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The Department of Commerce in partnership with the North Carolina Health and Wellness Trust Fund (HWTF) has launched a workplace wellness pilot program for North Carolina Department of Commerce employees called Live Healthy, Work Well NC.  It’s expected to save state dollars and make healthy living a more convenient and affordable option for our employees who participate.

The pilot program focuses on prevention and includes customized proactive intervention plans tailored to meet the needs of each employee.  It will be implemented over a two-year period, and has the potential to affect approximately 700 employees. 

A registered nurse practitioner will be set up to practice in two separate Department of Commerce locations.  The on-site clinic will enable employees to be seen by a health care provider, obtain prescriptions, and access many of the same services doctors provide, without having to use sick time or to lose time in getting to and from their medical appointments.  These services will be provided at no cost to our employees.

The UNC’s Department of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention will evaluate the pilot project to assess the impact of the worksite wellness program, and the evaluation will include a cost benefit analysis.

This program is modeled after the program originally developed at Asheboro Elastics and now in place at numerous companies and government agencies (cities and counties) in the United States.

In each instance where the program has been replicated, participants have seen the value of individual responsibility for their healthcare.  People love the program, health has improved and it is done at a lower cost.

What made you decide to go into public service? Which do you like more, working in business or working in government? Which one is harder?

These questions were as complex and well thought out as many of the questions I have been asked by professional reporters. But these came from a much more unexpected source: A dozen kids between the ages of 9 and 16 with whom I was fortunate enough to sit and talk on Aug. 12 as part of a volunteer mentoring experience with the East Side Future Leaders Project in my hometown of Asheboro.

The kids did their homework, and they knew that I had come to Commerce as a successful private business owner.  What they did not know, and what I shared with them, was that neither of my parents ever finished high school, and I was the first in my family to go to college. 

I told them that when I graduated from high school, I thought, “That’s it. I’m a man now.” But I learned pretty quickly that a high school education was not enough to get me where I wanted to go professionally. So I went to college and graduated first from Pfeiffer University and then from Harvard.

“The more you learn, the easier it is to learn more,” I told them. I hope they will remember that if they find themselves struggling in school. I hope it inspires them to push on and go further.

The East Side Future Leaders Project is designed to provide at-risk youth with an opportunity to learn about government and leadership while building self-esteem and pride. This is accomplished through a series of monthly civic education seminars combined with community service.  The program was created by N.C. Trees and funded with a $6,000 grant from the N.C. Civic Education Consortium.

This is such an important project, and I feel very fortunate to have had an opportunity to be part of it. I encourage every North Carolinian to heed Gov. Perdue’s call to participate in President Obama’s “United We Serve” campaign. A few hours of community service can make a tremendous difference.

It’s been a busy week for the automotive sector in North Carolina.

On Monday, I had the honor of joining Gov. Perdue in Henderson County as she announced that brake systems and components manufacturer Continental Teves will expand its Fletcher plant. The company plans to invest more than $30 million and add 338 workers at the facility, which will more than double its current workforce of 288 people.

The company made it possible for first-shift workers to attend the event. Following the announcement, they had the opportunity to meet Gov. Perdue on the plant floor and shake her hand. It was a special experience for them – and us.

I also had the opportunity to visit again with plant manager Bobby Nelon and Henderson County Economic Development Partnership President Andrew Tate – both of whom I met in Germany last month when we visited with executives from Continental’s parent company to urge them to bring this expansion to Fletcher. Thanks to the team that made this announcement possible: Commerce, Henderson County, the Town of Fletcher, Blue Ridge Community College and the Henderson County Economic Development Partnership.

On Tuesday, Randolph Community College held a ribbon-cutting for the Richard Petty Education Center. The center will provide state-of-the-art training to students interested in joining North Carolina’s world-class automotive sector workforce. It was a thrill to be with “the King,” Richard Petty, and to celebrate this new facility.  Our state is home to more than 160 companies in the motor vehicle parts industry, and they employ more than 17,000 North Carolinians. And, of course, as Richard Petty would remind us, the best racing and motor sports teams are right here.

So even though the recession is not over, there IS good economic news in North Carolina.

In my first month as Secretary of Commerce, I’ve traveled to nearly a dozen cities and towns and met hundreds of people. It’s been quite an experience for a farm boy from Stanly County.

From my travels, I know that people are hurting. But I also know there is hope. I saw it in Statesville, when we honored 26 Main Street Program participants that have successfully revitalized their downtown business districts. I also saw hope in Governor Perdue’s recent announcement of Piedmont Aviation Component Services’ expansion, which will bring 120 well-paying jobs and an investment of $5.8 million to Kernersville (Forsyth County).

Finally, down at Lenoir Community College in Kinston during the N.C. Eastern Region’s annual meeting, I saw hope and excitement around Spirit AeroSystem’s progress on a ground-breaking project in the Global TransPark that will bring more than 1,000 jobs to some of our less prosperous counties.

Yes, this is a very difficult time for many people, and there are more challenges ahead. But I remain optimistic we will overcome these challenges and come out stronger and more innovative than ever. We’ll keep you posted on our progress, so stay tuned.  And for more information about Commerce and our programs, please go to http://www.nccommerce.com.