THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 7, 1996 TAG: 9607070076
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY MASON PETERS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: WELDON LENGTH: 35 lines
Another door to the future will open next week for the Northeast North Carolina Economic Development Commission when a new business-boosting computer operation will be demonstrated at Halifax Community College.
The Weldon computer, one of 16 now being installed to link the member-counties of the Economic Development Commission, will rapidly put together information packages for business organizations that are considering a move to Northeast North Carolina.
The economic developers initially have spent $80,000 on connecting hardware for the network.
``If a client, say, wants a building site on U.S. 17, with plenty of available water and air-freight facilities, plus good residential opportunities for workers, all he has to do is tell the computer,'' said Richard ``Rick'' Watson, executive director of the Hertford-based pump-priming commission.
``The computer then searches its data banks until all the requirements are matched. And then, hopefully, we have a new business in the Albemarle.''
Rocky Lane, Halifax County Economic Developer, will show members of the Economic Commission's advisory board how the computer-assisted site location system works Thursday at Halifax Community College.
Lane, as Halifax County's economic developer and resident computer expert, installed one of the first site-data computers in Weldon to work out bugs before the network is extended to other counties.
``We will be connected to databanks all over the state and nationally,'' Watson said. ``We think a client can reasonably expect to find out almost any relevant information before making the decision to move here.'' by CNB