We are excited to be sponsoring Self Help Credit Union’s March 18th conference, “Bringing it Home: Building a Local Economy for Everyone” exploring how local, regional, and national programs are changing the face of economic development in Western North Carolina and across the country.

The daylong conference will be held at the Haynes Conference Center, A-B Tech Enka Site, 1459 Sand Hill Rd in Candler, NC 28715. Tickets are $30, $25 for students and are available at www.bringingithomewnc.org. Some scholarships are available.

Featured speakers include some of the major innovators in economic development such as:

• Ed Whitfield, Fund for Democratic Communities
• Becky Anderson, economic development consultant
• Joe Reimann, Coop Business Development, Northcountry Cooperative Development Fund
• Franzi Charen, Asheville Grown Business Alliance
• Carol Peppe-Hewitt, Slow Money and Community Sourced Capital

Conference Themes

• Building a strong local economy from the ground up (local supply and distribution chains, local collaboration, etc.)
• Creating a large, diverse economy that includes everyone, including all income levels, all races, all creeds
• Looking both at successful existing structures as well as new, innovative models for building a new economy–from our region and other areas across the country

Who should attend?

• Entrepreneurs and small business owners seeking technical support or funding
• Investors in small business looking for new places to invest
• Community nonprofits seeking awareness of economic development work in the region
• Local, regional and state government officials interested in innovative models
• Economic development professionals interested in innovation and creativity

The conference includes five rotating panels and a lunchtime keynote by Ed Whitfield with the Fund for Democratic Communities. The conference also includes a “Local Café”, affording participants opportunity to meet one-on-one with local capital source and technical service providers.

###

Self-Help is a community development lender headquartered in Durham, NC. Founded in 1980, Self-Help has provided over $6.4 billion in financing to nearly 87,000 families, individuals and businesses underserved by traditional financial institutions. It helps drive economic development and strengthen communities by financing hundreds of homebuyers each year, as well as nonprofits, child care centers, community health facilities, public charter schools, and residential and commercial real estate projects. Through its credit union network, Self-Help serves over 100,000 families in North Carolina, California and Chicago and offers a full range of financial products and services. Learn more at www.self-help.org.