Summary: Kathleen Henry and I go on a deep dive about Economic Development in Wake County.
Show Notes: Welcome to Dirt NC where we talk all about the places and spaces of North Carolina and the people who make them awesome, I am your host Jed Byrne.
Throughout my career in engineering, construction, finance, and development, I have covered just about all sides of the land use ecosystem. This show creates an opportunity for me to share what I have learned with you as well as introduce you to some of my friends, both new and old who are doing transformative work.
With each episode of Dirt NC my goal is to make sure you walk away learning something new about land use. I promise to keep it simple and straight to the point.
If you ever have a question for me, please reach out on Twitter at @Oakcitycre
________________________________________________________
Today I had the chance to chat with Kathleen Henry who is an Economic Development Director with Wake County Economic Development (WCED). We do a deep dive all about what the economic development process actually looks like, what is the current state of economic development in Wake County, and what do site selectors look for when they are on the hunt for locations for their clients.
About Kathleen: As a key member of WCED’s business recruitment and expansion team, Kathleen Henry manages all aspects of the business recruitment and expansion process and contributes to the overall BRE strategy. She also leads efforts around WCED’s International Business & Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) initiatives with the goal of recruiting and marketing the region to foreign-owned companies.
Before arriving at WCED, Kathleen worked for World Trade Center Savannah, an international economic development organization in Savannah, Georgia where she served as the Manager of Research and Trade Development, helping regional companies with their international growth strategies as well as managing the planning, marketing and execution of inbound trade missions and outbound trade and investment development efforts for the region.
Born and raised in Anderson, South Carolina, Kathleen moved to Savannah, GA to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Armstrong State University. During her four years at Armstrong, she competed as a member of the university’s national championship tennis team. Kathleen was drawn to Wake County for its great quality of life and for the opportunity to contribute to its exciting economic growth. Kathleen loves spending time outdoors, running the Greenways, experiencing the local food scene, attending sporting events and traveling.
________________________________________________________
As always, I am grateful that you have chosen to share this time with me! If you have comments/questions/suggestions about Dirt NC or anything land use related you can find me on twitter at @OakCityCRE and if you want a simple and to the point update on Raleigh commercial development you can subscribe to The Top Five, my free weekly newsletter at www.oakcitycre.com
Until next time, Thank you!