Tide of optimism: Greenville and pitt county are positioned to capture the benefits of eastern north carolina's slow-but-sure economic recovery.

• Position: Company overview

As the center of economic activity in eastern North Carolina, Pitt County and its largest city, Greenville, are leading the region out of recession. Signs of recovery abound, from Greenville 's. small-business grants to Vidant Health's regional expansion. One reason for the rebound is a robust educational system that includes East Carolina University and its Brody School of Medicine and Pitt Community College, which tailors workforce-development programs for local employers such as DSM Pharmaceuticals Inc., a Dutch multinational with two major manufacturing-facilities in Greenville. A panel of business, government and educational leaders met recently at East Carolina Heart Institute in Greenville to discuss the county economic opportunities and efforts to promote growth. Participating were Joel Butler; chief external affairs officerfir Vidant Health; Bill Cooper; manager of the Pitt Community College. Bioprocessing Center, part of the N. C Community College Systems BioNetwork; Pitt County Manager Scott Elliott; Rick Niswanden vice chancellorfbr administration and finance at East Carolina University; Susanne Sartelle, president of the Greenville-Pitt County Chamber of Commerce; Carson Sublett, vice president of operations and site director of Heerlen, Netherlands-based DSM Pharmaceuticals Inc. in Greenville; Greenville Mayor Allen Thomas; and Wanda Yuhas, executive director (the Pitt County Development Commission. The discussion, moderated by BUSINESS NORTH CAROLINA Publisher Ben Kinney was presented in partnnship with the Pitt County Development Commission. Following is a transcript, editedfin' brevity and clarity:

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What is the economic-development climate in Pitt County?

Yuhas: We've seen a definite uptick in client activity and with our existing industries. Existing industries are a really important part of our economy, along with Vidant Health system. I'm not sure from whom we stole this phrase, but we say, This is the year of reckless optimism." We are seeing more support--not only verbal but feet-on-the-ground support for economic development from an overall community standpoint--than we've ever seen before.

How is Greenville faring economically?

Thomas: I think Greenville has worked its way through the economic downturn much better than the region. Obviously jobs are a big priority, as is the quality of life here in Greenville. I think if you're coming out of the university environment, you have an opportunity with Vidant and some of our other large companies who hire here in the city. But we're also making the big push for more minimum-wage jobs. I think that's very important as well. I don't know if I'd say it's reckless optimism, but I would say that people are feeling a positive turning, and they feel like Greenville is poised to take leadership for that in the eastern part of the state.

How economically healthy is the health-care sector?

Butler: Vidant Health is doing great. Were growing, and we're taking more hospitals as a part of our system of care. We'd like to think we're exporting value so that those hospitals in small rural communities continue to stay healthy. When they're healthy and doing well, it helps us. We're not here to take their patients in; we're there so they can do a better job taking care of their patients close to home, and that helps us. We'll continue to grow. We'll probably soon be a 900-to 1,000-bed hospital, and for a county of this size to have a hospital that big, it's more than the people who work in the hospital that make that happen. That hospital has been a community effort. It's been a part of what takes place in the Brody School of Medicine and College of Allied Health Sciences on campus.

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