Raleigh – Graham County’s tourism industry has received another boost.
N.C. State University announced Friday that a multi-county region in western North Carolina – Graham, Jackson, Macon, Swain and the Qualla Boundary – would be receiving funding from CREATE BRIDGES, a program that works to build up rural economies.
Funding will come from a $2,041,330 grant, provided by Walmart to the Southern Rural Development Center.
“I am incredibly proud of the work our community has done to begin revitalizing Main Street, to grow our tourism economy and to support the growth of small business in our county. But we can always do more and we are,” Graham County Economic Development Director Sophia Paulos said. “CREATE BRIDGES will bring vital support to these efforts in our county and to the regional partnerships we have nurtured over the years.
“I’m most excited about the impact this initiative will have on our small business community.”
Representatives from GREAT (Graham Revitalization Economic Action Team), Graham County Economic Development, Robbinsville Travel Authority, Robbinsville United Methodist Church and Graham County Travel & Tourism will be combining forces to find the best use of the funds at the local level.
Statewide organizations that will collaborate include N.C. Cooperative Extension, N.C. State, the N.C. Department of Commerce, the Institute for Emerging Issues and the N.C. Association of Regional Councils of Government.
“We are excited to begin the hard work of community-engaged planning and implementation in the Mountain West NC region, and hope that the processes and strategies used in the CREATE BRIDGES program there will become a successful template for recovery in the retail, accommodation, tourism and entertainment sectors throughout the state of North Carolina,” said Becky Bowen, manager of the CREATE BRIDGES program in North Carolina.
“The next three years will be both a testament to the commitment of the people of the Mountain West NC region to collaborate and innovate, and a test of their resolve to become even stronger post-pandemic.”
“We are grateful to be selected as the pilot region for the state of North Carolina to participate in the CREATE Bridges Initiative,” Chair of the Mountain West Partnership Rich Price added. “This unique opportunity will allow our region to take a deeper dive into these economic sectors that don’t often get the full attention of traditional economic development efforts.
This collaboration between the four counties chosen – along with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians – will undoubtedly result in compelling strategies and tactics for continued growth in the retail, accommodation, entertainment and tourism sectors for many years to come.”
Graham’s participation in the program was secured by the efforts of Western Carolina University, the Mountain West Partnership and the Southwestern Commission.