Business owners and community leaders converged on the City Hotel and Bistro Monday to hear what the economic outlook is in the coming year.
Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance at ECU, Dr. Rick Niswander, was the keynote speaker for the Chamber of Commerce luncheon. He says that Pitt County and Greenville are doing better than many other places economically. He says that we've recovered all of the jobs we lost during the downturn several years ago.
Niswander points to the construction of a second Walmart as proof of the turnaround here. Dr. Niswander says, "It makes a big difference when communities continue to grow. Walmart isn't going to build a second store in a community that is shrinking. They'll build a second store in a community that is growing, so it's evidence of that."
Niswander adds that cities with higher learning institutions like ECU and Pitt Community College are reflecting greater economic progress as well.
