Jacksonville Onslow Economic Development

October 2014 Newsletter

Manufacturing Day - October 3rd!

In addition to the Manufacturing Day ad that JOED placed, the Daily News highlighted the importance of local manufacturing with a great editorial on October 3rd.

If you missed it, you can read the editorial here.

North Carolina: 3rd Best Business Climate

Texas, Florida, Georgia and North Carolina (tied) are viewed as having the best business climates among the 50 states, according to a new survey of U.S. corporate executives released on October 20th, 2014 at the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) Annual Conference.

"Winning Strategies provides a glimpse into the minds of corporate executives and site selection consultants and their perceptions of locations across the United States and the world," said DCI President Andrew T. Levine.

To read more on this survey, click here.

The Intelligent Transportation System

On October 16, the City of Jacksonville marked the completion of a $5 million construction project designed to improve traffic flow. The ability to reduce traffic congestion can help reduce accidents and improve commuting time during rush hours. This vital infrastructure improvement is one more way we can increase our competitiveness in Economic Development projects.

Contact the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for more information on this or other planning projects in the City.

NC WorkReady Community Certification

On October 6th, Onslow County was presented with a plaque marking their certification through the NCEast Alliance as a Certified WorkReady Community.

Commissioners Buchanan, Ikner, Bright, and Jarman accepted the award on behalf of the County. The local partnership between the Onslow County Schools, Coastal Carolina Community College, East Carolina Workforce Development Board, JOED, and the Chamber of Commerce helped make this award possible.

Onslow County is one of seven counties in North Carolina to be actively working towards the newly established State Certification.

Click here for more information on the NCWorks WorkReady Community Certification.

Hidden Workforce: Exiting Military Data

Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) Data is important to any employer located near a military installation or considering locating its company or an expansion near a military community. The MOS Data revels a hidden workforce - the uniformed personnel who exit local military bases each year to work in civilian communities. This data is not currently visible in civilian workforce reporting tools such as NC Works (www.ncworks.gov).

Onslow County's civilian unemployed plus the average annual exiting military personnel of 8,000 to 10,000 from MCB Camp Lejeune and MCAS New River offer a ready to work labor pool about the size of Greensboro, NC's average unemployment pool.

JOED has created an MOS Data Matrix that can provide three year rolling numbers of exiting military personnel by MOS. This data gives a historical view of the skill sets leaving our local bases each year. If an employer will identify the skills required for specific position descriptions for jobs to be filled in the next six to twelve months, we will facilitate the employer getting projections of how many personnel with those skills will exit the local bases in that time frame.

For more information, contact us at

910-347-3141 x 230 OR joed@onslowedc.com

Jacksonville: Municipal Conservationist of the Year

In the late 1990s the City of Jacksonville began the Wilson Bay Initiative to clean the waters that for decades had been sullied by the City's waste. The old wastewater treatment plant was repurposed as Sturgeon City, an environmental education center which hosts school field trips, public events and makes learning about science fun for students and their teachers. Last year more than 10,000 children took part in educational activities at Sturgeon City.

Click here to read more

or here to watch the presentation video.

Onslow County: Certificate of Achievement in Excellence in Financial Reporting (CAFR)

The Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting has been awarded to Onslow County by the Government Finance Association of the United States of Canada (GFOA) for its Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) for the Fiscal Year ended June 30, 2013. The Certificate of Achievement is the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting, and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management.

Click here to read more about this achievement.

The Affordable Care Act: What Employers Need to Know for 2015

A webinar will be held on November 6, 2014 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. to help you understand what you need to know about the Affordable Care Act in 2015. Registered participants will be invited to submit questions in advance of the webinar.

Who should attend:

Human resources directors and staff, city and county attorneys, as well as city and county managers, clerks, and finance directors who have health insurance benefit responsibilities.

For more information or to register for the live or video sessions, visit www.sog.unc.edu/node/31651.

Community Profile

Click here to view current demographic, wage, and economic impact data. This information can always be found on our website - www.onslowedc.com

We hope you enjoyed your edition of the JOED Newsletter!

About JOED

In This Issue

Manufacturing Day

NC Ranks 3rd

Intelligent Transportation System

NC WorkReady Community

Hidden Workforce

Municipal Conservationist of the Year