Assistant Secretary for Community Development:
Division
of Community Assistance
The Division of Community Assistance (DCA) assists local governments across the state
through economic development, community development, growth management, and downtown
revitalization. DCA has three major components:
- the Main Street program, which helps cities maintain a
thriving downtown through a four-part self-help process involving organization, promotion,
design and economic restructuring;
- the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, a
federally funded program that assists local governments with projects that benefit low-
and moderate-income families;
- and services to local governments in the areas of planning
and growth management.
Assistant Secretary for Economic Development:
Commerce Finance Center
The Commerce Finance Center offers "one-stop financing" assistance for
businesses that locate or expand in the Tar Heel State. The Center administers the tax
credits available to new and expanding industries under the William S. Lee Quality Jobs
and Business Expansion Act. It also offers direct grant and loan funding to businesses
locating or expanding in North Carolina through the Industrial Competitive Fund, the
Industrial Development Fund, the Utility Fund, the Business Energy Loan Program, and
funding available through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG). The Center also
administers the Industrial Revenue Bond program for the state.
Division of Business and Industry Development
This Division leads North Carolina's business and industrial recruitment efforts. The
Division's industrial developers work closely with other public and private development
organizations to attract new industries to the state. This includes efforts to recruit
foreign-owned firms to North Carolina. The Division operates international offices in
Frankfurt, Tokyo, and Toronto to assist in this effort.
The Division also offers retention and expansion services to companies currently
located in North Carolina. These programs are staffed by industrial developers located in
nine offices spread throughout the seven regions of the state: Asheville, Bryson City and
Lenior in the Western Region; Charlotte in the Carolinas Region; Greensboro in the
Piedmont Triad Region; Raleigh in the Research Triangle Region; Fayetteville in the
Southeastern Region; Greenville in the Global TransPark Region; and Edenton in the
Northeastern Region.
International Trade Division
North Carolina's International Trade Division-through two domestic and six foreign office locations-provides expert assistance to North Carolina businesses seeking to take advantage of overseas market opportunities. Trade consultants in Raleigh and High Point are available to assist in tapping into resources and programs that can help businesses grow through international sales. The Division's foreign offices in Canada, Mexico, Germany, China, Korea and Japan are prepared to help North Carolina businesses enter new markets or expand market share.
Marketing and Customer Services Division
The Marketing and Customer Services Division provides marketing support services to the Business & Industry
Development Division, the Business & Industry/Regional Operations, the N.C. Partnerships for Economic Development and the International Trade Division. The support services provided include planning and implementation of trade show participation, special event promotion and participation, as well as industry advertising and publications.
Executive Director for Policy and Employment:
Workforce Development
The Workforce Development section oversees the creation and operation of JobLink One-Stop Career
Centers. These centers, which are a requirement of the federal Workforce Investment Act,
bring together a variety of state and local agencies in one location to provide job
seekers with information, vacancy listings, and job training opportunities. The Workforce
Development section also serves as staff to the Workforce Development Commission.
Division of Employment and
Training
The Division of Employment and Training (DET) administers worker-training programs for
unemployed and displaced workers and for workers whose family income is below 200% of the
federal poverty level. The Division is also responsible for the administration of the
state's Welfare-to-Work grant, which offers training and other job-support services to
Work First clients facing the greatest obstacles to employment. The Division offers its
services through 25 local Workforce Boards, who in turn work with the community college
system, the state university system, public schools, the Employment Security Commission
and other agencies to provide training and support services.
Policy, Research and Strategic Planning
The Policy, Research and Strategic Planning office maintains data on the state's economy for use
by industrial clients and the public. The Division publishes the annual Economic Scans of
all 100 counties in the state as well as quarterly Economic Trends reports. The unit
analyzes the impact of trends and changes in the state's economy and recommends
refinements in the Department's programs in response to those analyses. The Division also
provides staff support to the North Carolina Economic Development Board.
Executive Director of Tourism, Film, and Sports Development:
Division of Tourism
This Division undertakes a broad range of marketing activities, in cooperation with local
and regional economic development and tourism promotion organizations, to increase tourism
in the state. This includes an increasing emphasis on international marketing. The
Division partners with the Economic Development arm of the Department to maintain a
presence in overseas offices.
The Division also administers a grants program to assist local areas to make
improvements to promote tourism in their locale and operates a program to promote Heritage
Tourism in the state. The Division also has staff in nine Welcome Centers on interstate
highways in the state to assist travelers to North Carolina.
The North Carolina Film Office
The Film Office promotes North Carolina as a location for television, motion picture, and
advertising productions. The Office offers location scout services to producers and
supports the state's four regional film commissions in their efforts to increase film
production in the state.
Division of Sports Development
The Division of Sports Development promotes North Carolina as a leading site for sports
events involving amateur and professional organizations. The office works with local
government and corporate allies to serve as a clearinghouse for sporting activities in
North Carolina and to assist sports organizations and promoters in making North Carolina a
host site for leading amateur and professional sports events..
Assistant Secretary for Administration:
Executive Aircraft Operation
The Executive Aircraft Operations maintains 2 airplanes and 2 helicopters that are
used to transport industrial development clients and consultants, film producers and
sporting event promoters, and state personnel on official business.
Fiscal Management Division
The Fiscal Management Division is responsible for the accounting, budgeting and
purchasing functions of the Department.
Human Resources Office
The Human Resources office performs personnel functions for the Department, including
recruitment and employee relations, position classification, and fringe benefit
administration.
Management Information Systems
The Management Information Systems (MIS) is responsible for all information
technology services within the Department. This includes LAN management, project
management functions for applications development, maintenance of personal computers and
peripherals, and graphics design and reproduction.
Wanchese Seafood Industrial Park
The Wanchese Seafood Industrial Park works to promote fishing and marine industries
and serves as a location for seafood processing plants, boat builders, fishing supplies,
and other marine-related businesses.
Oregon Inlet Project
The Oregon Inlet Project is charged with leading the state's efforts to stabilize the
channel in the Oregon Inlet through the construction of jetties.
The following agencies report directly to their respective Boards and Commissions,
rather than to the Secretary of Commerce. They receive administrative oversight from the
Department through the Assistant Secretary for Administration:
Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission
The Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission controls the sale of alcoholic beverages in
the state through operation of a centralized warehouse, oversight of the local government
operated retail sales outlets, and permitting of facilities authorized to sell alcohol in
bulk or by the drink.
Banking Commission
The Banking Commission, is responsible for chartering and regulating North Carolina's
state banks and trust companies, as well as registration and licensing of various
financial institutions operating in the state, including Check-Cashers, Consumer Finance
companies, Mortgage Bankers and Mortgage Brokers, Money Transmitters and Refund
Anticipation Lenders.
Cemetery Commission
The Cemetery Commission regulates and monitors the activities of all state-licensed
cemeteries.
Credit Union Commission
The Credit Union Commission regulates and monitors the operations of all
state-chartered credit unions.
Employment Security Commission
The Employment Security Commission is responsible for administering the unemployment
insurance program in the state. It also offers job placement and referral services to all
North Carolina citizens and maintains the state's labor market information service.
Industrial Commission
The NC Industrial Commission administers the Workers' Compensation Act for all
employees and employers in the state to protect Tar Heel workers and employers against
loss due to work-related injury or disease. The Industrial Commission also has
jurisdiction over tort claims against the state and claims by families of law enforcement
officers, fire fighters, and rescue squad workers.
Public Staff of the Utilities Commission
The Public Staff reviews, investigates, and makes recommendations to the North
Carolina Utilities Commission on the reasonableness of rates and adequacy of service
provided by all public utilities in the state. The Public Staff is also charged with
ensuring the consistency of the public policy of assuring an energy supply adequate to
protect the public health and safety.
Rural Electrification Authority
The Rural Electrification Authority is responsible for ensuring that customers in the
predominantly rural areas of the state have access to adequate, dependable, affordable
electric and telephone service.
Savings Institutions Commission
The Savings Institutions Commission regulates and monitors the operations of all
state-chartered savings institutions.
Utilities Commission
The Utilities Commission regulates the rates and services offered by more than 1,200
utility companies in North Carolina. Companies under the jurisdiction of the Commission
include electric companies, local and long-distance telephone companies, natural gas
companies, household goods motor freight carriers, motor passenger carriers, companies
providing private pay phone service, water and sewer companies consisting of approximately
1,500 systems, and ferryboat operators.
Economic Development Allies
NC Partnerships for Economic Development
The seven partnerships work on a regional basis to serve North Carolina’s 100
counties in promoting economic development marketing, strategies and opportunities. The
partnership offices are located in Asheville, Charlotte, Greensboro, Raleigh,
Elizabethtown, Kinston and Edenton.
State Ports Authority
The Ports Authority staff operates and promotes the use of North Carolina’s port
facilities including deep-water ports at Morehead City and Wilmington; intermodal
terminals in Charlotte and Greensboro; and the harbor at Southport. The State Ports
Authority Board of Directors governs the authority, and the Secretary of Commerce serves
as an ex-officio member of the board.
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