Thomas Hall, director of the Thomas Entrepreneurship Hub at UNC Pembroke, was among the featured panelists at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond’s Investing in Rural America Conference.

The event was held in Greensboro on March 30. Hall joined discussions with national experts, local leaders and Richmond Fed economists on topics related to strategies for investing in community-driven economic and workforce development initiatives.

It featured rural perspectives on key topics, including workforce development, small businesses and entrepreneurship, rural development hubs and demographic changes in rural America.

“The focus of our panel was on rural entrepreneurship as a means of economic development, which is something Pembroke is becoming pretty well known for,” Hall said.

Hall met with Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond President Tom Barkin and Matt Martin, senior vice president and Charlotte regional executive, during the conference.

“Tom Barkin is interested in entrepreneurship in a rural setting. He understands the issues rural areas face with acquiring funding for startups and finding matching funds for grants,” Hall said. “The conference and workshops were mutually beneficial, and it gave UNCP and the HUB strong visibility among many important economic development groups.

Erika Bell is the conference co-lead and serves as the Richmond Fed’s Community Development regional manager for North Carolina and South Carolina.  

“At this conference, we explored several topics, including the changing demographics of rural America, small business development and entrepreneurship in rural communities, and building the rural workforce,” Bell said.

“Our speakers and panelists sparked new ways of thinking and offered various perspectives on various subjects.”