5A - Identifying Local Opportunities


1) Fayetteville mayor: Growing number of black residents concerned about Civil War center

https://www.fayobserver.com/news/20190910/fayetteville-mayor-growing-number-of-black-residents-concerned-about-civil-war-center

This story involves the proposal of building a North Carolina Civil War & Reconstruction History Center. Some black residents are against the museum being built, as they state that they are still offended by the history of slavery. The article continues to mention well known and respected black leaders in the community that are for the museum. The state of North Carolina would own the museum and would fund all operating expenses.

The Problems: 1. Civil War & Reconstruction History Center being built in North Carolina and offending some blacks. 2. The threat of vandalism. 3. Students missing out on access to a history museum. 4. The state losing out on the expertise of top scholars.

Who: Some of the black community that is not receptive to the idea, the State of North Carolina, Mayor Mitch Colvin, students, teachers, history buffs

2) FayWHAT? Why so few businesses at Cumberland County’s I-95 exits?

https://www.fayobserver.com/news/20190707/faywhat-why-so-few-businesses-at-cumberland-countys-i-95-exits

This story involves information on why out of 11 exits on I-95, only 2 exits actually have retail and businesses. Both Fayetteville and Hope Mills is losing out on a ton of revenue. The article reveals excuses…. Or should I say reasons on why since 1980, when I-95 was completed running through Fayetteville, that only 2 exits have taken advantage.

The Problems: 1. Fayetteville and Hope Mills residents are concerned about the loss of revenue. 2. DOT has not cleared enough trees, thus exits are hard to see. 3. Water and sewer services are too far inland. 4. Dollar General was interested in opening up, but backed out due to Raleigh permits – What about the permits is holding businesses back? 5. Increase in crime, as more people would be stopping in Fayetteville and Hope Mills.

Who: Residents of Fayetteville and Hope Mills, tourists, potential businesses, town officials, developers, DOT, Falcon Mayor Clifton Trupin – owner of some of the land at the interchange.

3) FayWHAT? How much NC lottery money goes to education?

https://www.fayobserver.com/news/20190616/faywhat-how-much-nc-lottery-money-goes-to-education

This story directly questions does NC lottery money go to education and if so, how much? NC promotes the lottery and continuously boasts on how it is used for education. Cumberland County alone had the largest jackpot ever won in the state of NC. Officials claim that $650 million is raised per year, however the article breaks down what is truly spent on education vs. support for education i.e. paying construction workers related to projects and school bus drivers etc.

The Problems: 1. The concern that officials are puffing the truth on how much is truly spent on education vs. non-instructional support. 2. Students lacking in technological advances. 3. Teachers not being paid enough. 4. Overcrowded classrooms.

Who: Students, Lottery players, teachers, construction workers, bus drivers, scholarship recipients

4) FTCC hosts business startup training for military spouses

https://www.fayobserver.com/news/20190907/ftcc-hosts-business-startup-training-for-military-spouses

This article highlights Fayetteville Technical Community College’s Small Business Center. The school is promoting free training for military spouses who are interested in becoming entrepreneurs. They highlight guest speakers, who are military spouses and have successfully launched businesses. I recognized the story of 2 of the speakers; they were on Shark Tank!

The Problems: 1. Fayetteville is home to Fort Bragg, the largest US Army base by population, thus many unemployed military spouses that must constantly move. 2. Military spouses may not learn everything they need to about entrepreneurship from 2 free classes. 3. After pitching their business idea, it is not clear on the next stage – Are they pitching to investors or risking their ideas being stolen? 4. The article states military spouses, which is too broad – would it only pertain to active duty or also to reservists or retired? 5. Most small businesses fail, encouraging military spouses to invest money into business ideas may cause additional financial stress on military families.

Who: Military Spouses, FTCC, the economy, Soldiers, Children of military families

5) Cumberland Matters: New community emergency response team will help during disasters

https://www.fayobserver.com/news/20190901/cumberland-matters-new-community-emergency-response-team-will-help-during-disasters

This story celebrates the creation of a Cape Fear Community Emergency Response Team for Cumberland County. The CERT team is made up of volunteers who will assist in disaster response as first responders. Cumberland County has suffered through two horrendous hurricanes recently and they feel that this will be beneficial to the community.

The Problems: 1. Cumberland County does not have enough emergency personnel, thus it is relying on volunteers to pick up the slack. 2. Increase in severe hurricanes hitting the area. 3. The lack of preparedness the residents of Cumberland County. 4. Flooding of rivers and lakes 5. The lack of funding for catastrophes.

Who: Residents of Cumberland County, Volunteers, Emergency personnel, County officials, Outside communities, Red Cross

Comments

  1. Ainsley StrackbeinSeptember 13, 2019 at 1:44 AM

    Hi Elizabeth!

    I thought your post included a wide array of problems that the people in Fayetteville face. I thought your post succinctly summarized all of the articles and clearly addressed what the problem is and who was facing it. I enjoyed reading the titles that the paper gave their articles and thought they were pretty creative. I don’t have any suggestions on how you can improve on this assignment.

    Ainsley Strackbein

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jake PiotrowskiSeptember 15, 2019 at 11:49 PM

    Hey Liz,

    I really enjoyed this post because you chose to use one local newspaper and focus on the various problems associated within the town. I didn't do this in my own post, and I felt yours actually provided a more meaningful point to the assignment, and did show the true "local" opportunities as the assignment was meant to do. I definitely enjoyed this post and the way you organized it, however my only complaint is the structure of the "Problems" portion be numbered like that to me interfered with the flow a little bit. Overall though, I thought this was well done.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

21A – Reading Reflection No. 2

21A – Reading Reflection No. 2 For my second reading assignment, I chose How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big: Kind of the Story of My Life by Scott Adams. 1) What was the general theme or argument of the book? The general theme of this book was all about teaching techniques on how to live life and attempt to be successful. Scott Adams, the Dilbert artist, attempts to prove why “goals are bad” and “systems are good.” He describes his life in detail and constantly repeats himself. He highlights a billion of his failures throughout the book. 2) How did the book, in your opinion, connect with and enhance what you are learning in ENT 3003? The one connection that I had with the book that enhanced what I have learned in ENT3003 is how he talks about presenting yourself to others. Your tone, a good handshake and looking someone in their eyes is very important. Especially with first impressions. I also like how he related his failures as opportunities to achieve success. This ...
Read more

24A - Venture Concept No. 1

Image
24A – Venture Concept No. 1 1) Opportunity: “An estimated 22 million Americans suffer from Sleep Apnea.”[1] The majority of patients that treat their Sleep Apnea use a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) device.                                                                      Figure 1[2] My target customer would be males aged 49+ as statistics show that males at that age have a large increase in diagnosis. Figure 2[3] This market is defined geographically and demographically: Within the male population, I would specifically focus on military retirees. They receive Tricare benefits which authorizes pay for CPAP resupplies (2 masks and hoses) every 6 months. This would ensure constant need and customer acquisition. Geographically, I would target areas that were close to where Vetera...
Read more

28A - Your Exit Strategy

28A – Your Exit Strategy 1) Identify the exit strategy you plan to make. Do you intend to sell your business in the next 5 years for a large return? Do you intend to stay with the business for several decades and retire? Do you intend to protect the venture as a family business, and pass it down to your children? I plan on staying with CPAP Hygiene for several decades and then retire. It would be nice to hire one of my children to eventually be the CEO and I could sit on the board and chime in when needed. However, if by some strange reason in 5 years my business was worth billions… PEACE I’m out lol. 2) Why have you selected this particular exit strategy? I want to feel like I accomplished something in my life. Having a successful business for several decades and being able to have your child take it over is awesome! I would feel like I was leaving my baby with my baby lol. Isn’t owning your own business an American dream? I’d love to check that off my bucket list. 3) How do you thin...
Read more