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Thursday, 01 April 2010 11:54 |
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From Daily Planet Staff Reports
Business experts expressed optimism over the region’s economic future during an Advantage West Economic Summit on March 29 at Diana Wortham Theatre in downtown Asheville.
About 350 people attended, nearly filling the theatre. A reception with hors d’oevres preceded the summit.
The event featured a panel of business and political leaders. Advantage West is the economic development agency for North Carolina’s 23 western counties.
 Econ-forum.jpg
Participants in the discussion at the Advantage
West Economic Summit include (from left) moderator D.G. Martin, Keith
Crisco, Nelson Schwabb III, Martin Lancaster, Mike Fulenwider and state
Sen. Martin Nesbitt, D-Buncombe County.
The summit, held at a time when regional unemployment stands at 12
percent, gave the public a chance to hear first-hand from experts about
where the economy is heading.
Moderating the panel discussion was G.D. Martin, who now is a
newspaper columnist and UNC-TV host. (His column appears regularly on
the editorial page of the Daily Planet.)
The panelists included N.C. Commerce Secretary Keith Crisco; Mike
Fulenwider, president and chief executive officer of Fullenwider
Enterprises in Morganton; Martin Lancaster, former president of the
North Carolina Community College System; state Sen. Martin Nesbitt,
D-Buncombe, and Nelson Scwabb III, managing partner at Carousel Capital,
a private equity firm.
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