www.e-NC.org

e-NC Capturing the Promise

2007 Rural TeleCon

Springfield, IL

October 17, 2008

Jane Smith PattersonExecutive Director

Joanna WrightSenior Program Director

www.e-NC.org

What Was/Is the Promise?

– More educated population with higher paying jobs. – For NC, this means a focus on technology based

economic development with ubiquitous fiber!– The goal: To TRANSFORM our state from a

manufacturing economy to an Information economy.

2000

Board of Science and TechnologyHearings and Recommendations

NC Rural EconomicDevelopment Center

1999 Rural ProsperityTask Force

RIAA EstablishedSL2000-149

1995

2003

e-NC Authority Established SL2003-425

NC Information Highway

1993

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Rural Internet Access Authority Goals

Ensure local, dialup service available statewide

Complete, and keep up to date, an inventory of telecommunications infrastructure

Establish Telecenters Identify and establish training

programs Promote increased use of

computers and the Internet Ensure that high speed Internet

service is available to rural North Carolina citizens and businesses

Provide Advice and Counsel to the NC General Assembly

January 2001 – December 2003

www.e-NC.org

Economic Development Models

Classic Model

• Trained workforce

• Capital

• Water/sewer

• Roads

• Location

• Natural Resources

• Skilled Workforce

• Venture Capital

• IT/Broadband

• Airports, Universities

• Virtual/Visible

• Intellectual Resources

TBED

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Develop advanced workforce skills Build public/private partnerships Build advanced communications

infrastructure Reform the public’s business … E-Government Create flexible structures

TBED-New Economy Tactics

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Develop advanced workforce skills

$12 Million (R) School Connectivity $3 Million (NR) School Technology Pilot – computers for

all teachers and students in 8 high schools $1 Million (R) 2+2 Joint e-Learning Initiative –

UNC/NCCCS $6.5 Million (R) Learn and Earn – Online classes $Hundreds of Millions - New or expanded Science and

Tech facilities at universities UNC Online competitive with U Phoenix

TBED Tactics Reflected in State Budget

www.e-NC.org

Create Public Private Partnerships

Targacept $12 Million Biotechnology Facility NC Biotechnology Research Center (Concord)

$100 Million From Private Sector And $35 Million From Public Sector

Advanced Research Center For Motor Research (NASCAR)

Connectivity Public Private Partnerships $1.2 Million To Be Matched By Private Sector

TBED Tactics Reflected in State Budget

www.e-NC.org

Build advanced communications infrastructure

$3 Million for e-NC $12 (R) Million for BETA $37 Million 2nd State Data Center $5 Million NC Community Colleges

Improved connectivity

TBED Tactics Reflected in State Budget

www.e-NC.org

Reform the public’s business … E-Government

Funded the further development of BEACON – integrated data services

$7.9 Million (R) for Judicial Technology Initiatives $55K (R) for Web-based training for the State

Board of Elections!

TBED Tactics Reflected in State Budget

www.e-NC.org

e-NC Business & Technology Telecenters

Flexible StructuresTelecenters are technology and entrepreneurship hubs

within communities.

Telecenters are catalysts – they transform an area to a 21st century community.

Each telecenter has its own unique focus and partners within the project.

NC Legislature provided funds again this year to continue support of the BTTs.

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2006 BTT Statistics

– 1995 Clients served– 292,905 Contact hours for training– $580,474 Money leveraged– $472,653 Business Revenues Collected– 258 JOBS CREATED

The Roanoke CenterRich Square, NC

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e-NC Business & Technology Telecenters

Blue Ridge Business Development CenterSparta www.blueridgebdc.org

Rockingham CountyBusiness & Technology CenterWentworthwww.rcbtc.org

The Roanoke CenterRich Square www.roanokecenter.org

Northeast Technology & Business Center Williamstonwww.nctelecenter.com

New VenturesBusiness Development Inc.Wadesboro & Monroewww.nvbdi.org

Foothills ConnectRutherfordtonwww.foothillsconnect.comTri-County Community

College TelecenterPeachtreewww.tricountycc.edu/TeleCenter/

April 2006

www.e-NC.org

• From mills and machine shops to high-tech centers

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e-NC Business & Technology Telecenters

Telecenters are fast becoming focal points of their communities. The following are some of the things our Telecenters are doing to help their communities prosper in today’s digital economy and society.

• Transforming traditional economic development into technology-based economic development (Foothills Connect)

• Demonstrating to medium and larger size companies that rural communities have the technology, technical, business, and workforce capacities to be desirable sites for headquarters, branch offices, outsourcing, and telecommuters (Quintiles, NETBC)

• Creating jobs through developing new income opportunities and pursuing grow-your-own strategies (Construction, Roanoke / Farmers, Foothills)

• Nurturing entrepreneurs and small businesses through the provision of technology services and resources and business incubation (NETBC, Foothills)

• Providing technology and technical assistance to local governments, non-profit and community-based organizations and assisting them to bring their operations on line and serve clients more effectively and efficiently (Alleghany Co, BRBDC, Foothills)

• Providing free public access to computers and the Internet for individuals and small groups• Delivering, in collaboration with local schools, colleges, and universities, a diverse range of

excellent education and training programs, tailored to the client’s needs, including technology training, distance and e-learning programs (Machinists, TCCC)

www.e-NC.org

Northeast Technology & Business Center

• Social Economic Development Entrepreneurial Model (funded 2001)

• Martin County

• Per Capita Income: $ 23,528

• Population 24,580

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Northeast Technology & Business Center

• Renovated Shopping Center Strip Mall to a BTT

• More than 1200 jobs created since 2003

• Consultation services provided to more than 93 entrepreneurs

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NETBC - Successes

• 80000 Sq Ft Building bought for $1.1 million. Syfan Manufacturing-Israeli $8 million and 73 employees

• 2005 Leveraged to build equine barn. 40000 sq ft. Horse Show $800,000

• Textile mill donated—no funds to renovate so leveraged again BTT

• Textile building now leased to a biofuels company

• Carastar closed-textile company- leveraged BTT to buy- Now Microcell hydrogen fuel cell company

• Quintiles Largest Drug Data Management Company: In-Farming 60 Jobs Data Center

www.e-NC.org

Phase 2 BTTs - Differences

• It doesn’t cost as much as we originally thought

• It can be started on a much smaller scale

• BTT must have a ‘free’ building

• Counties need to have some skin in the game in the form of hard cash

www.e-NC.org

Foothills Connect (funded 2005)

Rutherford Co – Tier 1 – Former Textile Area

• Pop. steady: 63,300

• Employment still sliding

• SAT rank improving

• MHI rank improving

• Poverty rank improving

• % of workforce in prof & techincreased from 1.7 to 3.1%

2003 - 2006

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Foothills Connect: Seizing Opportunities

• Charlotte chef knows FC director, Tim Will

• Tim knows Rutherford farmers

• Brokerage: farmersfreshmarket.org

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Foothills Connect: Transforming Communities

Hands-on ‘low tech’ and ‘high tech’

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Seizing Opportunities - Transforming Communities

• Collaborating and building off of other projects– Pangaea fiber network to connect schools– Strategic Technology Plan for the county– Foothills proposes that the county seek funds to add another 70

miles of fiber to the Pangaea network to connect all the EMS sites and provide wireless access sites to extend broadband access to the un-served areas of the county.

– $1.45 million from GoldenLeaf awarded Oct. 2007!

• Pangaea (e-Polk) and Clemson: Cross Borders• E2 collaboration with surrounding counties and fiber

extensions.

www.e-NC.org

Seizing Opportunities - Transforming Communities

Using GIS to inform decisions

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Common Attributes of BTTs

• Clear vision and specifically articulated goals• Dedicated, passionate leadership• Focus on technology-based economic development• Authentic collaboration and teamwork with diverse

community partners• Realistic, strategic business plan, including specific

action steps and benchmarks• Continuous self-appraisal and willingness to make mid-

course corrections• Unflagging perseverance

www.e-NC.org

e-NC Business & Technology Telecenters

In 2005, the e-NC Authority contracted with RTI International to perform an independent evaluation of the four original telecenters.

The objective of the project was to evaluate the initial four e-NC Business and Technology Telecenters™ that were established in 2002.

The intent was to answer three questions: • What have been the outcomes of the investment in the telecenters? • What has been the state’s return on investment? • How have the telecenters changed their communities?

Download the report at: http://www.e-nc.org/rti_eval.asp

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Failures & Lessons Learned

Blue Ridge Business Development CenterSparta www.blueridgebdc.org

Rockingham CountyBusiness & Technology CenterWentworthwww.rcbtc.org

The Roanoke CenterRich Square www.roanokecenter.org

Northeast Technology & Business Center Williamstonwww.nctelecenter.com

New VenturesBusiness Development Inc.Wadesboro & Monroewww.nvbdi.org

Foothills ConnectRutherfordtonwww.foothillsconnect.comTri-County Community

College TelecenterPeachtreewww.tricountycc.edu/TeleCenter/

April 2006Failures

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e-NC Business & Technology Telecenters

• Why BTTs fail– Lack of broad-based support– Politics & Territorialism

The third lesson is that nothing can be accomplished without broad and continual collaboration among all the leaders in the community. So, while it is fine to come together to write a grant to win funding for a project, the full benefits will only be achieved if all the collaborators indeed continue to collaborate throughout the life of the project and if all are able to contribute to the best of their ability. A corollary to this is the importance of strong leadership throughout the process. (RTI Evaluation Report)

www.e-NC.org

83.54% Connected

2006 DSL and Cable Modem Composite

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Broadband Evolution: An Anthropomorphic View

384 kps –

Baby broadband

1.5 mbps

Toddler Speeds

45 mbps

Adolescents

80 mbps

Functional Adults

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More educated, better jobs!

North Carolina is capturing the promise for our rural citizens!

www.e-NC.org

To Reach Us ….

e-NC Authority

4021 Carya Drive, Raleigh

1-866-NCRURAL

www.e-nc.org