'A brighter day' Down East

RBC Centura veteran leads group seeking to boost Eastern North Carolina

A group led by the former CEO of RBC Centura bank is stepping up efforts to improve the economy Down East.

The Foundation of Renewal for Eastern North Carolina has partnered with the Frank Hawkins Kenan Institute for Private Enterprise at UNC-Chapel Hill to accelerate economic growth in the region.

The two groups will share staff and networks to bolster projects that spur business development.

"There needs to be some message of hope here about a better and brighter day in Eastern North Carolina," said Kel Landis, chairman of the foundation and former RBC executive. "That's what this affiliation is about."

The eastern reaches of the state have suffered amid declines in manufacturing and tobacco. While the Department of Commerce and other groups have worked to lure factories and other employers, many communities still struggle. Some have lost residents who left in search of new opportunity.

Landis, a native of Rocky Mount, wants to help draw more people to the area and to stoke entrepreneurship. The foundation he oversees was formed in 2002 and focuses on those goals in 41 counties east of Interstate 95.

Among the initiatives are the Inner Banks branding campaign, which promotes counties along inland waterways, and Creative Communities, helping six towns attract knowledge workers.

The foundation for more than a year has collaborated with the Kenan Institute, the economic development arm of the Kenan-Flagler Business School, on some projects. And a more formal partnership was an outgrowth.

The alliance gives the institute "a unique opportunity to deepen its work" in the state, director John D. Kasarda said in a statement. "Most of North Carolina's significant challenges for the future -- in education, health care and the economy -- can be found in the extreme" Down East.