Fresh from being named an All-America City by the National Civic League, High Point leaders looked ahead Wednesday with aspirations for even more, from getting back in a big way into the meetings and conventions business to luring more overnight visitors through events like sports tournaments, and bringing in more entrepreneurs dedicated to improving economic equity.
The occasion was the annual Business High Point Chamber of Commerce State of the City luncheon at High Point University’s Nido and Mariana Qubein Conference Center. The mood was upbeat and optimistic among the capacity gathering of 500.
“I am bullish about the future of the city in which I reside,” HPU President Nido Qubein said in a video presentation.
Qubein had a commitment away from campus but updated the audience on HPU initiatives. Among them:
- At an expected 6,200-6,300 students for the coming academic year, the university expects its largest enrollment in its history.
- The university’s new law and dental schools each have full classes of some 60 students enrolled in the programs for this coming term, and work is progressing on a school of optometry as well, with HPU soon having 14 academic schools, Qubein said.
- Interviews have begun in the search for a dean of its newly announced David S. Congdon School of Entrepreneurship, named for the executive chairman of Old Dominion Freight Line, and the university’s workforce stands at 2,400 employees, he added.
Business High Point President and CEO Rachel Moss Collins reported that Congdon Yards, the former Adams-Millis Hosiery Mill turned into event center, offices and business incubator, has 50 tenants with 400 employees and hosted 827 events last year. The organization’s Interchange entrepreneurship-leadership program had about 900 participants, and Business High Point established a legislative agenda for the area’s delegation to the North Carolina General Assembly.
BHP also had 30 teens graduate from its teen leadership program run with the YMCA and YWCA.
Mayor Cyril Jefferson also weighed in, also by video because he is attending the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative in New York. Elected last year, Jefferson reported that the city has expanded its tax base by a quarter billion dollars in six years, adopted a fair housing ordinance designed to guard against discrimination, conducted a disparity study that led to establishing a commission to examine reparations related to slavery and its aftermath.
The city also adopted a 2045 comprehensive plan – and gained All-America City recognition for the first time since 1962. The award recognizes communities that leverage civic engagement, collaboration, inclusiveness and innovation to successfully address local issues.
Councilman and Mayor Pro-Tem Michael Holmes elaborated on other city government accomplishments, among them a reduction in violent and property crime, the Fire Department clearing a backlog of fire code inspections, and the start of a family housing initiative. The city is showing it’s willing to tackle tough, long-standing problems, Holmes said to applause.
“We’re a city of Davids and there are no giants too big for us to face,” he said.
A panel discussion offered other organizations concerned with High Point civic and business-conditions improvements a chance to tout their work. Among them was Visit High Point President Melody Barrett, who noted that while events such as the Carolina Core Brewfest and John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues Festival draw visitors, there’s always room to fill the calendar.
A contiguous large meeting space and adjoining hall could help High Point “get back to the meetings and convention game,” while artificial turf fields ancillary to Truist Point Stadium could help lure multi-day sports tournaments, she said.
Thrive 2.0 Executive Director Telisha Roberts reported on the start of the Business High Point Initiative: It’s a business-building and entrepreneurship training and assistance program focused on businesses owned by women and minorities or that are in underserved or underdeveloped areas. Participants can get help with issues such as market analysis, business improvement plans, and sound use of debt.
“We’re building a community of entrepreneurs,” Roberts said.
High Point Market Authority President and CEO Tammy Nagem spoke on how the 115-year-old, twice-a-year gathering of the furniture and interior design industry, can benefit businesses who aren’t directly part of the industry. The market events generally are limited to people in the trade, but the market needs services from the local economy, she noted.
“If you have a cleaning service, we want to talk to you about how you can be Market-ready,” Nagem said.
Joe Blosser, chief impact officer of the Earl & Kathryn Congdon Family Foundation, touted increased investment downtown but said a next step is promoting more downtown living. “Booms and Gen Z want to live in walkable downtowns,” he said.
Blosser also noted that where it was once said High Point once had two Wal-Mart stores and a Bentley auto dealership on the same street, reflecting a deep wealth gap, it has recently surged in the economic middle.
“Come be a part of this work. We need everybody.”
Business High Point also named city of High Point Marketing and Communication Manager Ryan Ferguson the recipient of this year’s Chamber Hero Award.
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By David Hill – Reporter, Triad Business Journal