NC Rising identifies & highlights success stories from our state's rural areas that once thrived on crops such as tobacco & manufacturing jobs such as furniture & textiles, but are now transitioning into a new global economy. Tar Heel Made takes a look at how manufacturers are looking to new markets to find products and services to help revitalize economically distressed areas in the state.

North Carolina Rising | UNC-TV

NC Rising Tar Heel Made| NC Rising:

NC Rising identifies & highlights success stories from our state's rural areas that once thrived on crops such as tobacco & manufacturing jobs such as furniture & textiles, but are now transitioning into a new global economy. Tar Heel Grown takes a look at how farmers are looking to new markets to find new crops to help revitalize economically distressed areas in the state.

NC Rising Tar Heel Grown | NC Rising:

NC Rising: Alternative Farming: Interview Johnson

NC Rising: Alternative Farming

Rural Health Care...What's the diagnosis?

NC Rising: Rural Health Care...What's the diagnosis? Interview Thomas Irons

NC Rising: Rural Health Care...What's the diagnosis?

Project DescriptionRelocated from California to the small town of Washington, North Carolina, Pacific Seacraft was saved from bankruptcy by a father and son from NC. Stephen Brodie bought the 30-year-old company at an auction in California for only $75,000, hauled the boat molds across the country, and set out to revamp the company along the Pamlico River.

NC Rising: PACIFIC SEACRAFT: Interview with Stephen Brodie

NC Rising: PACIFIC SEACRAFT

In 2005, Cherokee County purchased a 25,000 square foot building in order to develop the Cherokee County Center for Applied Technology. A collaboration between Tri-County Community College, Cherokee County, and several industry partners, the facility is now used for classes and short-run manufacturing and houses the college's Machinist Training Program and the Associate Degree program in Machining Technology.

NC Rising: Advanced Machining Classes: Interview with Ms. Tipton

NC Rising: Advanced Machining Classes

More often than not, economic development begins with education. This concept is the basis of the 1:1 Laptop Initiative, funded by the Golden LEAF Foundation along with private funding from SAS and the NC General Assembly, which seeks to reform high schools by providing laptop computers to students and teachers in school districts in rural areas of the state. Created as a replicable model, the 1:1 initiative will guide the implementation of the program throughout North Carolina's public schools and afford all students access to a twenty-first-century classroom environment.

NC Rising: 1:1 Laptop Initiative: Intervew with Dr. Joseph Davis

NC Rising: 1:1 Laptop Initiative

Many organizations in North Carolina are working to build the State's military economy. These programs work directly with NC-based businesses and federal contractors to secure lucrative federal and military contracts that boost the economies of local and State economies.

NC Rising: Military Contracts for NC Businesses: Interview with Scott Doney

NC Rising: Military Contracts for NC Businesses

Interview: Becky Anderson/Founder, HandMade In America HandMade in America was founded in 1993 with a belief that economic revitalization wasn’t necessarily tied to luring "modern" industry to the region but in making known the hidden heritage and craftspeople that are so vitally a part of western North Carolina. Since then, HandMade has evolved into a nationally recognized, multidimensional institution that has sparked initiatives and creative collaborations in education, small town revitalization and community development, economic development, environmentally sustainable strategies and enhanced opportunities for makers of the handmade object, heritage tourism, and incorporating crafts into building design and furnishing

NC Now: HandMade in America: Becky Anderson/Founder, HandMade In America | UNC-TV

As part of an ongoing year-long series, North Carolina Now will highlight success stories like this one happening in North Carolina’s rural communities. In the summer of 2009, the series will conclude with an hour-long documentary and a series of topical town hall meetings.