As we look back on 2025, the Greenville Eastern North Carolina (ENC) Alliance celebrates a year of success in collaborative economic development, meaningful partnerships, and award-winning programming.
January 2025:
January 21: The North Carolina Department of Commerce announced investment and job totals for 2024, which included two major FDI project announcements in Pitt County. The State of North Carolina announced 16,956 new jobs in the state in 2024, representing 218 business recruitment, expansion or rural development projects that engaged with the North Carolina Department of Commerce or its team at the Economic Development Partnership of N.C. in 2024. These projects will bring $15.2 billion of capital investment into the state. Boviet Solar’s choice of Pitt County for a solar panel manufacturing facility, creating 908 jobs and investing nearly $300 million, was one of the top job announcements in the state in 2024. Pitt County also welcomed Nipro Medical Corporation, which announced its first North American manufacturing facility, marking a $398M investment and creating 232 new jobs.
"Thanks to our talented workforce and our robust business environment, North Carolina is a top state for work and business," said Governor Josh Stein.
February 2025:
February 13: East Carolina University has reached a transformative milestone in its journey of discovery, securing Research 1 (R1) status and joining the ranks of the nation’s most prestigious academic institutions. This designation, announced by the American Council on Education and Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, places ECU among 5% of institutions in the nation that are recognized for having the highest level of research activity.
“East Carolina University’s designation as an R1 institution is a testament to the incredible dedication and hard work of our faculty, staff and students,” said ECU Chancellor Philip Rogers. “Our university’s success in research is a direct reflection of our mission — advancing student success, public service and regional transformation. This milestone will open doors to more opportunities for collaboration, discovery and academic excellence.”
March 2025
March 24: The Greenville ENC Alliance launched a new talent initiative focused on attracting and retaining skilled employees and professionals looking to live, work, and thrive in Greenville-Pitt County. The Grow in Greenville website, a sub-brand of the Greenville ENC Alliance, showcases Greenville-Pitt County as a premier location for growing a career while enjoying the area's quality of life and lower cost of living. The website provides valuable content in a fun, informative way. Users can engage with various videos, success stories, data-driven fast facts, cost comparisons, and day itineraries. There is also an industry-specific job board and a Community Navigator program that connects newcomers with local volunteers who will help to welcome them to the area.
“While talent recruitment and retention efforts weren’t a primary goal for our organization during our 2023 strategic plan, we have found an increased need for this type of marketing and promotion,” shared Josh Lewis, president and CEO of the Greenville ENC Alliance. “This website will serve as a resource for our industry partners who are recruiting for open roles, trailing spouses and partners who are new to the community, and local talent looking to stay in the area for career opportunities.”
April 2025:
April 16: Greenville, NC has been named one of Livability’s Top 100 Best Places to Live in 2025. Livability.com unveiled its highly anticipated 2025 Top 100 Best Places to Live list, showcasing the nation’s most vibrant and livable small to mid-sized cities. Greenville’s vibrant local economy, thriving cultural scene, and strong sense of community were highlighted as factors and ranked high in environment, transportation, education, housing, and cost of living categories. As one of seven North Carolina cities on the list, Livability describes Greenville as the cultural and educational hub of eastern North Carolina and highlights the growing community as a top relocation destination. To learn more about what makes Greenville stand out in the ranking, visit Greenville’s Livability city page by clicking here: bit.ly/2025LivabilityGreenville
“It has been a strategic goal of our organization to be recognized in various community ranking publications. Having Greenville listed among the best places in the country to live by a prominent firm like Livability is a significant milestone,” said Josh Lewis, CEcD, President and CEO of the Greenville ENC Alliance. “The positive economic data for Greenville and Pitt County is progressively getting stronger while the area maintains an affordability edge over other cities. Livability deems this an extremely important component in their ranking methodology.”
April 28: The International Economic Development Council (IEDC) has recognized the Greenville ENC Alliance as one of 88 economic development organizations accredited by IEDC as an Accredited Economic Development Organization (AEDO). The AEDO program is a comprehensive peer review process that measures economic development organizations against commonly held standards in the profession. The program consists of a documentation review and an on-site visit. Each phase evaluates information about the candidate economic development organization’s structure, organization, funding, programs, and staff.
“Achieving the AEDO certification is a testament to our community’s unwavering commitment to enhancing our economic development performance,” shared Drake Brinkley, Greenville ENC Alliance 2024-25 board chairman and commercial real property attorney at Ward and Smith, P.A., a gold-level investor in the Alliance. “This prestigious recognition reflects the hard work, dedication, and innovative spirit of our staff, board members, and investors. Congratulations to all members, past and present, who were involved in this remarkable achievement!”
May 2025:
May 12: The Greenville Eastern North Carolina (ENC) Alliance and Pitt County Economic Development teamed up to host Economic Development Week from Monday, May 12 to Friday, May 16, 2025. The week is an initiative of the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) to celebrate the economic development work done in communities around the world.
“The future of economic development is centered around collaboration and partnerships,” said IEDC president and CEO Nathan Ohle. “Economic Development Week is an opportunity to celebrate and lift up the stories of economic development happening throughout the world. At the heart of this year’s Economic Development Week are stories of collaboration and partnership, and how the field of economic development works together to support, cultivate, and drive economic prosperity for places of all sizes, in every region in the world.”
June 2025:
June 23: The Greenville ENC Alliance announced that Julia Davis will begin a new role as the organization’s talent engagement manager. Davis, who served as the marketing and investor relations coordinator, has been an integral part of the creation and growth of the Greenville ENC Alliance’s talent marketing initiatives and Grow in Greenville sub-brand. She assisted with developing Grow in Greenville, which promotes Greenville-Pitt County as a premier destination for career growth where affordability meets opportunity. As part of this, Davis has taken the lead in planning networking events for young professionals within our local industry sectors and finding unique ways to engage with new residents who moved to the area for their careers.
“Greenville-Pitt County has so much to offer, and I’m excited to help others see the potential this community holds for both personal and professional growth,” said Davis. “I’m honored to step into this new role and continue building meaningful connections between people and opportunities. Supporting others in advancing their careers in a community I truly believe in is both a privilege and a passion.”
July 2025:
July 1: The Greenville ENC Alliance begins the 2025-2026 Fiscal Year with a strong, engaged board of directors and executive leadership. Board members and executive committee members were approved during the May 22 board meeting. Aaron Driver, president of professional risk management firm IIC Carolinas, was elected to chair the board of directors after serving two terms as vice chair. Board officers elected to serve include Mallory Pickett of Blount Family Companies as vice chair, Michael Gregory of Hyster-Yale Materials Handling as treasurer, and Thomas Taft, Jr. of Taft Family Ventures as secretary. Former board chair Drake Brinkley of Ward and Smith, P.A., will serve as immediate past chair and continue serving on the organization’s board of directors and executive committee.The complete list of the 2025-26 Greenville ENC Alliance Board of Directors is available by clicking here.
July 7: The Greenville ENC Alliance announced that Maria Satira has been promoted to vice president of marketing and talent programming for the economic development organization. Satira, hired in September 2020, previously served as the director of marketing and communications. Satira manages external and internal community marketing and communications, including award-winning community promotion campaigns and media outreach initiatives that showcase the benefits of doing business in Greenville-Pitt County.
“I’m truly honored to move into this leadership role and continue serving the Greenville-Pitt County community in an impactful way,” said Satira. “Through our collaboration with local partners and public and private investors, I look forward to executing new and exciting communication strategies to fuel growth and economic prosperity in our area.”
July 10: North Carolina has once again been named America’s Top State for Business in the 2025 ranking published annually by CNBC. With strengths in economy, workforce, and business friendliness, North Carolina has reclaimed the top spot. It was named the Top State for Business in 2022 and 2023, yet came in second place in the 2024 rankings, missing out by just three points. The CNBC study measures all 50 states across 10 categories of competitiveness, for a total of 2,500 possible points. North Carolina racked up 1,614 points. Click here to read the full article from CNBC.
August 2025:
August 11: After an extensive nationwide search, the Greenville ENC Alliance welcomes Pamela Fisher, CEcD, a nationally recognized economic development executive, as its next vice president of business recruitment. Fisher brings more than 20 years of experience in high-profile business attraction and expansion, government affairs, program management, and site selection efforts. Most recently, Fisher launched a consulting firm based in Indianapolis, specializing in economic development strategy, government affairs, and project management. She also spent 17 years at the state level, working as the director of economic development and special initiatives for the Indiana Department of Transportation and the director of intragovernmental and regulatory affairs for the Indiana Economic Development Corporation.
“I am excited to join the Greenville ENC Alliance and work alongside such a talented group of colleagues, guided by a visionary leader,” said Fisher. “From the outset, it was clear this is a professional, results-driven team committed to advancing Greenville’s economic future.”
August 21: The Greenville ENC Alliance received three 2025 Excellence in Economic Development Awards from the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), including Economic Development Organization (EDO) of the Year. A panel of nine judges ranked the organization for its overall community impact and success over an 18-month period through its services, programs and initiatives, partnerships and collaborations, marketing and promotions, and financial performance. The Greenville ENC Alliance was also recognized with a Multimedia Promotion Gold Award for a video and digital storytelling campaign and a Talent Development and Retention Gold Award for its participation and coordination of the 2024 Better Skills, Better Jobs career fair.
“Our team is proud to be recognized with this prestigious award. There are many individuals who deserve acknowledgement for the extensive time and energy they exerted during the creation of this organization in 2019,” said Josh Lewis, president and CEO of the Greenville ENC Alliance. “Our successes would also not have been possible without the support, vision, and commitment of the City of Greenville, Greenville Utilities Commission, and Pitt County, along with our board of directors and private sector supporters.”
August 28: As the Greenville ENC Alliance continues to promote Greenville-Pitt County to internal and external audiences, the economic development organization hired a new staff member to support marketing efforts and event planning. CeCe Wilkerson, a Pitt County native and two-time East Carolina University graduate, joined the Greenville ENC Alliance team to fill the role of communications and events coordinator. Wilkerson has a background in public sector marketing and event planning. Before joining the Alliance, she served as a special events intern for the Greenville City Manager’s Office, where she built meaningful relationships with public and private sectors.
“I’m excited to join the Greenville ENC Alliance because I love the mission of promoting growth and sharing all the great things happening in our thriving community. It’s exciting to be part of a team dedicated to making a difference through economic development and community promotion,” shared Wilkerson. “I’m really looking forward to planning events that bring people together and finding creative ways to tell Greenville’s story. It’s a great chance to connect people and showcase what makes our community special.”
September 2025:
September 22: The Greenville ENC Alliance announced that David Horn has been promoted to vice president of operations and strategic partnerships for the economic development organization. Hired in August 2020, Horn previously served as the director of strategic partnerships. In this new role, Horn will assist with guiding the administrative support for the board of directors and for board elections, as well as serving as staff support to the governance committee. In addition, he will manage the municipal grants program and oversee the organization’s information technology and system platform requirements.
“It’s an honor to have the opportunity to grow with the organization, and I give credit to a strong team and leadership for creating a thriving environment and producing results that make this possible. Looking back over the last five years, it’s rewarding to see our investor roster more than double, then see the transformation that has occurred as a result of this team using our resources to pave a path of prosperity for Greenville-Pitt County,” said Horn. “As we look ahead, I’m committed to supporting our operational effectiveness and the growth of our strategic partnerships.”
October 2025:
October 2: Better Skills, Better Jobs, the largest job fair of its kind in eastern North Carolina, returned for the fourth year to address workforce development needs in Pitt County and surrounding areas. Pitt Community College (PCC), John M. Belk Endowment, ECU, Greenville ENC Alliance, Pitt County Economic Development, Greenville-Pitt County Chamber of Commerce, Cengage, and Inner Banks Media co-hosted the event at the Greenville Convention Center. There were more than 1,000 career seekers who passed through the career fair and had the opportunity to meet with over 120 employers and education resource vendors. Several employers held on-site interviews with some attendees leaving with a job offer on the same day. Community partners include Pitt County Schools, Greenville Utilities, Tradesformers, NC Coastal Society for Human Resource Management, NCWorks, ECU Health, Koinonia Community Solutions, Better Business Bureau of Eastern Carolinas, and Dress for Success.
“It’s amazing to see so many wonderful organizations working together for a stronger future. It truly shows what’s possible when we align education and support services with opportunities for gainful employment,” said PCC President Maria Pharr.
October 29: The Triangle Business Journal hosted its Corridors of Opportunity series in Greenville, showcasing the economic momentum taking place in Greenville-Pitt County. Greenville ENC Alliance president and CEO Josh Lewis served on the event panel and was joined by representatives from East Carolina University, MrBeast, and Taft Family Ventures. Moderated by Ben Tobin, the panel discussed their collaborative efforts to retain and attract people to our community, the goals for driving growth, and what’s to come for eastern North Carolina.
November 2025:
November 13: The Greenville ENC Alliance received a special recognition from the Greenville City Council in celebration of being named the 2025 Economic Development Organization of the Year by the International Economic Development Council. City Manager Michael Cowin and Mayor PJ Connelly made public remarks at the City Council meeting and shared the organization's success over the past five years. We are grateful for the City of Greenville’s ongoing partnership and support as we work together to strengthen our community by bringing well-paying jobs, new investment, and opportunities to grow.
“Economic development often takes 10 years or more to see real results because of the relationships and variables involved. But I’m proud to say that, through the Greenville ENC Alliance, this group has truly knocked it out of the park over the last six years,” shared Cowin. “I can't stress enough how proud we are of the work that you all have done, of putting the City of Greenville and Pitt County on the map, and being a force to deal with in the future economic growth of our entire region.”
December 2025:
December 11: As part of its intelligENCe: Economic Insight and Trends research series, the Greenville ENC Alliance has released the 2025 Real Estate: Housing report, which focuses on residential housing data in Greenville-Pitt County, along with metrics from North Carolina and the United States. As shared in the report, over the last several years, the Greenville MSA (Pitt County) has reemerged, beginning another decade of healthy population and job growth after a decade of stagnant growth. Compared with other North Carolina MSAs, Greenville is the epitome of affordability amid growth. The 2025 housing report can be accessed on the Greenville ENC Alliance website by clicking here.
“We continue to provide critical insights on how our market trends compare with state and national movements, as well as provide comparisons to other metro areas within the state,” explained Josh Lewis, president and CEO of the Greenville ENC Alliance. “While affordability is always subjective depending on the individual and circumstances, it is clear that in contrast to many other growing areas of North Carolina, Greenville and Pitt County present a very attractive housing market from a cost perspective.”
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The past 12 months were full of growth and economic prosperity for Greenville-Pitt County, and we look forward to what’s ahead in 2026.
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Media Relations Contact:
Maria Satira
Vice President, Marketing and Talent Programming
Greenville Eastern North Carolina Alliance
satira@encalliance.com
252-414-2875
