Carolina Business Articles

A Teamwork Approach Makes It Better In Person County

By Mary Elle Hunter

      The size of Person County makes it one of the smallest counties in North Carolina, but its rich history and an increasingly balanced economy is providing its citizens with an enthusiastic approach to life in the 21st century. Person County, measuring exactly 400 square miles, was formed in 1791 by dividing neighboring Caswell County into two precise squares and is nestled at the borderline with Virginia.

      The county has retained its rural, small-town feeling, despite its growing focus on business and industry. The local scenery combines gently rolling hills, dotted with forests and farms, several rivers, two sparkling lakes and two very small mountains. The county seat of Roxboro offers the slower pace of many of the southern graces, a change from the bustling urban areas of Raleigh, Durham and Greensboro, just to the south. The website of the local Tourism Development Authority declares Roxboro is ...a place where people care about both the past and the future...

      Reflecting this idea, a Director's Roundtable has been recently established, comprised of the directors of ten of the city/county organizations that have events and promotions or needs that would be better served by a teamwork method. Organizations include the Tourism Authority, the Chamber of Commerce, the Roxboro Uptown Development Corporation, the Parks and Recreation Department and are joined by The Arts Council, The United Way, the Council on Aging, The Senior Center and a city council representative.

      The goal of the Director's Roundtable is to bring the weight of cooperation to bear on making a success of each and every project undertaken. A major celebration of the Christmas season during the whole month of December and a Down Home Fourth of July parade are some of the joint programs that are being worked on by the Roundtable. Margaret McMann, Director of the Tourism Development Authority, also draws attention to the community of Timberlake's special Memorial Day celebration with a Classic Car and Farm Equipment Show and the Person County Museum of History's annual observance of Veteran's Day with a parade, and special speakers.

      Festivals such as Personality, sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce and the Flat River Antique Engine and Tractor Show, a two-day event that draws visitors from all over the state and the southeast, are other examples of the offerings of this busy community. Personality is celebrating its 27th year, according to Marcia O'Neil, executive director of the Chamber.

      The event, with games and activities for children, music throughout the day, crafts, and entertainment for everyone, this year features mechanical rides and inflatables for the kids, and a chili cook-off. It is really a family occasion. We incorporate a multicultural flavor to the day as we reach out to the Hispanic population and the members of the Sappony Indian tribe who originally came to Person County from Virginia and are still a very vibrant force in the community.

      Emphasis is placed on a whole range of social and economic issues by the Roxboro Area Chamber of Commerce. Among the impressive list of programs that the Chamber sponsors is a monthly coffee hour, and combined with Piedmont Community College, a one-hour Lunch and Learn session. One of the groups that have been highlighted at the morning coffee hours recently was the Person County Partnership for Children, who presented a program on the economic impact of daycare facilities in the area.

      The membership of the Chamber is currently 400. We are growing all the time, Marcia O'Neil says. We have gained a number of individual members that indicates the community support for what the Chamber is trying to accomplish. There is a wonderful spirit of volunteerism in Person County, and people from the larger populated areas are always amazed by what a great response and participation we get for our events.

      As a result of the continuing growth of the Chamber, a new position was added last year. Occupying the recently created job of Economic Development Director for the Chamber is Jean Overton. She describes the scope of her duties as working with the small business owners, retailers and other professionals. Anything that is not industrially-based economic development comes across my desk. I interact with the Tourism Development Authority, and the members of the Chamber, and the goal is to assist new small businesses in helping them getting up and running. Right now, I am working with four or five really good prospects.

      The Tourism Development Authority, operating independently of the Chamber of Commerce and the county-city government system, was established through legislative action not quite ten years ago and is funded by the extra sales tax on hotels and motels in the county. A joint partnership was formed with the Person County Museum of History, one of the major attractions for visitors to the area.

      The museum complex consists of the former home of W.W. Kitchin, governor of the state in the early 1800's, a general store, a doctor's office, a tobacco barn and an 1810 subscription school, believed to be one of the oldest in North Carolina. The museum is also home to an exhibit featuring one of the county's best known sons, Enos Country Slaughter, capturing the interest of baseball fans.

      A tobacco farmer who became a major league player, the Hall of Famer hung up his spikes in 1959, but went on to become the head coach of the Duke University's Blue Devils baseball team. His feat of scoring a run from first base in the 1956 World Championship series placed him in the record books.

      Tourism can be the catalyst for additional economic development, comments Margaret McMann of the TDA. If we can bring tourism into our area, then there is more need for motels, restaurants, and shopping areas. Tourism has increased by almost 2.5% during the course of the last year, and we are definitely expecting to see an upswing in this segment of the economy in the months ahead.

      Complementing the well-rounded lifestyle in Person County are excellent recreational facilities and an active Arts Council. A division of the county's Parks and Recreation Department, the Council is one of the two such organizations in North Carolina that is housed under county government. The Arts in Person as the council's programs are designated, include a thriving subscription series of concerts, musical productions and guest appearances.

      A community chorus and a community theatre are augmented by an impressive art gallery with exhibitions of local and visiting artists. A link with the past is the Kirby Civic Auditorium, a carefully restored movie theater which first opened in 1949 with seating for more than a thousand. An arts education program in the schools, designed to expose the students to a wide variety of music, creative writing, drama and storytelling is also under the direction of the Arts Council, as well as a number of summer camp experiences for children and youth.

      In addition to the Arts Council activities, Margaret McMann of the Tourism Authority points to the many fine hiking and biking trails and the outstanding fishing and boating on Mayo Lake and Hyco Lake. Last year, Mayo Lake had over 3600 people use their campsites, and over 40,000 people went through the gates. 59% of the usage of Mayo Lake is by other than Person County residents. She continues, Besides the fishing tournaments that are held on a regular basis, you can rent a canoe or kayak, and there's even a fall colors tour that is best seen by boat. And opening in mid-May is an outdoor amphitheater on Mayo Lake for blue grass concerts.

      As Marcia O'Neil of the Roxboro Chamber of Commerce says, The whole area is on the verge of remarkable growth. We are very excited with the energy that is reflected by the Director's Roundtable as well as by the membership of the Chamber itself, and we encourage planned growth. Margaret McCann agrees and adds, By collaborating, we can enhance the quality of life for our residents living and working in Person County, as well as drawing more visitors to our area.

      The key appears to be working together as the county, city and private interests strive to have Person County live up to the catch phrase It's Better in Person.

Reprinted from Carolina Business online.