Raleigh, N.C. - The North Carolina Department of Commerce will continue the Community Economic Recovery and Resiliency Initiative (CERRI) by supporting 16 additional communities with their economic recovery following the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. 

Governor Roy Cooper announced the launch of CERRI with eight communities earlier this year to help small towns and rural communities recover from the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, and to prepare local economies to be more resilient for future crises. Administered by the Commerce department’s Rural Planning program, CERRI provides a structured planning process for communities to develop local economic recovery strategies and offers technical services for implementation.

“The initial pilot of CERRI has proven to be a great enhancement to the economic recovery of North Carolina small towns and rural communities,” said N.C. Department of Commerce Secretary Machelle Baker Sanders. “Increasing the capacity of our local governments also supports the small business communities that are critical to fueling strong local economies.”

The initiative focuses on two components: Community Economic Resiliency and Small Business Support. Additional services include the analysis of current economic conditions and future opportunities, training and capacity building, formulation of implementation strategies, and project development and implementation assistance.

“We are pleased to help a second round of communities develop plans for improving their economies,” said Kenny Flowers, Assistant Secretary for N.C. Commerce’s Rural Economic Development Division. “We look forward to assisting them with implementation of their growth strategies through community-level services.”

The newly selected CERRI communities are distributed throughout the state’s Prosperity Zones and include:

North Central Prosperity Zone

• Town of Franklinton (Franklin County)

• Town of Princeton (Johnston County)

• Town of Erwin (Harnett County)

• Town of Stovall (Granville County)

• Town of Whitakers (Edgecombe County)

Northeast Prosperity Zone

• Town of Hamilton (Martin County)

• Town of Hertford (Perquimans County)

Piedmont Prosperity Zone

• Town of Liberty (Randolph County)

Sandhills Prosperity Zone

• Town of Biscoe (Montgomery County)

• Town of Vass (Moore County)

Southeast Prosperity Zone

• Town of Calypso (Duplin County)

• Town of Beulaville (Duplin County)

• Town of Hookerton (Greene County)

Southwest Prosperity Zone

• Town of Marshville (Union County)

• Town of East Spencer (Rowan County)

Western Prosperity Zone

• Town of Andrews (Cherokee County)