“You want to have your traditional industries, but you also want to diversify.” -Rex Raiford

Milepost magazine, an independent paper published in Kill Devil Hills, NC, recently interviewed Rex Raiford, an IES regional manager for northeastern NC. The issue was devoted to the idea of “Big Dreams,” and Rex talks about cultivating economic diversity on the Outer Banks.

The Outer Banks is steeped in traditions that center on the sea, including shipbuilding and tourism. But there is  a need to diversify, as well as to expand existing industries, in order to ensure future growth and prosperity for the Outer Banks’ residents. From promoting cultural heritage to expanding telecommuting, Raiford touches on all kinds of ways to increase employment opportunities in the area.

The issues that drive development and the economy and certainly complex, but Raiford sees nothing but opportunities on the horizon. Read the interview on pages 22-23 of Issue 6.1 of Milepost.