Interests from the public and private sectors came together at the invitation of the N.C. Employment Security Commission during a recent meeting at the West Campus of Forsyth Technical Community College in Winston-Salem. An emphasis on the Piedmont Triad led to ESC Chairman Lynn Holmes inviting Roger Shackleford, executive director of Workforce Development for the N.C. Dept. of Commerce, and, Althea Hairston, Workforce Development Program director for the Northwest Council of Governments to come and present information on TriadWorks and its efforts in job creation and workforce development.
Then, Carrie Darnell, the Employee Relations manager for Renfro Corporation of Mt. Airy, gave a talk to Commissioners about the upturn her company has seen recently — which she credited to Renfro choosing months ago to diversify its product lines as the economy slowed, allowing the textile manufacturer to not only survive, but meet sales goals.