Growing and ensuring a good work force and the infrastructure to bring businesses and economic growth to our region were the focus of a three-county Economic Development Summit held Friday at Tri-County Community College.

Congressman Heath Shuler sponsored the economic summit for Cherokee, Clay and Graham counties.

"You probably ask yourselves why your children and grandchildren can't live here," Shuler said. "Far too often, it is because they can't find the work here."

The purpose of the economic summit is to ensure the future of the workplace for our children and grandchildren, Shuler said. This can be done through education and infrastructure, including roads and broadband, he said.

North Carolina Sen. John Snow spoke about how broadband infrastructure will bring the ability for the western North Carolina area to prosper.

"We are poised to prosper," Snow said because of the fiber network that has been installed by Balsam West FiberNET and Blue Ridge Mountain EMC. These companies have provided connectivity to all public school facilities in the tri-county area. There are only three schools that have not yet got broadband, Snow said.

Snow said the broadband loop that has been laid down in the tri-state area is "a loop like no one else has in a rural area".

"It is going to be magic. People will want to emulate us," Snow said. "We've bridged the digital divide. We can con- tinue to attract and sustain a manufacturing base. We can sustain a work force and we can attract a new work force to this area because of broadband infrastructure. People will come if we promote it and let the world know what we have here."

North Carolina Rep. Roger West spoke about the importance of the Corridor K, a highway linking western North Carolina, eastern Tennessee and north Georgia.

The Appalachian Development Highway System was created to leverage economic development opportunities and connect Appalachia to the rest of the country. However, Corridor K has not been completed. West emphasized that Corridor K would greatly enhance the economic development of our area.

West said the next section of roadway to build is in North Carolina from NC Hwy 28 to Hwy 129 in Robbinsville. Construction could begin in 2013, he said.

Melissa Ziegler, director of Economic and Community Development Services for Wilbur Smith and Associates, said we need to show that there is a real economic opportunity that would result with completion of Corridor K.

Shuler pointed out that the economic summit has brought multiple counties together to work toward a mutual economic prosperity.

Shuler said we must stress to students and give them the opportunity to go to college to study mathematics and engineering. The United States is 27th in the world in engineering, he said. We should give students incentives to get students to get degrees in the fields that are needed.

Shuler said we should also protect vocational education in high schools. No Child Left Behind has created a mess, he said. We must also build the roads and high tech infrastructure to bring in corporations, he said. We can keep our businesses and workers here through training programs for the ever changing workplace. Shuler wants to work against unfair trade policies so that our jobs won't continue to be shipped overseas because of lower wages. Some people in Washington are working to create incentives to keep industries here.

A panel of four major employers was heard to show that manufacturing is not dead in western North Carolina, said Cherokee County Manager David Badger.

Mike Stevenson, president of Murphy Medical Center, said the hospital employs about 670 people but they are facing a shortage of workers. Baby boomers are getting older and more health care workers are needed, he said. There is an increasing demand for pharmacists, physical therapists, radiologists, etc. It is difficult to retain nursing aids, which is a difficult job with a low pay rate, Stevenson said. The turnover is great and demand outstrips supply. But Murphy Medical Center has a partnership with TCCC that involves recruiting, screening and training nurses aids. Once these students graduate, they have a one-year obligation to Murphy Medical Center, he said.

Alan Williams, Human Resources director of Sioux tools, said the work force at the plant is aging with one-fifth facing retirement in the next five years. The machinist training program with TCCC has been a boon to Sioux Tools.

Terry Martin, plant manager of Moog Components Group Inc., said that talented people with skills are needed for the company. They need people to be blueprint ready, to know basic electronics drafting, account sales, etc. The work force of Moog is mature and business is expanding, he said. Over 33 percent of the work force at the plant will be eligible for retirement in the next 10 years, Martin said.

"Our statistics show that high school students are not looking for manufacturing jobs," he said. "We have the daunting task of recruiting younger workers for what they perceive as undesirable jobs. Manufacturing in the service segments is making a comeback."
Lee Ferguson, plant manager for Coleman Cable, said it is the work force that has kept the plant in Hayesville. Ages of employees at the plant range from 19 to 67. Workers at Coleman Cable need to be strong in math, English and a work ethic background.
Chip Wood, director of the Economic Security Commission, spoke about the Career in Technical Education (CTE).committee. He spoke of a partnership between industry, TCCC and the Cherokee County School system. CTE is designed to allow vocational and technical education and lifelong learning. Industrial jobs today involve a computer controlled environment with a data driven process, he said. Efforts are currently under way to broaden the scope of TCCC's Machinist Training program to include students at the middle and high school levels.

Eric Brinke, Economic Development director for Blue Ridge Mountain EMC, said 70 percent of students who complete high school decide not to go to institutions of higher learning but to go to the community college or the work force.

The work ethic and mechanical inclination of our work force has been our redeeming grace, he said.

"We must work smarter in the future," he said. "We must encourage our work force to form the habit of continual learning.

The plan to expand the machinist training program into the public schools is just a model for delivering work force training into other fields such as health care and construction.

"We've chosen to promote lifelong learning of our employees," Brinke said. "This will provide a pool of reliable and skilled employees. I am encouraged for our region."