$50,000 Grant Will Assist Moore County, NC Talent Recruitment Effort

SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. - Oct. 28, 2013 - PRLog -- Pat Corso, Executive Director of Moore County Partners in Progress, announced today that the organization has been awarded a $50,000 challenge grant from the Duke Energy Foundation to be used in support of the Moore Opportunity marketing initiative.

Moore Opportunity is both an economic development initiative as well as a talent recruitment effort to enhance Moore County, North Carolina's overall competitiveness regionally, nationally, and globally by attracting new, skilled and innovative people to the County who will start businesses, enhance our workforce, and contribute intellectually, economically, and socially to the betterment of our communities.

“This initiative positions us, as a rural micropolitan county, to capitalize on the opportunity to grow our communities to achieve the overall goals of increasing economic prosperity, enhancing our quality of life, and generating more community vibrancy,” Corso said.

“By encouraging a steady influx of highly skilled people into our workforce, particularly workers who might otherwise locate in urban areas, Moore County will be more attractive and competitive as a suitable location for prospective relocating and expanding companies,” Corso added.  “Moore Opportunity will also help us pursue targeted industry sectors as part of our economic development strategy.”

Moore Opportunity evolved out of Partners in Progress’ Moore Forward (http://www.mooreforward.org) entrepreneurial initiative aimed at attracting and supporting entrepreneurs whose business ventures will create new jobs and investment to our communities.  The marketing initiative is a $125,000 project designed to promote Moore County and its communities through a comprehensive marketing campaign that focuses on the county’s assets, amenities and exceptional quality of life. The centerpiece of this campaign will be the launch of a new website that attracts and encourages individuals and families within a variety of demographic profiles, including young professionals and separated/retired military, to relocate to Moore County.

In addition to Partners in Progress and the Duke Energy Foundation, other partnering organizations in the initiative include the Pinehurst - Southern Pines - Aberdeen Area Convention & Visitors Bureau (http://www.homeofgolf.com), the Pinehurst – Southern Pines Area Association of Realtors, and the Moore County Homebuilders Association.

The plan is to launch the website by the end of 1st quarter 2014 to capitalize on the increased public interest and international media exposure taking place before and during the U.S. Open and the U.S. Women’s Open championships in Pinehurst in June 2014.

“This initiative is under way at a most opportune time to leverage the media coverage and momentum generated by the U.S. Opens,” said Caleb Miles, President of the Convention & Visitors Bureau.  “While Moore County is in the international spotlight, the world will see an image of our communities as an ideal location for a diversity of creative and talented people to live, work and play.”

The Duke Energy Foundation’s $50,000 challenge grant will be awarded when Partners in Progress raises the remaining $75,000 needed for the comprehensive marketing campaign.

“Duke Energy is proud to support the Moore Opportunity marketing initiative, which will promote Moore County and all of its communities,” said David McNeill, Duke Energy’s district manager, based in Aberdeen. “The success of our company is closely tied to the growth and vitality of the communities we serve. We believe that investments in support of economic development are important to the prosperity of communities throughout this region, and are a stimulus for jobs and investments in the local economy.”

The Duke Energy Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity committed to improving the quality of life in the communities Duke Energy serves.  By supporting local charitable organizations like Partners in Progress, the Foundation expresses its commitment to sustainable economic development by providing resources to help communities thrive today and in the future.  In addition to economic development, the Foundation’s other areas of focus are the environment, education and community vitality.

Partners in Progress (http://www.moorebusiness.org) is a 501(c)(3) NC nonprofit economic development organization incorporated in 2002, whose mission is to increase economic prosperity in Moore County, and to improve the quality of life for its citizens. The focus of the organization includes new business recruitment and existing industry retention and expansion, entrepreneurial development, agribusiness, and talent recruitment as a means to create jobs, generate capital investment, expand the tax base, and enhance the county’s workforce.