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Sound Strategy: Understanding the Outer Banks’ past can illuminate the present, future

June 1st, 2023  · Sound Strategy  · Top Stories
Sound Strategy: Understanding the Outer Banks’ past can illuminate the present, future

Entrepreneur is a French word, meaning to build something from nothing.  Looking at photographs of our region from the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s it’s clear that the greater Outer Banks has seen a remarkable boom in entrepreneurship over the past few decades.  The visionaries and barnstormers of the 80’s and 90’s were able to do…Read More from Sound Strategy: Understanding the Outer Banks’ past can illuminate the present, future

Sound Strategy: Long-term success of Greater Outer Banks economy is chess, not checkers

May 25th, 2023  · Commentary  · Sound Strategy  · Top Stories
Sound Strategy: Long-term success of Greater Outer Banks economy is chess, not checkers

Listening across our region to voices and thinking about what kind of future we are designing in our efforts, it’s clear that eastern North Carolina is a unique place with both unique opportunities and unique challenges unlike any other part of the state. What’s striking in many of these hopes is the amount of future…Read More from Sound Strategy: Long-term success of Greater Outer Banks economy is chess, not checkers

Commentary: Adult learners can connect with College of The Albemarle for better skills, better jobs, better future

May 20th, 2023  · Commentary  · Work
Commentary: Adult learners can connect with College of The Albemarle for better skills, better jobs, better future

By Dr. Jack Bagwell and MC Belk Pilon We know that many North Carolinians are looking for new career opportunities and a fresh start. College of The Albemarle is a great place for them to begin their journey. In just a matter of months, adult learners can acquire the skills, credentials, and degrees they need…Read More from Commentary: Adult learners can connect with College of The Albemarle for better skills, better jobs, better future

Sound Strategy: “Are you planning to come back?” is best measure of OBX visitor economy’s future

May 18th, 2023  · Commentary  · Sound Strategy  · Top Stories
Sound Strategy: “Are you planning to come back?” is best measure of OBX visitor economy’s future

“In the short term, the market is a voting machine. In the long-term, it’s a weighing machine.” – Benjamin Graham With the Memorial Day holiday weekend just around the corner, our regional visitor economy swings into full speed for what will once again be a busy summer. In the short-term, our commerce engines continue to…Read More from Sound Strategy: “Are you planning to come back?” is best measure of OBX visitor economy’s future

Commentary: Buying out threatened Rodanthe oceanfront homes is not a crazy idea

May 15th, 2023  · Commentary  · Real Estate
Commentary: Buying out threatened Rodanthe oceanfront homes is not a crazy idea

Dr. Rob Young, director of the Western Carolina University/Duke University Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines, compares the costs of a possible buyout of 80 highly exposed properties in Rodanthe to the costs of beach nourishment, which could be triple that amount over 15 years. Originally published by CoastalReview.org The oceanfront shoreline of Rodanthe…Read More from Commentary: Buying out threatened Rodanthe oceanfront homes is not a crazy idea

Analysis: Could “lightering” help with Ocracoke traffic issues?

May 10th, 2023  · BIZ  · Commentary
Analysis: Could “lightering” help with Ocracoke traffic issues?

Maybe it’s time for the N.C. Ferry Division to look to the past for a solution to the present, regarding the Hatteras ferry terminal’s long stacking lanes of vehicles waiting to go to Ocracoke. Ocracoke’s neighbor to the south, Portsmouth Island, thrived in the 19th century serving as a port that would receive goods for…Read More from Analysis: Could “lightering” help with Ocracoke traffic issues?

Commentary: Cluster homes ordinance shows “enough is enough” with development on Greater Outer Banks

May 8th, 2023  · Commentary
Commentary: Cluster homes ordinance shows “enough is enough” with development on Greater Outer Banks

By Cyndy Holda I have always loved to “fight the good fight” for justice and for the right reasons. The Outer Banks economy was built on the backs of native families who commercial or recreational fished the surroundings waters; provided lodging for; opened and ran the grueling business of restaurant work to feed many hungry…Read More from Commentary: Cluster homes ordinance shows “enough is enough” with development on Greater Outer Banks

Sound Strategy: Choice, not change, dictates what lies next

May 5th, 2023  · Commentary  · Sound Strategy  · Top Stories
Sound Strategy: Choice, not change, dictates what lies next

Around virtually every seeming corner in our lives at the moment lies some kind of dramatic evolution; whether it’s banking headlines, housing developments, or simply the pace of change, we are left to wonder with little confidence what lies around the next corner. As Elie Wiesel is famous for pointing out, it isn’t the change…Read More from Sound Strategy: Choice, not change, dictates what lies next

Commentary: The case for Currituck Outer Banks beach nourishment to protect county’s economy

May 3rd, 2023  · Commentary  · Top Stories
Commentary: The case for Currituck Outer Banks beach nourishment to protect county’s economy

By Edward Cornet Currituck County’s economy depends heavily on beach tourism, which generates about half of the county’s tax revenues. The Currituck Department of Travel and Tourism estimates that this saves every county family over $3,000 per year in tax payments. However, beach erosion poses a significant threat to this source of revenue. The county’s…Read More from Commentary: The case for Currituck Outer Banks beach nourishment to protect county’s economy

Sound Strategy: More chains mean smaller businesses must maintain ‘authenticity’

April 27th, 2023  · BIZ  · Commentary  · Top Stories
Sound Strategy: More chains mean smaller businesses must maintain ‘authenticity’

In a region known for the vibrancy of its small businesses, we’ve seen a fairly rapid succession of new and bigger businesses arrive along our shores. For example, Royal Farms in Grandy, Wawa in Kill Devil Hills and the long-awaited Target. And more big-name chains like them are coming to all parts of the Greater…Read More from Sound Strategy: More chains mean smaller businesses must maintain ‘authenticity’

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Sound Strategy Top Stories June 1st, 2023

Sound Strategy: Understanding the Outer Banks’ past can illuminate the present, future

Entrepreneur is a French word, meaning to build something from nothing.  Looking at photographs of our region from the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s it’s clear that the greater Outer Banks has seen a remarkable boom in entrepreneurship over the past few decades.  The visionaries and barnstormers of the 80’s and 90’s were able to do…Read More from Sound Strategy: Understanding the Outer Banks’ past can illuminate the present, future

Image

Sound Strategy: Long-term success of Greater Outer Banks economy is chess, not checkers

Listening across our region to voices and thinking about what kind of future we are designing in our efforts, it’s clear that eastern North Carolina is a unique place with both unique opportunities and unique challenges unlike any other part of the state. What’s striking in many of these hopes is the amount of future…Read More from Sound Strategy: Long-term success of Greater Outer Banks economy is chess, not checkers

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Commentary Work May 20th, 2023

Commentary: Adult learners can connect with College of The Albemarle for better skills, better jobs, better future

By Dr. Jack Bagwell and MC Belk Pilon We know that many North Carolinians are looking for new career opportunities and a fresh start. College of The Albemarle is a great place for them to begin their journey. In just a matter of months, adult learners can acquire the skills, credentials, and degrees they need…Read More from Commentary: Adult learners can connect with College of The Albemarle for better skills, better jobs, better future

Image

Sound Strategy: “Are you planning to come back?” is best measure of OBX visitor economy’s future

“In the short term, the market is a voting machine. In the long-term, it’s a weighing machine.” – Benjamin Graham With the Memorial Day holiday weekend just around the corner, our regional visitor economy swings into full speed for what will once again be a busy summer. In the short-term, our commerce engines continue to…Read More from Sound Strategy: “Are you planning to come back?” is best measure of OBX visitor economy’s future

Image
Commentary Real Estate May 15th, 2023

Commentary: Buying out threatened Rodanthe oceanfront homes is not a crazy idea

Dr. Rob Young, director of the Western Carolina University/Duke University Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines, compares the costs of a possible buyout of 80 highly exposed properties in Rodanthe to the costs of beach nourishment, which could be triple that amount over 15 years. Originally published by CoastalReview.org The oceanfront shoreline of Rodanthe…Read More from Commentary: Buying out threatened Rodanthe oceanfront homes is not a crazy idea

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BIZ Commentary May 10th, 2023

Analysis: Could “lightering” help with Ocracoke traffic issues?

Maybe it’s time for the N.C. Ferry Division to look to the past for a solution to the present, regarding the Hatteras ferry terminal’s long stacking lanes of vehicles waiting to go to Ocracoke. Ocracoke’s neighbor to the south, Portsmouth Island, thrived in the 19th century serving as a port that would receive goods for…Read More from Analysis: Could “lightering” help with Ocracoke traffic issues?

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Commentary May 8th, 2023

Commentary: Cluster homes ordinance shows “enough is enough” with development on Greater Outer Banks

By Cyndy Holda I have always loved to “fight the good fight” for justice and for the right reasons. The Outer Banks economy was built on the backs of native families who commercial or recreational fished the surroundings waters; provided lodging for; opened and ran the grueling business of restaurant work to feed many hungry…Read More from Commentary: Cluster homes ordinance shows “enough is enough” with development on Greater Outer Banks

Image

Sound Strategy: Choice, not change, dictates what lies next

Around virtually every seeming corner in our lives at the moment lies some kind of dramatic evolution; whether it’s banking headlines, housing developments, or simply the pace of change, we are left to wonder with little confidence what lies around the next corner. As Elie Wiesel is famous for pointing out, it isn’t the change…Read More from Sound Strategy: Choice, not change, dictates what lies next

Image
Commentary Top Stories May 3rd, 2023

Commentary: The case for Currituck Outer Banks beach nourishment to protect county’s economy

By Edward Cornet Currituck County’s economy depends heavily on beach tourism, which generates about half of the county’s tax revenues. The Currituck Department of Travel and Tourism estimates that this saves every county family over $3,000 per year in tax payments. However, beach erosion poses a significant threat to this source of revenue. The county’s…Read More from Commentary: The case for Currituck Outer Banks beach nourishment to protect county’s economy

Image
BIZ Commentary Top Stories April 27th, 2023

Sound Strategy: More chains mean smaller businesses must maintain ‘authenticity’

In a region known for the vibrancy of its small businesses, we’ve seen a fairly rapid succession of new and bigger businesses arrive along our shores. For example, Royal Farms in Grandy, Wawa in Kill Devil Hills and the long-awaited Target. And more big-name chains like them are coming to all parts of the Greater…Read More from Sound Strategy: More chains mean smaller businesses must maintain ‘authenticity’