LEADERSHIP ROCKY MOUNT FOCUSES ON COMMUNITY HISTORY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Members of the 2000-2001 Leadership Rocky Mount program prepare to tour the Rocky Mount plant of Abbott Laboratories. The Rocky Mount facility is the largest in the international pharmaceutical-manufacturing group.
The March 15 session of The Chamber's community leadership development program - Leadership Rocky Mount - spanned centuries to examine some of the most current economic development concerns and the history and heritage of the area that began as the "Rocky Mound."
Vice President of Business Recruitment Alan Matthews explained the complexities and the strategies behind recruiting small businesses to the twin-county area and what is necessary to help in the expansion of existing operations. LRM participant Frank Katkaveck of Abbott Laboratories arranged for the group to tour his employer's facility to balance the day's discussion between the smaller businesses to the largest.
Also included in the day's session were presentations and tours to help capture the historical significance of the community and to aid in understanding why some things are the way they are today because of circumstances hundreds of years ago. John Mebane, President of Rocky Mount Mills, serves as the LRM program's historical facilitator and traced the growth and development of Rocky Mount from its inception to the present day. T.E. Ricks of Boone, Hill, Allen and Ricks and curator of Stonewall Manor gave additional insight to the community's history from the venue of Stonewall. A tour of the historic plantation home helped recreate life in the community some 200 years ago.
According to LRM coordinator Rick Davis, "This session in the nine-month program is really important for those who play leadership roles in the community. It helps us appreciate the direction of the community as we come to better understand both the commercial and social evolution of our area and apply that understanding to the changes taking place. By looking at recruitment of new business and an established economic anchor within the context of an historical frame, we can better position ourselves for the future."
