Coming into the end of the summer, this month's Industry Pulse newsletter includes a number of articles, covering a number of different areas of interest - everything from local town hall meetings to the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC).
 
As always, I hope the information remains relevant and informative; I appreciate the comments I have thus far received and I would ask the comments to continue - be it approval or disapproval.
 
Finally, in case you are receiving this newsletter for the first time or perhaps missed the July edition, please be sure to go to the archives page for past editions.

NCCET Open House 

5PM - 7PM
Tuesday, September 16
NC Center for Engineering Technologies

Years in planning and development, the North Carolina Center for Engineering Technologies (NCCET) is hosting an Open House and the community is invited.
 
Perhaps you had not heard, but the NCCET provides facilities for applied research in engineering related fields and serves as a conduit to education delivered by the University of North Carolina system schools.
 
It truly is a partnership, including support and instruction from Appalachian State University, Western Carolina University, UNC-Charlotte, Catawba Valley Community College, Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute and Western Piedmont Community College.
 
Though in its infancy, the Center is already serving the needs of many well-known companies, such as Hickory Springs, General Dynamics, Viscotec Auto Products, ZF Lemforder and many more in the region.
 
And there remain extensive and great plans to meet the needs of local industry through several different, recently constructed and equipped labs: rapid production realization lab, engineering design laboratory and metrology and reverse engineering lab.  Additionally, planning is already under way to construct and equip labs focusing on the polymers and telecommunications industries.
 
I would urge you to attend this free event to learn more - it holds great potential for our region and potentially for your company.
 
To RSVP, you may either call (828) 328-6183 or email gallagherjm@appstate.edu.

Work Opportunity Tax Credit

Late last month I met with a local company that had asked if there were any federal tax credits available to companies hiring veterans or other groups that have historically had difficulty in finding employment.
 
The Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) is such a program.
 
The WOTC is a federal tax credit program available to employers who hire new employees from eight "targeted" groups, which have historically had difficulty in finding employment. The credit is used to reduce the federal tax liability of private-for-profit employers.
 
These targeted groups are: qualified veterans, qualified ex-felons, high risk youth, Vocational Rehabilitation referral, qualified summer youth, qualified food stamp recipient, qualified SSI recipients and Qualified IV-A recipients
 
Now, there is a formal process any employer should examine before hiring any new employees; a fairly succinct, but informative summary of the program is provided at this link provided by the NC Employment Security Commission.  As with all government programs, paperwork by certain dates and times is required.
 
Additionally, for further assistance or information, I would recommend contacting the Vocational Rehabilitation office in Hickory (828-294-2010); they are very willing to work with employers to not only place employees, but additionally with some of the finer aspects of the WOTC.

Business Images of Catawba County

Having not grown up in Catawba County and being a transplant to the area as of almost 2 years ago, I continually learn about what this County and region have to offer on a daily basis.

The Catawba County Chamber of Commerce and the Catawba County Economic Development Corporation recently combined a few of the highlights from our region in print and online form.
 
Recently published, Business Images of Catawba County takes an informed look at residential and business life in the County.  With focused articles on area attractions like the Hickory Crawdads, Olde Hickory Tap Room or the Hickory Furniture Mart and area businesses such as Frye and Catawba Valley Medical Centers, our many fiber optic manufacturers or even Catawba County's EcoComplex.
 
If new to the area or native to the County, I would urge you to please check out Business Images and perhaps learn something new about the region.

This edition of Industry Pulse provided to you with the support of this EDC Committee of 100 Member:

Committee of 100 Member Spotlight

Established in 1949, Young Morphis Bach & Taylor LLP is a full service law firm located in the First Lawyers Building in downtown Hickory, North Carolina.  Presently, the firm consists of 12 lawyers and an experienced staff of legal professionals, which provide a diverse array of legal services to individuals and businesses across Catawba County and western North Carolina.
 
The firm's practice areas may be divided into three broad categories:
Business Organizations Law - (corporate, real estate, transactions, municipal)
Estates Law - (estate planning, wills and trusts, taxation)
Litigation - (construction law, employment law, negligence, family law)
 
For a complete listing of areas of service, I would once again refer you to the following page.