Making progress in the Race to the Top

Congratulations to Cabarrus County Schools for improving their 2010 SAT scores and beating state and national averages. Students in the district averaged a total math and critical reading score of 1038, up from 1018 in 2009 and higher than the 1017 national average and 1008 state average. The district ranks 16th in the state, up five places from last year.

Northwest Cabarrus High School, which Kannapolis students attend, ranked 3rd in the district for SAT scores, with a combined 1029 for math and critical reading. For more information about statewide SAT scores, click here.

The SAT is the most commonly used college entrance exam and is one factor that colleges and universities consider in the college application process. From a community perspective, SAT scores are important because they are one indicator of school quality and performance. Many families relocating to an area compare SAT scores to help decide which school district or zone in which to look for housing. So perception of school quality can attract new residents, impact property values, and stimulate demand for businesses to serve those households. Let’s keep up the progress in our Race to the Top!

RCCC a Welcome Addition

Last Thursday, there was a dedication ceremony for the new RCCC biotechnology training facility at the NC Research Campus. This building has been long anticipated and is a key link between the scientific activities at the Research Campus and the workforce in our community.

RCCC’s associate degree programs in biotechnology, applied science, and, in the future,  agricultural biotechnology will allow local residents to gain the education and training that will help them develop a career in biotechnology and related fields. These job skills will be transferable to future positions available at NCRC or elsewhere.

The new 62,000 square foot facility contains laboratories, classrooms, computer labs, faculty and staff offices, conference rooms, a community event room, library, and a student center. Up to 300 students and faculty will use the facility, helping to increase the daytime population in the center city area of Kannapolis. The new building also houses RCCC’s Small Business Center, which works with small business owners and entrepreneurs to develop and grow their ventures.

The biotechnology facility is a welcome addition to NCRC and downtown Kannapolis. It gives our community a great opportunity to learn more about a growing field and reposition our workforce for jobs of the future.

p.s. I’m back from maternity leave! Please feel free to contact me regarding any business and economic development issues.

Biotechnology is Alive and Well

As the lingering effects of the great recession continue to lead to slow job growth (not only in Kannapolis but across the globe) there are some bright spots on the horizon.

UNCC economist John Connaughton recently predicted a net growth of 36,000 jobs in North Carolina this year. While that is much less than what was lost during the last two years, it does provide a positive sign.

What is really interesting, however, is the resilience of the biotechnology and life science sector in North Carolina during the last year. NC Biotech Center CEO Norris Tolson points out in a recent column in the Raleigh News & Observer that, while the state unemployment rate hit 11% last year, biotech jobs actually grew by 1%.

He goes on to predict that, with serious focus, the biotech industry in North Carolina could grow by more than 65,000 jobs over the next decade. I like to think that the hard work occurring in Kannapolis is a critical component of that focus. In fact, I know it is.

There appears to be lots of venture capital still finding its way to biotechnology projects as evidenced by a recent report by online venture capital database VentureDeal. The report showed a steady amount of biotech venture capital and almost no change from the third to fourth quarter of 2009.

One of the keys to remember when thinking about biotechnology as an industry is that it goes well beyond drug development. It crosses into agriculture, medical devices and biofuels. There is a great guide to learn more about the different areas on the NC Biotechnology Center website.

Not only does biotech cross multiple industry sectors, but it also creates other jobs. When you look at this list of top jobs in 2010 from the Wall Street Journal, the following stand out: statistician, biologist, mathematician, accountant and computer systems engineer. All of these jobs have a direct link to the environment being built at the NCRC.

Not only are the types of the jobs we’re working to create on the campus the best jobs of today, but they also hold the greatest potential for the future. One analysis by the US Department of Labor recently ranked biomedical engineer as the number one job based on growth potential over the next decade. Medical scientists, biochemists and biophysics made the top 10.

So, while the recession has been very difficult for so many in our community, I choose to take the long view. We have a budding economic engine in Cabarrus County the likes of which we haven’t seen since the Philip Morris announcement three decades ago. When this economy turns around, we’re going to be perfectly positioned to take advantage.

Good News on the Bio Labor Front

I had the opportunity to attend a very exciting meeting this morning at the Charlotte Regional Partnership. As a part of a larger effort directed by the NC Biotech Center, the CRP helped to commission an analysis of the labor market for biomanufacturing in our region.

The approach was very interesting. The contracted with Biggins, Lacy, Shapiro & Co, a New Jersey-based site selection consultant, to find out how our workforce looked if a large manufacturing interest was looking at our region as a possible location for a 400 job facility. Kannapolis was a specific point used for the report.

Long story short? There are more than 24,000 workers right now in our area that could be easily hired into a biomanufacturing plant. This is great news. To break it down further, the ratio that firms generally look for is 15:1. That is, 15 qualified workers for every job opening that would happen at their facility. Our ration is 30:1, meaning we would have 30 qualified workers for every 1 job at the 400 job facility.

Our strong manufacturing base and the skill sets already here translate well to this industry. We’ve already seen that with Harmony Labs. This report will provide a powerful marketing tool to companies looking at our state and will help tell our story. To read the report, click here.

Career Development News

I know lots of people are looking for jobs and trying to figure out their best career options in this economy. Here are a few things going on through the Rowan-Cabarrus Community College that may help you.

• The R3 Center has moved and re-opened this week! They are now in the former Visitors Center in downtown Kannapolis at 200 West Ave. The adult career development center is run through RCCC. They offer career counseling, resume review, and various workshops on improving your job search and developing your career. (For those of you who don’t know, the R3 Center played a  major role in working with dislocated Pillowtex workers and is now working with dislocated Philip Morris workers.)
• The R3 Center is now also a site for the statewide JobsNOW program. The goal of the program is to train unemployed people to learn skills in a new field within 6 months. Those who complete the program will receive a Career Readiness Certificate. Upcoming programs are being offered in these fields: Business Networking Technology: Cisco 1 & 2, Nurse Aide I, Small Business Office Management, and Welding Technology. For more information, go to the website or see the Salisbury Post article.
• The FastTrac New Venture Program is being offered through RCCC’s Small Business Center.  This is an established, entrepreneurship development program designed to help people develop their business idea into a viable launch. It is sort of a boot camp that guides you through critical business planning steps such as identifying and reaching your target market, setting financial goals, planning your product or service, building an effective team, and more. The free program is Mondays and Wednesdays 9am to 4pm, March 22 to April 7. For registration information, click here.

I know it’s a tough market, so good luck with your search and let’s hope the economy turns around sooner rather than later.

North Carolina JOBS Commission

Lt. Governor Walter Dalton was in Kannapolis on Friday at the N.C. Research Campus. He is the chair of the JOBS Commission (“Joining Our Businesses and Schools”), which is a group formed by the N.C. General Assembly to make recommendations on how to better link public education and the needs of the businesses in the state. The meeting included panels of business leaders and education leaders. Some of the comments that were made echoed the presentations made at the recent Kannapolis City Council retreat.

Kenny McDonald, VP of Economic Development Services with the Charlotte Regional Partnership, pointed out three key talent challenges that we face as a region:

• Creating places that allow us to attract talent from U.S. and abroad. At the City Council retreat, we discussed the importance of human capital recruitment, and that establishing a strong quality of life and sense of place are critical to making Kannapolis attractive to talented workers.
• Preparing educated individuals and an entrepreneurial culture. Another topic at the City Council retreat was economic development, and the need for Kannapolis to foster an entrepreneurial culture and to develop and attract a well-educated workforce – these are the foundations of growing a strong economic base.
• Preparing specialists capable of solving multi-disciplinary problems. The future workforce needs a wide range of skills and a deep knowledge base. Increasingly, jobs and the problems we face are multi-disciplinary – meaning that you may need different types of degrees or at least an understanding of different fields to be able to tackle work and business challenges. Locally, the N.C. Research Campus is designed to achieve the multi-disciplinary work and collaboration needed for the future. For example, the MURDOCK study being conducted by Duke University, brings together experts with experience in fields such as radiology, cardiology, proteomics, and clinical research.

Scott Lampe, CFO of Hendrick Motorsports, echoed McDonald’s comments and noted that at his company, while they have a variety of jobs from retail operations to licensing to performance racing, what makes their company successful is the process of creating leaders and entrepreneurs. As a community, that should also be Kannapolis’ goal – for us to work together collectively to make this a place that can grow and attract leaders and entrepreneurs. Those are the types of people who create jobs, increase local wealth, and give back to our community.

John Cox, CEO of the Cabarrus Regional Chamber and Cabarrus Economic Development, used the acronym TINKER when it comes to workforce development needs – Think, Innovation, Nurture, Knowledge, Entrepreneurship, and Research. As our future workforce, our kids need to develop or experience all of that through their school years.

As a city government, we have limited direct influence on our educational systems. (Did you know there are 3 school districts in Kannapolis?) However, it is important for us as community leaders to support and encourage the advancement of education and workforce development in the Kannapolis area – it is the essential ingredient to our future prosperity.

Lt. Governor holding JOBS meeting in Kannapolis

Lt. Governor Walton Dalton will be in Kannapolis hosting a regional forum centered around linking educational programs and businesses on December 11. The event, which will take place at the Core Lab, is part of the JOBS Commission.

According to a press release, this initiative plans to:

The Commission aims to create themed schools that match the economic development needs in a community.  Many of these will likely match with the workforce needs for the emerging, technology-based economy, including schools focused on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).  Schools could also focus on workforce shortage areas like nursing and teaching.

The meeting for our region will be December 11th, 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m., at the David H. Murdock Core Laboratory Events Room on the North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis. The meeting is open to the public and will include a general discussion. One of the areas that the JOBS Commission will study is the establishment of early college high schools that are integrated to the needs of the local economy.

If you are interested in attending the JOBS Commission regional meeting to hear more and to offer your ideas to the lieutenant governor, please e-mail Jamie Almond or call her at 919.733.7350.

An article in the October issue of North Carolina Magazine gives more background on the commission.