What: Swain County Business Symposium
When: Tuesday, Jan. 13, 4 to 6 p.m.
Where: Swain Center/Southwestern Community College
Why: For local businesses, non-profits and economic agencies to network and learn about opportunities for assistance and partnerships. Also, Great Smoky Mountains Railroad will unveil its master plan.

The Swain County Economic Development Commission is developing a new strategy for its job creation incentive fund.

The fund was previously reserved for manufacturing industries, but economic development leaders are considering new uses for the fund, such as aid for existing business or for entrepreneur assistance.

The county established the economic development fund in the early 1990s, providing a source for incentive grants to lure new or expanding industry to Swain County. It has now grown to more than $200,000. But in 10 years the fund has only been drawn from once. (See related article on ConMet, page 5)

There simply aren’t enough manufacturing industries — new or existing — to utilize the fund, said Ken Mills, Swain County economic development director. The fund was based on a model by the North Carolina Department of Commerce, and as a result was aligned with the state’s philosophy at the time.

“At the time, the state was looking at only industry and manufacturing, and mainly focused on marrying up potential industries with suitable sites,” Mills said.

That was not an optimum model for Swain, however, which had no certified industrial sites to advertise, and had few local manufacturers looking to expand.

“We have never been strong in recruiting because we didn’t have a lot of buildings and infrastructure to market,” Mills said.

So the EDC is exploring new economic development strategies for the fund, and will likely focus on helping existing business in all sectors expand.

“Everybody cites the bird in hand adage now. The existing businesses are the ones that are going to help provide jobs and grow,” Mills said.

That is a real shift from the mentality that previously permeated the state, when the goal of economic development was luring industries here from elsewhere, Mills said.

“We are looking inward now instead of looking across state lines,” Mills said. “Being such a small county with such a large tourist base, (the EDC) realized our best bet was diversity — anything we could identify as being a healthy company in our county.”

Mills, a local businessman, took the helm of the Swain County Economic Development Commission in August. Mills started what many hope will be a new era for the commission and an end to a revolving door of EDC directors.

“As a poor county, we didn’t have the money to hire someone with a lot of experience. We had a revolving door of people using the position as a resume builder,” Mills said of his predecessors.

Mills, a former director of operations for an international corporation, landed in Swain County 15 years ago in search of a new, more laid-back career path. He operated the Deep Creek Tube Center for 15 years, serving as a volunteer on the EDC during that time. After selling his tubing business last year, colleagues asked him to take the position as director of the EDC and hopefully bring stability to the position. Mills knew the territory, was committed to remaining in the community and was familiar with the EDC’s ongoing projects.

Today, the EDC is involved in several projects — from aiding with the ConMet industrial expansion to helping the town of Bryson City develop public parking downtown.

Mills also hopes to start an entrepreneur-training program, possibly in the local high school.

“One thing every county says is they want to be able to keep their children here, to have good jobs so their children don’t have to move away. If we can establish an entrepreneur program, then they can create their own jobs,” Mills said.

Swain County’s EDC operating budget is $50,000. The county spends another $30,000 annually on debt payments for the industrial park project from the 1990s.