COMMUNITY CLOSE-UP
PITT COUNTY
Business North Carolina Community: For many years, business leaders in eastern North Carolina have weathered storms and, now, a pandemic. Through it all, partnerships across the region made recovery from difficult challenges easier and allowed us all to envision a brighter tomorrow. This moment in time is no different than the ones we have faced before. Over the last decade, we learned some important lessons. As a trusted partner, East Carolina University listened to the concerns partners in government and industry voiced about having a place and space that focuses research-driven innovation on challenges across our region. Strong workforce pipelines fuel advanced manufacturing, data-driven decisions and solutions to our biggest problems. Employees in 21st-century environments want a place to come to work and relax at the end of the day. Together with partners in government and industry, we are working to connect classrooms and marketplaces. Our collaborations are linking higher education with opportunities that can move individuals as well as communities forward toward higher levels of economic prosperity. We are starting the next phase to build a place where innovation and business intersect. And so, I am thrilled to announce Intersect East. It will be the crown jewel of an expanding innovation ecosystem in eastern North Carolina. This 19-acre property will be the nation’s first Pacesetter Urban Hub — a campus where scientific research, business and downtown culture merge. Complete with a high-tech research and innovation hub, new and historically renovated office space, on-site residential and nightlife amenities, a biopark and walking trail, Intersect East has all of the advantages of a first-class university alongside business and technology development collaboration spaces. Combined, this asset and ECU’s growing research portfolio and brand-new Life Sciences and Biotechnology Building prepare us well to meet North Carolina’s future industry demands. Learn more about our new project online at intersecteast.com, and don’t miss your opportunity to join us at the intersection of business, innovation and culture.
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N O R T H
PHOTO COURTESY OF EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY
Ron Mitchelson Interim Chancellor East Carolina University
C A R O L I N A
SPONSORED SECTION
11/23/20 11:00 AM