NC Secretary of State Elaine Marshall To Visit Western North Carolina
Rural RISE NC strengthens the state's economy, for all of us
Several weeks ago Sam and I met with Elaine Marshall, our North Carolina Secretary of State. She was touring our mountain district, talking with county leaders about her program, Rural RISE NC.
She and her staff want to learn in person how to best serve rural businesses, and to connect them with state resources. On Monday, May 22, Secretary Marshall is hosting a Business Roundtable in Transylvania County.
I’ve looked at the North Carolina Secretary of State’s website and am surprised by all the small-business information and services I found there. For instance, under News & Events Press Releases, the following was posted on May 2 during National Small Business Week:
New business creation filings for 2023 [in North Carolina] are at near-record levels. This follows a record first quarter of 2023. North Carolinians created 60,000 new businesses between January and April.
On her website you can register a new business online, file a business annual report and renew a notary commission, among other things. The FAQ section is a summary of services, under “What kind of services … ?” And Quick Links is full of specific URLs to go to.
In March of last year I wrote a post about Elaine Marshall, titled “Who Was NC's 1st Woman Elected Executive Official?” She works to serve businesses, but she’s also a consumer advocate. She said,
Consumer protection is a passion for me – I engage in training to help citizens identify a scam when making investment decisions. Training the public on how to spot and protect themselves from harmful, counterfeit products is also where I have invested personal energy.
Her job involves a lot of travel around the state.
On March 20, she joined speaker Kristen M. Clarke, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the US Department of Justice. Clarke is known for “her work on complex civil rights issues in banking, housing, employment, and in confronting hate and protecting the right to vote which protects all other rights.”
On March 28 Marshall joined President Joe Biden when he toured a lab and then met with union workers at the company Wolfspeed in Durham, NC, where semiconductors are made.
I myself have met Secretary Marshall at meet and greets in Western North Carolina, and once she told me about a favorite cake she was going to bake for a family gathering. She said it’s a complicated recipe, and as I recall, it takes hours to complete all the steps.
I asked her to send us a photo of her traditional cake. Actually why not two? One before and one after. And here they are.
I’m looking forward to next week when we’ll welcome Elaine Marshall back to Western North Carolina. By serving all the different regions of our large state, and by recognizing our different needs and contributions, Rural RISE NC works to strengthen North Carolina’s economy — for all of us.
We happily and gratefully support Elaine Marshall and wish her much success.
I attended the Democratic Women of NC conference a few years ago and, as president of our local chapter, was asked to bring something for a silent auction. I created a basket of Polk Co local products —bbq sauce, honey, a piece of pottery, etc — and brought it to be bid on. Secretary Marshall bid on and won the basket and sent me a lovely note about how much she enjoys WNC. A class act.