and bikeability of the town that has implications on how we design our roads how we prioritize that in our zoning or development planning. Um I think it's a good thing but you know change

got people move from point A to point B. My grandma, my grandmother moved one time be real old that wrote a story about it and said at one point she moved from one point to another point to be closer to our son where he would live. It was two miles and we used to laugh at how funny that was and all that sort of stuff but because that was you know but but now we're back you know everybody wants to be able to walk wherever they go do all of that. So that's I don't think that's going to change in the near future anyway. that seem to be a trend and how how towns address that. What do you do with that? Um let's go back over here.

Yeah. Uh let's go for a positive one. Um we said sustainability under environmental um a posit positive for a

bunch of reasons. Not only um is it uh infrastructure preservation um does it offer uh town uh uh recreational activity and that infrastructure as well. Um but also cultural alignment. One of the things that we were talking about is even folks who live here who might be perhaps and again this bleeds a little bit into the political even folks who might be uh more conservative leaning folks I talk with really like the things that we're doing here in Apex because not only do they see um you know decarbonization initiatives as positive for the local community in terms of whether it's reducing air pollution um but also the green when it comes to investment and um uh attracting other folks who are like-minded in that way. Sustainability is we saw as a net positive.

Any comments about sustainability being it could be a defining characteristic which is what we look for trying to set our place apart. that this is a place that puts a stake in the ground and says we're for sustainability and we're growing that sector.

What your crowd say?

Uh we talked about two different things. I don't know if it's necessarily on the positive side, but the realist side. Um so we've got an aging population here. Lots of great things going on in the town of Apex. Um, but we're finding that younger folks are not able to afford to live here and so they're going to other areas. So, their family may be here, but they're not able to find affordable housing here. Um, and so there's kind of this missing middle gap of also we looked at not only the demographic side, but we looked at the lifestyle trends. And so, we've got a lot of things to do for our seniors. We've got a lot of things to do for our young at heart,

young young folks um and children and but we don't have a lot of that 20 25 through 40 50s. There's not much to do to engage them and so we're finding that they're going outside of our community. So that's from the social aspect and then we also tap a little bit into the technological side um as we see a lot of AI advancements and how that will um create a lot of efficiencies but may replace jobs. So what does that look like for our future?

Where are these people that can't afford to live here or or nothing for them to do um here where do they go?

Where do they go?

Yeah. If they're not here, where

to live? They go to live.

Oh, you mean

or they live outside the city?

They may work here, but they can't live.

Yeah,

I thought you do. Yeah, they go to [laughter] [clears throat]

That's true.

Okay. Up front.

Um, yeah. So in the social we talked about population growth and the expected population growth but we saw the implications as a positive for the workforce growth as well as more people means more money to be put back into the local community. Um but connecting to that in the economic the trend we saw really with inflation and disposable income is possibly a lack of disposable income to spend to put back into

so we got people can come here but do come here they don't make enough money to put anything back just how they're living paycheck to paycheck do it like that. So you think that's a trend?

[laughter]

Okay. Um well that's it perhaps maybe we see we see it manifested itself lots of places around

I think it's a trend in general not not specific to a

but throughout

back here

if all of our main topics have been touched upon already the only one would be data security we talked a little bit about that being an issue definitely something that experienced this issue down work and how it really draws from people doing that's now they're dealing with the state of security that's one of the things that a company got of advisor on they talk about that not enough people talk about security of the D just they just it's just you know they just get all upset about that. That's what what people should be paying more attention to and they're not. You saw some of the things that did, you know, stuff. It's just unbelievable how fast everything going and have people, you know, just unbelievable. I mean, it's cameras everywhere, people, everything, people logging in. Um, okay. It's 5:32 and

let me just let me excuse you. You would pass your papers around this way. We'd like to give those to the economic development folks for your notes. You pass it over here. Pass everything over here on this table. You guys can pass anything up to we'll collect them and uh save them. the best one right here. And now we're going to dinner as I understand this. Are we going out for dinner? We're going to end the dinner. [laughter]

Candle like I mean what's the deal?

What's the beer?

New music.

Free beer.

You know keg and chug. I mean that sounds pretty good actually.

Eggs and kegs.

You know eggs and kegs. That's

clearly your

Sunday mornings and eggs do that.

Yeah, we have and then we'll take a group photo and the dinner is ready.

We'll do the photo in here. One day here. That's what I

year. But so far we've talked about economic development is or getting a sense of what it is not. We're going to get more into that. We've talked about the economic dynamics that we see in Apex. Uh we've also talked about these future trends that we need to be continually aware of. This session sort of culminates in how do we make it work? Making it work here in Apex in terms of how our office is structured, who our partners are. You put it like this, our team and leadership. We're going to look at something called the triple helix, which Charles just made up. I don't know where it comes from. We're gonna look at that. He'll talk about that for about four or five minutes and that'll be great. [laughter] We're going to look at the traded clusters that we think are of priority here. It'd be good to check that. But importantly for the economic development office, what's the program of work? What does the office actually do? What are our expectations of them? By the way, we really love this display over here. This is really cool and there's some cool things happening. We also want to look at our regional presence which is uh very distinctive where we sit in this region triangle region very advantageous. We'll take a look at our infrastructure. A lot of that is what we call economic product and what kind of sites or kind of infrastructure do we have? water, sewer, uh wireless, all of that is sort of the product that we're selling. And then we'll look at how many groups look at return on investment or economic development. So to get into it, again, we've talked about economic development, we've talked about economic growth, but Charles and I are really

tuned into this phrase right here, economic competitive. And if we look at this slide, it's really a one-page slide for a community economy of what economic development is. And we each have our own triggers, our own starting point. I'll highlight when we hear the term econom, it's sort of like entrepreneurship. You hear that term it [clears throat] conjures up. Imagine economic develop. But this is the one pager that's saying economic competitiveness is really about having that skilled workforce that quality of education the physical infrastructure as I mentioned was in large part is what we're over offering quality of place quality of life sometimes overlooked and economic development strategies we see but for a place like Apex it's a key it's a key distinguishing characterist supply of capital. Someone mentioned that this morning as a as a part of economic development issues. Uh how that supply of capital ties into uh the target industries is another opportunity. The cost of doing business and the cost of living to be here is a factor in economic competitiveness. There's sometimes there's research and development. Charles mentioned the loss of $300 million to this region to our research uh university but investment research and development can be a major stimulant for economic development economic competitive. We summarize all of these factors with this one. This is the overwhelming defining characteristic to use that term. The way that leadership works, the way that leadership and governance

proceed met Kenny all the different talking about the decision making process and the ways in which uh past decisions have been made was something we can now celebrate. So how this leadership team drives this helps guide this community into the future. it makes a higher difference and if it doesn't work the other factors don't work around that around that do so and leadership as we define we've done a fair amount of leadership development work over the years I live in Greensboro there's a center for creative leadership started in 1970 the major global place but we've done a lot of research in terms of what effective leadership is what it means when we look at leadership for Apex and the body sitting here. It's about group leadership. It's not about my own individual leadership development, which is also important, but it's about how are we performing as a team and high performing teams make timely decisions, manage information well, and measure measure progress. It's interesting for us to look at those posters back there because those those posters have metrics attached to them. It's like we're going to build five of this. We're going to do a hundred of this. That's a kind of measure. So make timely decision, manage information, measure priority. Here's where groups tend to get in trouble. Right here, lack of sharing commitments working together, lack of trust and managing conflict. That's where groups tend to get in trouble. the Democrats and the Republicans. We mentioned to you earlier where we've worked, we focused them on these behaviors, these competencies of team leadership and it's helped make a difference in terms of how we trust each other, how we work together. And finally, how savvy are we in talking with each other, interpersonally, talking with our constituents, uh the community, and also navigating

political dynamics. And you gave a pretty good prompt into that world political dynamics. So those are precise behaviors when we say [clears throat] we're going to talk about the triple helix and Charles if you could cut this down to 40 minutes.

Um thank you Dan. The triple helix is um is is a term we came up with to um simply say that um communities whether they are towns or cities or counties or states or or nation that if they can get the um um the academic industry and and business all heading in the same direction they'll win. And I often joke said we economic developers came up with the term so you'd all think we're smarter than we are. Sound sounds real good. And then I found out there is such thing as a triple H association. It's an academic association. It's international. And um I have been um been involved with that over the years and I've been fortunate enough to speak internationally on the triple helix approach to economic development. two of the places I spoke to the um first of the US State Department um gave me an opportunity I like to say asked me to go like no they ask you okay but anyway um you the US state department gave me an opportunity to go to Thailand um to speak on economic development specifically on on on this this subject and um I talked in three cities um the groups as large as 2500 and and as small as 25 um through those places. And the reason the US State Department wanted us to go was at that time um the they were trying

to form the Southeast organization, Southeast Nations together, kind of like the um EU, but not like that. But it was in Thailand, I learned we've had a one of the longest treaties that our country had with anybody. Um they're a nation that's only never been colonized in that part of the world and they're our friends and so we need so distinct department we're sending all sorts of folks over there to talk to them how how you going to compete in this new new environment you're about to find yourself anyway after the the it's very hard to do because um if you think about business's purpose is to make a profit a capitalist system which we have which I like which is raise more people out of poverty in any other system. But a capitalist system, a business in a capitalist system has one purpose that is to make a profit. Make the community better, take care of the workers, not do anything. I mean that if you can take care if that helps make a profit. Yes. If it doesn't, no. Purpose is to make a profit. That's business purpose. Government's purpose is to [clears throat] make sure everybody plays fair. the rule of law, which okay, but anyway, the rule of law and um and and and the regulations that go with all that to make sure that everything functions, that the that the water flows, that the you know, all that sort of government. Academic, well, their function is to think and to train and to teach and to look at what's coming next and prepare and all like that. Well, how does each one of those think about all the well business don't like anybody? The academics over there doing nothing but contemplating the naval. They're no worth of anything. They don't do anything. The the government just needs to get out of my way. And what does the government think? All they want to do is I heard somebody other day said, "Well, all he wants is for business." And um so, you know, that

that that's some get government. You that all that sort of stuff. And academics, they um they say, "Oh, yeah. Okay." you know, they just they just don't play in those spaces. So, there are three different mindsets, three different cultures, three different ways of doing things. Totally different. But if you can get those three to say, that's where we are going, you'll win. And the research triangle to a large part has done that. The universities, the community colleges, the businesses, the the government all have said this is where we want to go. And and you can the proof in the pudding. I mean, it's very successful region and all of that. Well, anyway, when you're making this talk and everything and um in Thailand, they wanted to know that question they asked a period afterward were um who made you do it? I mean, not who made you do it, the question that's Russia, the question in Thailand said which is the most important which which of these three is the most important. And um and and so they they're all equally important. I mean, if you get two out of three working, that's not going to work. So they they're all important. Six months later, I was in Thailand, I got a call from Russian Federation of Regional Universities that wanted me to come there and give us give a talk. And I thought it was somebody like Jacqu calling me just pulling a leg, but um um but they they did. And um and it was I spoke to um um the chancellors of 35 regional universities. They were not the Carolinas, the States, the Dukes. They were the East Carolina, the UNCC, WH, the Appalachins of of of that nation. And when they got through with that, that was just one one talk to that one group. When we got through with it, um they um they said they said, "Who made you do it?" So, I mean, that that was our thought. I thought that's something you know this different culture different way of thinking but both of them recognize that you needed to do it that if if and if if you if a community wants to be successful that that will be

in the mix and and to a large part you have been successful because you're part of Lynch being an important part of what is known as the research triangle region and the research triangle region does that Um, so that that's the triple helix. Uh, and you know, we we Dan I probably we need to put that in that and we need to do that. But it is important and you won't believe that. I mean some places that they just don't do that. They just don't they just don't do it. But um, you know, I'm thinking that in Wake County with Kevin Howell, Chancellor Howell. I mean, he is definitely a player. I mean, he is he is there. I mean, Tom White, who works for NC State University, is is is is on Joanna speed dial. I mean, he she calls, he comes. Um, and and at one point, one of the still is there's an organization with the UNCC system called the Economic Transformation Council. That economic transformation council has a person from each of the 17 universities that sits on that council. The reason it was started was because economic development practitioners could not find the experts in the universities they needed because universities are silos. It's not that the chemistry department doesn't know what the political science department's doing. It's the large molecules don't know what the small molecules are doing. I mean, they got silos everywhere. And so if you're trying to navigate that and [clears throat] saying I need to find an expert to go call on this company with me that we're trying to recruit um and I need how do you find um and the first approach a story a real life story we had a client one time that was looking for um they wanted to had a plant they wanted to have to and they needed to know what we had in our universities about experts in the field of monoconal antibodies as related to female breast

cancer. But it took me two weeks to learn how to say that and I had no idea and then and then to wade through that and try to find out who where all that was just just very difficult. So we will have so anyway so the universities bought into that um that that economic development and is important and we need to do that. So the economic transformation council were created and if you can get the business and the academia um you know I mean [clears throat] I mean all of them do that. So any any questions about that and what does that mean for Apex? I mean who do you team with? Where do you go? How you do that? Do you just make sure at some other level that people are doing that? Do you work with that or does it matter or you just any comments questions about any of that? Either you're really really bored with what I said or I did a really really good job. [laughter]

So like yeah in my head I can draw a triangle and see [clears throat] how governments you know influence influences business and academia and vice versa. But practically right given the trends that we just talked about like what's what does that mean for right um you know yes we are engaged with our partners you know other municipalities we we lay the ground for you know business rules we are in an area where they have a lot of academia that's that's feeding into the system so how do we either you know make better use of that like if we're missing opportunity ities or do we see things happening that we should get in front of? Like I'm kind of struggling with with taking this theory and making it real. The the the the hardest part of that is um how do you get industry type business and industry? Um [clears throat] you

used to be able you have to find a common ground that's today probably is workforce because that's what they all all need. But you have to find out what to do that and um how to do that. And and the way we did it, the way it has been done in the past is that you you invite those leaders. Um you you say who are the business leaders in Apex? Who who are the employ those people have the most impact? Who are they? Who are who are who are the business? Give me one.

Dell.

Who?

Dell. Okay. So, whoever is running Dale here needs to team with um I don't know whether would be Kevin or somebody at the university level or the community college level um Scott John Scott John Ross or or or somebody or maybe both of who is the um so and then so we got academia and business then who the governor is the mayor is Joanna but somebody and they just need to meet on have a regular basis let's have coffee monthly. Let's do let's do this. Let's let's see what we can do. What do you need academic? What do you need from us? What and all of that. So, it's um it's collaboration. It's just working together. And here's what we want to do. And Apex has got very welllaid out plans. You know what you want to do? What what what what do you need from us to help us do this? And they may say, "Well, here's what we want to do. What do you need?" So, anywhere that's just it's just relationships. And you know, as all the AI, all that sort of stuff, but it's still relationships. It's still eyeball to eyeball, one-on-one. That's that's still very very important um in my view. And remember, you can pretend to care, but you can't pretend to be there. So, um you got to show up. So, that's the way I would say do it. And what we did, we put together a um our our strategy involved all this. Jim Hunt was in chair of it. Um Ann Goodnight was

co-chair one year. Um and then Molly Braw who was the president of university system, Jim Masler who was the chancellor at Carolina and Cohan who was the president of Duke University and Maryanne Fox who was the chancellor of NC State. They were all part of the team also. And so it wasn't I mean it was the top level that did that. It was wasn't some underlin underlin reported to reported to reported to it were the top level and that's that's that's um that's top down rather than bottom up and there are times when bottom up works and there are times when top down works and I think this is a top down but I think you just got to be intentional on on bringing these people everybody together somebody got somebody got to do it but um it's it's um if somebody does it it could be anybody needs that because all three are important I was just gonna I don't know if this helps answer and I don't know where what it means or where we're going but I just gonna say one of the best outcomes of this triple helix looking backward in the 80s and then has uh paid dividends for three decades now maybe uh close to four is uh when government industry and academia got together at state level especially focused here in the research triangle park that's where the North Carolina biotechnology center sprung out of you know as seeing the need for not only you know government [clears throat] to increase tax base you know as an example academia for hey where are our students going to go and industry for how can we um uh you know plant roots and um and make profit and so you know that as an example I think one of the one of my favorite examples one of them 40ome years ago is when that happened and North Carolina at the time had no life sciences to amount to anything and now we're in the top three we're in the

same breath of

[clears throat]

um um San Francisco Bay Area Boston route 128 and research triangle or they say North Carolina but if you just counted what was in the research triangle we'd still be there so um anyway but that's a great example that that that was that was intentional They've got offices not only obviously the [clears throat] large headquarters in RTP, but you've got then regional folks who are dedicated to what six or seven sub regions of the United States.

Yeah.

And then Charles, can I give two quick examples locally in Apex? So, so the three of those organizations are are show up in two places. One is Launch Apex. So, you've got our businesses, wannabe businesses. Um you've got academia because we've got wig tech is the facilitator and the trainer for that and then of course government we've got the town that's in our involvement in that program. So that's a real live triple helix through our launch apex program. The other one is when we make calls on existing industry. Um so we've got that's the government again calling on our existing industry as part of our outreach program. A lot of times we will invite um some of our partners from the industrial extension program at NC State um to come with us and they again they bring that academia up to the table. So we're doing this locally sc uh scale and size appropriate um in the community. So that's might be an example.

Industrial extension service is a great and Dan used to work with them. Um that that's a great example. I mean you got government and you're calling on business. So what does business see? Here's government and academia here here to answer my question. See what I can do to help. And so that's a great example.

Yeah. I was kind of attention to what you said. When did you start seeing the shift and talked about our lower education and then saw this gap where you had these high school students saying, "Hey, I don't want to support the trades and then where did you see

that shift?"

Um, I don't know. I don't I don't know. I don't know that mayor, but it's a good question. Um, you know, back in the 50s we had industrial training schools and then in the 60s they started community colleges and we have 58 of them around the state and they are wonderful. They're great. you know there wonderful and um and and but somehow another it it the became the I see I see it rapidly escalating in my view and this is my opinion may not be dad may not be anybody else but I see in our nation the demonization of higher education it's um it's saying that we don't need that just just throw it away just go away and um and and I think that's a huge mistake um but I do do think everybody doesn't need to go to four-year college. We don't need I gave a talk one time. It was actually to um it was in Wake County. It was to the superintendent some what do you call it? He called it some business breakfast or something he had and it was supposed to be something that brought the the academics of the K12 education and the businesses to gather for breakfast and have have a talk. And I was I was asked to speak at at one time. Well, it was probably about 90% academic and educators and 10% businesses, but the I don't know if the speech was worth a hoot, but the title was great. I thought it was the um um the Elizabeth and Sonic versus Tig Stick and MIG. Everybody knows Elizabeth and Sonic 14 lines, you know, all that and all that. All the educators knew that, but none of them I don't think but about three or four knew what about 400 people in the room knew what TIG, stick, and MIG was. If you don't say, but if you know, raise your hand what TIG, stick, and MIG is. Tell them back here.

Well, types of welding. So, I mean, so what are we teaching, you know? So, so

it's it's both and in my view, not either or. So it's um been really cool if you will could do some a little bit different [laughter] if you don't mind me running now really myopic now what I'm talking about challenge that just happens to be the what's on my mind but I was say to your point that's actually a main driver of what they do is workforce development because a lot of times these laboratories or these clean rooms you don't need somebody with a PhD you don't need somebody with a master's degree and whatever you need somebody with two years associates Um and then you know they're making pretty good money uh and they're you know working in I think it's our community college

well there there are specifics um Joan was starting to mention some some of its branding sort of what Apex can say about where where we are our public university system 17 campuses each one has economic IC development as a pillar of their strategic plan. That's the fir that's the first kind of real positive indicator that these universities are there not just to be behind their isolated ivy color covered walls but they're really extending themselves as public universities to the public economy and to communities. Uh but there are specific programs uh when you work on downtown Mason NC State and through their arts uh college they will come out and help actually with design of of downtown areas. The small business technology development center is a is a tangible resource for and it's all university base for for hands-on small business development. Community College has a small business center. And finally, NC State has things like industry expansion solutions or some of

the clusters that may be emerging in industries may be emerging in Apex. There's a number of tangible examples of actual services that the universities provide. Finding that person inside the university to help navigate like Tom White at NC State is the key. and let Tom White know this is our strategic plan for economic development. Tom, how can NC State help us? So, I think there are a number of opportunities for Apex because of where we sit among all these universities. The private are good too. Duke is Duke is helpful in this room as well. But let's talk about what was what we know as cluster. And is this an unfamiliar term to you guys? Cluster target industries or clusters. This really emerged about 25 years ago. Research triangle region was one of the first to introduce this pool husters are actually comprised if you have a a an industry that's a traded industry inside of it. It it is comprised of all of these support areas everything from education, government services, specialized like financial, accounting services, suppliers markets. So it's more than just an industry. It's how that industry is supportive and that's what we have here. It is manifested here. It's it's a mature practice here that Apex can tap into as it starts to look at and here's the advanced industries. I got say D say I'm getting off. We're gonna run out of time now. Traded clusters. You got that term traded clusters. It asked you know what what a traded cluster is. Now everybody said yes. You know what [clears throat] a cluster is. Do you know what the word traded means? They say traded cluster. You have you have two count clusters. You have non-traded clusters and traded clusters. So what's a traded cluster?

So we're going to teach you something else. A traded cluster is something that's done here but the money for it comes from somewhere else like Dale. What are Dale about? uh storage systems. Sorry, storage systems. Technology storage systems.

Technology storage system. Do they just sell those at APE?

Oh, globally.

Sell them globally. So, they make them here, they ship them off, and the money comes back here. That's traded cluster. Anything that you do here that that goes out, but the money comes back, that's traded. That's what you want. That's what builds wealth. If you have non-traded clusters, very very important. My barber is a non-traded cluster. Not many people drive to Sanford, North Carolina to get their haircut. I do it in but I guess it is a trading cluster anyway. But that's a local local thing. Um the whatever you do locally and that's not any money coming from outside. So if you just had non-traded businesses or non-traded clusters in a little while in the capitalist system, you people going to own everything. I mean that's just way that work. So what you want is if you want a mix obviously you need a non-traded clusters as well as traded clusters. But what you focus on is is traded clusters. So, we just we just use that term and um anyway, now you know, but a lot of the non-traded small businesses incredibly important to the creative economy that you're building. So, you really can't ignore them or walk past them. Incredibly important. But the traded clusters that there's a real sort of multiplier effect that can take place there. This is what we picked up and you guys can comment on this. uh advanced manufacturing and that's uh there's some examples there that are here. When you think of Apex do you think of manufacturing?

You know, is Apex known as a manufacturing

center? What percentage of the workforce is in manufacturing?

24%.

Maybe that's not right. Maybe that's the goal.

State average there was about 12%. It used to be the state average used [laughter] to be

that's not right.

The state 27% and we had the highest percentage of workforce in manufacturing than any state in the union. And people oh no that can't be. But if you look at the industries we had were all labor intensive textiles, furniture and all like that. Now we have about 10 or 12%. And there are some manufacturing high high in manufacturing is around 35% or 30 some of some of the counties of Canada still in 30 to 35%. I would guess you'd be 10 something.

Check it. But

yeah, great. What' you say?

Yeah. So we just did an existing condition.

Okay. So talking about resident industries not where people are.

Yeah.

So for manufacturing 6.5%.

6.5. It's another one of those choices in terms of what do we want Apex to be [clears throat] manufacturing and these industry clusters are also advancing with technology and also sustainability ecological awareness let's say but you have some examples that we picked up and you've already talked about Dell Technologies being here life sciences

clean effect. So the question is going to be are these clusters positioned for future growth and as you thinking about your own strategic plan, your own plan of work for economic development. Are these clusters that are we making good choices on what to stand behind, what to recruit, what to support? These look good to us, but it's always a matter of getting inside that industry and figuring out what their trends are. Are they actually growing? But you have some you have some resources there. So, additional thoughts in terms of training and target Charles, I think you covered it, but I think there's some definite decisions as you plan for. So, we're going to finish up here by talking about how to make this work. How to make it work for the teams through their program of work and really asking you and just profile what's really needed next. But we have some rather uh glossy pictures here and making it work the team and there their bio descriptions and ro descriptions for each person and you introduce yourselves already today. But as we looked on the website, this is helpful. And by the way, this is a pretty robust office that you know there there's there's real good role definition role and responsibility definition among that among that team. So as a visitor looking at this that's encouraging and what the areas of focus are and the purpose statement is retention and recruitment position apex growth business industry and importantly small business and entrepreneurship. So pretty clear succinct purpose that leads to a program of work. This is the

orchard. So I think we we had a good sense of that today when you introduce yourself. It's very good to to line out there. You know, for for Colleen especially, what's your key responsibility areas are keep that in front of folks that shows up back here with things like the poster. you how you how the results are obtained. But from our standpoint, this is quite well presented on your website. Talk about we have referred several times the research triangle regional partnership as a key regional presence. Charles was CEO and and uh worked a great deal in terms of advancing that region. Um you have to ask yourself all the time, are we getting the attention that we need? Do we have close enough relations with the regional folks along with EDP and C? So, how's that working with RGP?

I'm sorry. I was I was reading I didn't listen to what you said

working relationship with RGP and PDPNC and all those those partners.

Yes.

What you can do

in with Wake County Economic Development as well.

This is largely a marketing organization now. They're really trying to bring businesses here. So in terms of this office, there's the human infrastructure, the team that we've looked at and the team is also expanded by the partnerships and the collaboration within the whole town across town government. And then what the what the team is really marketing is this sort of infrastructure this sort of product available buildings infrastructure business climate which is a real positive workforce quality of place which is a real positive anything else that not listed there that you're really marketing in terms of a I would think this is a key one right so you're really selling

a product in terms of economic development which is Apex. You're getting marketing assistance as we mentioned. The state does a lot of trade shows and trips and the staff here can tag onto those as they as they see fit. There's a regional presence that we've also mentioned. Wake County Economic Development Commission is a key partner. Prosperity Zone. So, and then in the county in excuse me, in the city, they're a partner in terms of trade shows and tours and types. So the team can really tap into added resource. This is a time consuming part right here to actually try to attract an industry, a business, a company very time consuming. Takes a lot of work. It's like this prospect process from generating leads, responding to it all the way to negotiating and getting a decision on a on some organization to locate here. That's a lot of work. to this team in terms of their uh plan of work in terms of retaining businesses that are here. I'll get that right now. This is what's meant by business retention. Retain. We don't want to lose those great businesses that are here. So, in terms of retaining, we want to make calls on them and find out what's important to what's keeping them up at night. If there's a corporate headquarter visit, we want to we want to be there for that. If there's a brick and mortar expansion, we want to be part of that. So, retaining business is a timeconsuming activity. Understanding the companies that are here, their needs. You have some partners who can help like NC State, Community College, etc. But it's it's a big time factor that along with uh prospect. So this is trying to get something new. This is taking care of what we have as well as the entrepreneurship and small business.

It's it's a big part of their their plan of work. Any question on that? That pretty much describe your activities. Okay.

One thing on the um on the recruitment aspect of it trying to get somebody else to come here. Um not many people not many companies wake up and say I want to put a facility in Apex. What they'll say is, "I want to put a facility in the United States." Well, I need a facility somewhere in the world. Maybe they even narrowed it down, southeastern United States. But even if they just said North Carolina, they're not there might be 10 places that were fit or maybe more. But the recruitment is not a process of inclusion. It's a process of exclusion. They're looking for ways to kick you out. what they're looking for. If the website's not good, well, that's that what they don't where they gone. And so, you know, that if I can't get in touch with them, then gone. So, it's um so they're looking for ways to eliminate you, not to include you. So, you need to and and I know the staff all knows this, but but it's um it's it's it's hard. this competition and everybody you know is the companies can go well they won't lose you know within their parameters obviously but anyway so it's process of elimination and so as a plan of work we also want to know how we're doing we want to have measures and metrics what's important to us what's important to Apex in terms of how we are developing our economy There on the left hand side you see some samples of input measures. Input measures really are not metrics. The input measures are activities. It's the measures on the right hand side that's important to Apex and how and how the economic development function works with

town government to track what's meaningful to us whether it's uh job growth or growth and tax base or down here diversified cluster growth which could be interesting over time. So it's your your metrics how you track them and your plan. Let's move all this forward in terms of planning Apex economic development. And I think uh Allan has already distributed this final little uh next page. It's a what? Yeah. What's working? I want you to get together with your three your table partners again. That's it. Thank you. Your same three table partner. Take a look at this in terms of apex economic development. It's a bit of a critical thinking activity like a SWAT analysis, but we're looking at what's working, what's not working, and what's needed. And we're going to be especially interested in terms of what's needed. So, take take a few minutes, work together in your groups of three, then we'll ask you to report out on especially what's needed.

[laughter]

That's you. That's

seriously I would say leadership.

Go ahead. also.

[laughter] We were in a very financial service.

I think another thing is that we develop very strategic partnerships. So just know We have a lot of people out there that

if we if we if we need assistance we need um assistance on a project or I'll give you examples. So we have a lot of good partnerships with engineers. So sometimes we'll have site. So I think we have a lot of good strategic in the economic development. Whether it's partnership issue

what's not working available large tracks of land for sale because the large tracks of land we have

go by and we still have that. We still have 200 acres and they work for they want just go buy 200 acres but go buy her acres.

So that's and that's we just you don't And it's and the fourth thing is perception. They just want to buy the dirt. I don't want, you know, that's what they need. decision making

anything. They didn't want like the imminent domain. motivation. I think we all

negative. So I would have to say that lack of what's

so yes. So what's not working is some of the because I will say that when when national site locations that run a lot of these state projects they when they're looking at a market like they seem that goes on here

that is a huge challenge to companies. So I get it that you want to get but when they get up there say some really nasty things about it's not it's not it is and it's and then that sentiment though gets back to people in Chicago they lost their That's what they said.

You can't get away with it. Think about how many. Okay. So, But what happens is the developers that build ultimately they control they're marketing them to and so they're out there anybody who we're trying to help

them understand that we want to intentionally market it to manufacturers. But at the end of the day, Yeah. Good stories.

Yeah.

Testimonials and business.

We need your assistance. And I'm

thinking liberation.

[laughter]

I think we have

The right commercial. I want to say another thing that's our reputation. We actually And the business [laughter] [clears throat] doesn't know

you end up Right. Well, and the thing too is that these companies usually they don't like they come and they come bring the executives then they're going to hire all so it's it's that's what I was saying is they don't they're not concerned they're only going to bring some executives here executives are going to be making plenty of money and they're going to hire all local might be carry in this Yeah. Yeah. That's the workforce. It's a 30 mile. It's a 30 mile.

Okay. So that doesn't mean Yes.

Yeah. Well, we knew we knew we don't have them in the ratio of those companies versus the population is skewed. So, and when we when we're recruiting companies, we don't get when we get the state, oh, manufacturer pay 25,000 a year. We're just like that's not So they're not going to if they do build an not one person that lives next they're going to pull from like places. So when we're actively recruiting, our target is we have a few of those special manufacturers advanced and those higher end you know the average manufacturing 72,000 um average you know average wage input I can't remember the wage but the wages up there too wages

yeah that's

so we do so we do have that are paying that which is proportionate to the number of people that live here. So that's why

that's why distribution is not something about manufacturing is not working. Okay, [laughter]

let's take a couple more minutes. Looks like most teams are about Yeah.

Yeah.

Thank you. Oh, I am okay. to the point where Joey

Okay, I think we can uh

start to get some summary out of this.

Who'd like to kick us off here? You can choose to start wherever you like. If you just want to say what's needed, that'd be fine. If you want to give us an example of how that tracked across all three areas, whatever you want to present, maybe I want you to start with you guys back there since we had some good.

So, um I would say I had some issues with understanding like what the what's needed or the gaps. it seemed to me that that was a a similar column and so we needed to get some clarification on how that was different

and because in my opinion they were kind of the same but you thankfully um explain that a little bit more. So one of our things that we felt like was working was being proactive our robust economic development team and the relationship building. Um, we feel like what's also working is our downtown central Pennsylvania business district with the expansion of the passage grant eligibility and and trying to kind of move some of that out a little bit further than just downtown, the improvements to the parking, etc. Uh, what's not working or what we see as gaps is um just needing more funding to be able to to do more projects, but also related to land. And then one of the other gaps is as we continue to grow um kind of the workforce, we also look at a lot of people now want to remote work. And so how is that impacting our our business industry and and just downtown business in general. And so what we said was needed was um a prioritization of of existing or available parcels or redevelopment of parcels. um favorable zoning regulations related to business recruitment and retention and then kind of growing the mindset and understanding around the live work anywhere concept um and

wanting to have a better targeted audience for that but also create a better understanding for what that means and how that would play into this equation. RTI did a white paper not too long ago identifying the professions that are more likely to be live anywhere work anywhere. You know, consulting engineers is an example, but you could live here literally and work across the globe. So that might be something to factor in that live anywhere, work anywhere professional. But thank you. You guys add to that?

Sure. Um, so a lot of similarities what's working. We said we're we're in a fantastic location. We've got access to highly educated dedicated economic development team. Um, from our perspective, their support small businesses would and the the the downtown, you know, it attracts people and were supportive of it. Um, also working well availability of water and sewer as well as other infrastructure investments. those gaps um that there is a little bit of a mismatch seems maybe between the um availability of higher level professional jobs in Apex and and who lives here and then the availability housing for the incomes the jobs that are so they both need more affordable housing and maybe Need more money. Need more money.

Randy [laughter]

a little bit maybe not a major attraction but a a minor attraction to be like an external draw.

That's great. Um that was but we all agreed uh more installed infrastructure like pre-preparing more sites that work really well um for cash corporate whatever it's now something else.

Um and then patience because we can always get residential to come but we if we care for non-residential we have to be willing to wait for it. So just being able to invest in that way.

What did you mean by external attraction?

H like a venue. Uh minor baseball.

Yeah.

I was thinking a ferris wheel. [laughter]

We are the pe Funny here. Here's an external attraction in Wil.

Everybody said it. Everybody knew.

Thanks very much. We'll just go go around the table.

So, uh, very similar to a lot of what everybody said. Um so staffing existing staffing not just in economic development but overall within the town. The body of work is diverse. It includes industry and small business uh marketing communications tourism development. Um our existing relationships with our development uh developers and partners on our um projects and sites. uh the quality of life, schools, education, um town budgeting for our department if they prioritize economic development within that. Um

things that aren't uh what kind of gaps is like we have an extremely low vacancy rate for all kinds of types specifically small business there's a lack of I mean a low vacancy rate which is a great problem to have except when you have people who want to come here and can't find a place to to come. So it's a it's a gap. We need we need more commercial space. Um affordability obviously is a is sort of not working because again we're in the same thing. And then sources of funding for uh different types of businesses. Um then what's needed. So space land sites um future planning for infrastructure. So making sure that those sites are ready to go when the opportunities arise. Um, I think we talked about Holly Springs earlier and that was a 20-y year project of like build it and they will come kind of a process. So, um, kind of like we need to be a little bit forward thinking in that infrastructure area. Uh, consider maybe incubator space for micromanufacturers that would, you know, um, have opportunity to come in at a low interest kind of rate and then move out and occupy market rate um, spaces. So growing your own uh industries will blink that idea and then um capitalize on stewardship and sustainability as a potential opportunity.

Say that last part again. Capitalize on stewardship

and sustainability as like an industry like partner because we seem to have a lot of interest in that whether it's biotech or green environmental things like that.

Yeah. Yeah. This changed

Joanna. Oh. Um, a lot of the same things. I'll just touch on the ones that weren't already mentioned. Um, we thought what's working was leadership both at the elected body and the staff. Um, business friendly environments. Um, and then reputation.

Um, Apex does have a good reputation. I mean, I I know we we there's a lot of pain points um, internally. Um, but, uh, we actually do have a very good reputation to the outside world in a lot of ways. That's, you know, what I hear. Um, what's not working, um, speaking of this could, this could hurt our reputation is, um, negative resident activism. Um, that's something that we're dealing with. Um, everybody hear what I said? Did that make sense? Okay. Um,

tell the truth. Okay. Um, and then another thing that's not working or gap we see sometimes is that lack of funding capital for small business. you know, there's incentive programs for large business, but doing no incentives and, you know, access to easy and quick access to funding versus small business needs.

And then, um, what's needed, large tracks of land available for sale. This is why Holly Springs has, um, a lot of life science that we don't because they had hundreds of acres of land for sale. Most of our land is tied up in developer um, build and so we don't have large tracks of land just available, the dirt for sale. you that they'll help you develop it, but you're not going to own it. And so that's why our other neighboring communities have had some of these larger life science projects because they had 100 acres, 200 acres for sale and we just didn't. So that's that's what's needed um if we want to attract that kind of thing. Um and then we talked about doing um what's needed just doing more testimonials and things from businesses part of our marketing strategies. And then um talked about getting more vertical integration of companies. So like children's as examples. So let's what's going to flow from there but looking at our other large industry and thinking you know what's the vertical integration of supply suppliers for those industries and how we can how we can bring in more of those.

It's really building those we have some businesses but we don't really have

what are the negative

[laughter]

well you know it's just you know just

Well, yeah, we we we of course we want to have public input.

Um and sometimes

nothing specific.

Yeah. Yeah. No, just just, you know, it's just if you get if it goes if it kind of goes one if it starts to go off off off the rails.

Yeah.

That's not always

We We've had several large projects have people excited for but You know what J was saying is, you know, as pro perspective uh tenants, you know, uh businesses come to check us out and they kind of want to show up, right? Like having that kind of negativity like showing up in council sessions is not a solid.

Yeah. Sometimes um it's misunderstanding. Um the residents um they didn't get uh the correct information. They thought, you know, something wasn't right or some shitty deals. Actually, there there were none of those things, but they would uh you know speak at public forum and uh it's because of this misinformation is it can put Apex in a bad place for future business. It's the think is that's that why we would come here just a yeah example like that.

Great. Thanks. Two more reports and then we'll start to close out.

Well, we have a lot of the same things that the other folks have said. Um we focused on the one of our big positives and also something we can work on is the idea of diversity of various types of clusters and businesses. And the thing

that we really kind of zoned in on is if you look at a bunch of communities that have died or have dwindled. Think Detroit with you know motor town. You got uh Gary Indiana steel company that just you know you have one industry that leaves that community dies. You can look as far south as Ronson County where you have cotton. Go as far west as uh as or east as Wilson where you have tobacco that pulled out. you start with these businesses or even as far north as when you go to Henderson and places like that. So our advantage is that we have a diversity of businesses and our focus should be on maintaining a diversity of businesses. But as we started talking about that, one of the things that we really were trying to get an idea of is Apex has had a resiliency for over 150 years of being able to rebound from various economic downturns that many other ities have and identifying what that is is something that I mean we don't we don't have an answer. We kept coming up with a bunch of reasons whether it's our location, whether it's our educational base, whether it's the staff that we have working economic development or just town leadership. It's a bunch of things, but being able to figure out what it is that's making us resilient that's been able to help us overcome a lot of these economic during downturns has got to be something that's a focus for us. And in dealing with that, we also recognize that if we create growth, we're going to get a little bit of that, which is folks don't like growth. So it's a messaging problem for us to figure out how do we best explain the concept of these are positive assets and getting folks used to idea of change. So those are the things that we I mean in addition to all the things you've kind of come up with this kind of

became our central nugget which is we can build great clusters. We've got the teamwork to do that. create a diverse enough economic base to survive downturns, which is I think our key. But that means that we've got to figure out how we're going to do our messaging to make sure that we convince the residents here that that change is a bad that we build in the infrastructure necessary to support that sort of growth. So whether that's roadways, sewers, [clears throat] land spacing, addressing the affordability issue so that we can attract the right workers. But it's a multi- it's a multiple focused issue that's going to require multiple attack points over a sustained period of time in order to make it happen. things are really going well, but how to prepare for what's next and how not only prepare get the messaging out in terms of those facts.

Okay, final group. Anything more to add?

Yeah, I really like a lot of things that um ours is a bit more uh I'd say tangible based. So like um And I'm not going to repeat the things that's talked about earlier, but one of the things I think hasn't been mentioned yet is uh some of the proactive decision- making regarding economic development or at the very least anticipating seeing some of the early indicators and then um capturing the opportunity. And I'd say that what we talk about is Apex Gateway and Chad County strategy. Um where it's no rooftops entirely uh uh focused on economic development. Um and and that's one of the things that's working among all the other great things that have been said. You know, town government staff is something that I put on the list that they just said. Thanks. Um,

but I'd say um, one of the couple of things I didn't hear or haven't heard so far, um, one that both Randy and Sean could speak to um, more specifically, but concept delivery delays. Um, uh, but the one that I wanted to talk about touches a little bit on what Shannon was talking about, which is um, and maybe this is a slightly different angle, which is employment retention. So, I really like what Shannon said about, you know, you've got you got folks who work here who don't have a place to live. You've got people who live here who don't have a place to work. And perhaps there's another layer. And I don't know if it's the next of those two things, but it's and we didn't have like I we talked and it I even said to Randy like I don't even know like if the genie came and hand you the magic wand what you would wish it to do other than just fix it which is how to get more people who live here working here because that in itself it not only it you're more um uh committed to the place that you live work and play it reduces traffic um and Um and it also then reduces traffic coming into town as well. Um and then uh what's needed money time a big one. Um but uh further expl exploration of retention and expansion something that Ry and Sean were talking a state budget would be great and I joke but only half because that offers the stability that allowed us you know that is the springboard for us to move forward. But then um uh another is uh uh expanding launch Apex that um excited about and one of the things that Randy was talking about is exploring what would that tier two look like. So not only expanding the base of just you know and and it is a great problem to have right as you talk about municipalities or counties who love to have this kind of issue where we had fewer seats than

applicants for our program. And so, not only is it that oneonone level, but also how about the folks who have already completed it and might be ready to to um enhance their uh their business model.

Let's go.

Okay.

He's your spokesman.

Yeah.

Uh with not not a lot of time, a lot of substance. So, if you would again distribute pass your papers this way, let them end up here. If you guys'll make sure those

there's a there nuggets of strategies

throughout this whole conversation right here. Nuggets of advancing good strategies that are underway and opening new pathways. Again, very your final words from Charles and me is that whatever plan is put together, this is a really nicely presented plan, this is a really nicely presented plan. If I want to know a lot about Apex without too many words, this is really helpful. So, it all comes down to this, not just having a plan, but gaining champions for our cause. That's really what the messaging is about that's where it's where our that's what our vision is about we have a vision for Apex come with us and that includes some of those what would you say negative advocates negative negative cont you you can skip over that [laughter]

and it starts this starts here it starts with the leadership team that's here in terms of the vision the connections uh and a lot of demonstrating results Jo and I having a conversation about Wayne County, Wayne County Development Alliance. What Wayne County has done so

and we worked with them last year. What they've done so well, they have they tried to get investors. They tried to get champions, champions with money actually. But they were able to demonstrate results. They were able to demonstrate that that site was built and that site is now being filled up. So demonstrating results is really and is really really key. Uh Yogi says the other teams could make trouble for us if they win. And I guess Yes, Yogi, you're right. Uh but with that, our thanks. Charles, you want to say something about ECU and evaluations and start to find it?

We can do it. I mean, I can we can do it. Um supposed to have evaluations, but somehow I didn't get them in my email.

So, we can but we can do it. I can send them out. I can distribute it.

You can email it. I can distribute it out and then we can take care of that. ECU. Um, they used to let Dan and I do the evaluation, but we were put on before we hand. [laughter] But only thing I say is thank you very much for Joanna for allowing us to come and just be meeting your all of your staff and your and your elected officials and leaders. It's been um really really remarkable for me and Dan I'm sure um the problems that Apex has not a lot of people were killed for those problems like one one of the one someone said that you don't you don't I think you did call you got we got businesses want to come in they got no vacant space so nothing vac through a lot of North Carolina that's not a problem that they have um and So you're doing a lot of things. You historically done something right. I was to position Apex where it is. The mayor was saying at one point um um Apex had a

high crime rate was not as desirable as it is today, but now it's as Joanna said, it's it's and you saw the list. It's it's it's okay. Let's go. Put me in coach. So it's a good place and it's all a lot of tribute to the people in this room. Thank you for letting Dan and I come and talk to you today. So, I hope hope it was beneficial for you and well, don't tell anybody. [laughter] [laughter]

We will we will make sure, Mr. May, that we get the certificates out to you all and also the evaluation form. So, look for those two things to come.

Thank you. We're good.

So, you get an A+ for timing because we're 15 minutes early.