The Southeastern Economic Development Commission (SEDC) held its 57th Annual Meeting on Friday, May 16, at the Cape Fear Vineyard and Winery in Elizabethtown. The event gathered local government officials, economic development partners and community leaders from SEDC’s 12-county region, which includes Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, Cumberland, Harnett, Hoke, Pender, New Hanover, Richmond, Robeson, Sampson and Scotland counties.

Executive Director of SEDC Pamela Bostic welcomed attendees and shared highlights from the past year, including the Commission’s receipt of the Community Impact Award at the UNC Pembroke 23rd Business Visions Award Banquet. Bostic reaffirmed SEDC’s commitment to promoting job creation, infrastructure development, and long-term economic growth through partnerships and federal investments from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) and the Southeast Crescent Regional Commission (SCRC).

Following lunch, SEDC Chairman Gary Lanier delivered opening remarks and introduced NC House Majority Leader Brenden H. Jones, as the Keynote Speaker, who addressed attendees on the importance of continued investment in regional economic development. Jones highlighted several historic investments directed to the southeast region by the General Assembly in recent years. Jones promised, as a legislator and a southeastern NC native who
deeply believes in the area, to continue fighting for the funding, flexibility, and foresight necessary to build on the momentum with strategic investments in water and sewer infrastructure, broadband, industrial site development, education, workforce partnerships and housing.

Chairman Lanier reported on several key milestones, notably the historic reauthorization of the U.S. Economic Development Administration by Congress, the first in two decades. The bipartisan legislation aims to modernize the EDA and other regional commissions, enhancing their ability to support community resilience and economic growth.
Lanier highlighted that over the past year, SEDC has helped secure more than $125.6 million in EDA investments across 187 projects, resulting in job creation, infrastructure improvements, and private sector growth. Additionally, SCRC awarded over $1.9 million through its inaugural State Economic and Infrastructure Development (SEID) Grant Program in 2024. Lanier encouraged eligible entities to contact SEDC about the 2025 SCRC grant cycle.

During the meeting, the SEDC Full Board elected officers for the 2025–2026 term: 

Gary Lanier, Columbus County Economic Developer, as Chairman; Ray Jordan, Sampson County Economic Developer, as Vice Chairman; and Chuck Heustess, Bladen County Economic Developer, as Secretary-Treasurer.

SEDC continues to serve as the federally designated Economic Development District (EDD) and Local Development District (LDD) for southeastern North Carolina, helping local governments and organizations access federal funding and planning resources to enhance public works and infrastructure, create jobs and develop the workforce, recover from disasters, promote innovation, and advance industries.

The SEDC Office is in Elizabethtown. For more information, visit www.sedcnc.org.