For More Information
Contact
Susan Scaggs
Caswell County Campus
Piedmont Community College
scaggss@piedmontcc.edu
336-694-5705
From Cooperation to
Corporation
Piedmont Community College
RCCI Conference 2006
Piedmont Community College
and the RCCI


Complex college Service Area
 Person County
 Caswell County
RCCI two pronged approach
Caswell County Basics
Where are we?
Who are we?
Where have we been?
Where are we now?
Where are we?
Caswell County is located in the upper right corner
of the Piedmont Triad and well within commuter
distance of the Research Triangle Park
Our nearest cities are Greensboro, Winston-Salem,
High Point as well as Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel
Hill, and Danville, VA
Who are we?
Approximately 23,000 people
call Caswell County home…there are more
deer than people here
Racially the county has a 60/40
white black population with little
other racial diversity
This demographic has remained
fairly unchanged
The religious community is
homogeneous – mainstream
Christian
There is a fading Amish presence in the
County
Consider the implications of a
community lacking real religious and
racial diversity
Less than 10% of our folk
have a college degree
Tobacco farmers wondering what
is next
Under educated, under the
poverty line, under exposed to
new ideas and possibilities, and
under a deadline for change
Nearly 80% of the working population
commute outside the county to work
Where have we been?
Established 1777
First County Created by the
State of North Carolina
Named for State's First
Governor, Richard
Caswell
Economy built on tobacco
farming
Pre Civil War, Caswell was one of the
wealthiest counties in the state
Caswell was one of the five top tobacco
producing counties
In 1850, 52% of Caswell’s
population were slaves
Where are we now?
Manufacturing Industry in Caswell employs
446 people
The single largest manufacturing industry
serves 210 people – Royal Park Uniform,
Inc
The largest overall employer in the
County is the
County Schools system
There are two prisons in Caswell
An honor grade camp – Dan River
Prison Work Farm
A Medium Custody Unit – Caswell
Correctional Facility
Caswell has a 15,000 acre NC Wildlife
Management Area
Cultural Resources:
Yanceyville Historic District, Square, and
Courthouse
Entire County is a historic agricultural
window to the past
Life in the county:
Friendly hardworking people
Farming and the rural life
Active Caswell Council for the Arts
Caswell Civic Center
Historic Association
Horticulture Club
Rotary, Ruritan, Kiwanis
The Caswell County Project
Partnerships Partnerships Partnerships




County/City Government
Economic Development
Chamber of Commerce
NC Department of Labor
Immediate Benefit
 21st
Century NC Department of Labor
 NC-DOL staff assigned
 Environmental Scan Conducted/Published
Environmental Scan Findings
 Local
Assets
 Hardworking
people
 Piedmont Community College
 Historic Nature of the County
 Local
Challenges
 Leadership
 Land
Development
Use
 Strategic Plan
Using the Scan Results
The RCCI 21st Century Team
Develops a Strategic Plan
What do we need?
Caring effective leadership
Follow through on plan that is in motion
Improved K-12
Attention to infrastructure
Land Use Plan
A Unified Vision
Got the cooperation…
now what about the corporation
Remember this List?
Active Caswell Council for the Arts
Caswell Civic Center
Historic Association
Horticulture Club
Rotary
Ruritan
Kiwanis
Caswell 21st Century
Development Corporation is born
Non-profit group to solicit, receive,
and distribute funds to community
projects
Already Funding
The Caswell County Ag-Expo
The Caswell Community Arboretum
Following the Strategic Plan
Marketing
Tourism
Agriculture
Education
Outreach
Broadband Connectivity
Industrial Park
Focus on Tourism
Entire County is a historic agricultural
window to the past
 Comprehensive list of possible
historic themes, including plantations,
historic churches, and cemeteries

Focus on Tourism
Hwy 29 Survey
The results indicated the top three possible
draws off the highway were
1) want to see a tobacco farm,
2) want camping, and
3) need food
Tourism in Caswell County
Develop RV park and or campground somewhere
near Hwy 29
Develop a working heritage farm where visitors
can come and experience tobacco farming and
visit a “Rural Heritage Center”
Other items of interest that could be associated
with this working heritage farm were the
establishment of a farmers market, an
agriculture museum
Still LOTS to do in Caswell County, but
we have momentum
For More Information
Contact
Susan Scaggs
Caswell County Campus
Piedmont Community College
scaggss@piedmontcc.edu
336-694-5705