City of Hickory Business e-Newsletter | March 2023
Hickory Furniture Mart
Business. Well Crafted. Award Winner
On December 6, 2022, the City of Hickory's Business Development Committee recognized nine businesses for their excellence and community engagement in Hickory with the Business. Well Crafted. Awards. Over the course of the year, the City will be releasing spotlight videos for each award recipient, showcasing what makes them a Business. Well Crafted.
This month, we put a spotlight on the longtime Hickory staple, Hickory Furniture Mart. Hickory Furniture Mart has been a well-known furniture and home furnishings destination for over 60 years. What started as a destination for wholesale manufacturers in 1960, quickly transitioned into a destination for retail customers in 1985. Today, Hickory Furniture Mart continues to thrive as a furniture and design destination for retail consumers and industry trade partners. To learn more about Hickory Furniture Mart, check out the video in the link.
Are you looking for summer employees or have entry-level jobs that are appropriate for high school graduates? On March 28, from 4:30-6:30 p.m., Catawba County and Hickory Youth Councils are offering a Teen Job Fair for employers and resource partners to showcase job and educational opportunities for high school students and recent graduates.
This event will feature employers, educational programs, and 15-minute pop-up workshops to assist teens with becoming job ready. Workshop subjects will include Stress and Time Management, Mental Health, How to Dress for Interviews, Application and Interview Tips, Workplace Communication, and Apprenticeship Opportunities. If you have any questions about this event, please reach out to Donna Mull at donna_mull@ncsu.edu. Click below to find out more!
Every month, the Western Piedmont Workforce Development Board releases The Business Brief to assist businesses with analyzing labor trends. February's Business Brief highlights the interactive labor market dashboard that can be found at the Western Piedmont Workforce Development Board website. This dashboard presents month-to-month drill downs of labor market data including unemployment, labor force, and job openings.
The workforce area is headed into uncharted waters as the data is released for December 2022. Catawba County is experiencing its lowest unemployment rate since 1999. Dropping a whopping 0.7% from the previous month. Catawba County boasted a labor force of 78,175 people for the month of December, 2,500 more individuals than the previous year. To see more details about labor trends from the month of December, click the digital edition below.
It's here! The Chamber of Catawba County's 2022 Annual Report is available now. This report features many of The Chamber's success stories in the areas of talent recruitment, talent development, entrepreneurship, small business development, pro-business advocacy, leadership development, and organizational excellence.
Through 2022 and the beginning of 2023, The Chamber of Catawba County has stayed focused and committed to tackling the most critical community issues that impact businesses. Driving economic prosperity and continued success for their shareholders and investors. To read more about how The Chamber impacted businesses in Catawba County, click the link below.
The City of Hickory is committed to promoting business and economic development and offers a range of incentives to new and expanding businesses. For more information on available programs and incentives, visit Business Developmentor contact Dave Leonetti in the Office of Business Development at 828-323-7422.
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