COMMUNITY CLOSE-UP
PITT COUNTY The Reentry Council helps individuals recently released from incarceration find temporary housing, training, job placement, transportation, substance-abuse support, mentoring and education. More than 500 individuals have participated in the program since 2015. Fewer than 16% of them have returned to jail or prison. The countywide Community Paramedic Program was showcased for its success in educating residents about health care and wellness and reducing readmittance to the hospital. It was launched in 2018 and is focused on the county’s commitment to health education. Established in 2017, the Farm and Food Council promotes a healthy, sustainable and economical community food system. It developed Pitt County
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Food Finder, a mobile app that lists and locates local food resources. The council also helps provide transportation to markets, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program/Electronic Benefits Transfer card readers, a mobile farmers market and food vouchers for seniors.
GROWING INDUSTRY Manufacturing comprises nearly 25% of Pitt County’s gross domestic product, well above any other sector, and 9.6% of the labor force works in manufacturing and distribution. Despite the unknowns of 2020, there have been opportunities for the manufacturing industry, and Pitt County has seen more jobs, investment and accolades at several local companies. World Cat, a manufacturer of outboard-motor-powered catamarans
C A R O L I N A
used by recreational boaters worldwide, recently announced it was renovating a 230,000-square-foot factory in Greenville, where it will invest $8.9 million and create 60 jobs. It will position the company for long-term growth in the fastest-growing segment of the recreational boating market. A brand of HC Composites, it has been headquartered in Tarboro since 2002, and it will maintain its 180-person workforce there. Greenville-based Grover Gaming, a designer and developer of software, game content and gaming systems, is utilizing an N.C. Department of Commerce Building Reuse grant of $125,000 at its Greenville location. It created 13 jobs. It plans to create 100 jobs over the next five years, nearly doubling its workforce. It recently was ranked 194th on the Inc. 5000 list, placing it in the top
SPONSORED SECTION
11/23/20 11:08 AM