The Greenville Eastern North Carolina (ENC) Alliance and the Crisp Small Business Resource Center at East Carolina University were honored to co-host a town hall for small businesses in Greenville-Pitt County on Wednesday, January 8, 2025, at ECU’s Main Campus Student Center. The event featured speakers and resources from federal, state, and local agencies, such as the U.S. Small Business Administration, Pitt County, and the City of Greenville.
“Our organization is excited to bring this event to the community. It is extremely important that we create an aligned small business support system that delivers value and is easy to navigate. Part of that process is to bring all small business partners and resources together,” said Josh Lewis, CEcD, President and CEO of the Greenville ENC Alliance. “Working with the SBA, ECU, and our local governments, we can create clear pathways for owners and entrepreneurs to leverage programs that will help drive their success.”
The free town hall showcased the many resources available to small businesses in Pitt County, including the Crisp Small Business Resource Center at ECU. The center is the entrepreneurial resource hub of eastern North Carolina and provides resources to help launch and sustain small businesses and foster sustainable economic development. More than 125 small businesses registered to attend the event.
“A visit from the SBA to Pitt County signals to our small business owners that they are important and valuable to our local economy and are visible to this federal entity. By highlighting not only the resources to support small businesses in Pitt County but also their success in supporting rural economic development, this inspires pride and continued investment into these important assets of our community,” shared Emily Yeager, Ph.D., interim director of the Crisp Small Business Resource Center. “These are values that align with the Center’s mission to support sustainable small business and economic development in eastern North Carolina.”
The event program included an economic overview of Greenville-Pitt County focused on small business data and trends identified by the Greenville ENC Alliance. In addition, attendees learned about resources available to them during a fireside chat with Allen Thomas, Region IV Administrator of the U.S. SBA; Michael Cowin, Greenville City Manager; and Janis Gallagher, Pitt County Manager.
“What an honor it is to be a part of this significant Small Business Town Hall in Pitt County,” said Allen Thomas, SBA Regional Administrator. “As a lifetime entrepreneur myself, I have leveraged the small business tools and resources that are available to us in Greenville, and I can attest that the assistance can be a game changer for the lifecycle of your business. My call to action for all attendees is to take advantage of these tools to enhance your small businesses as well as our local economy.”
The program also included a panel with various organizations and agencies and a local business perspective from Susan Bucci, owner of Painted Peacock, to highlight the success of small businesses in Greenville-Pitt County and the resources available locally to help them thrive. The event concluded with networking and an opportunity to visit a dozen vendors that offer services and resources to small businesses in eastern North Carolina.
Click here to watch a full recap of the Small Business Town Hall on YouTube.
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媒体关系联系人：
Maria Satira
Director of Marketing and Communications
Greenville Eastern North Carolina Alliance
satira@encalliance.com
252-414-2875