Tom Willis: His Goal is Developing the East
This article describes, the ideas that Tom Willis has to develop Eastern North Carolina economically. This and other articles may be found in the University Archives.
Citation for this article is: Hardee, Roy. "Tom Willis: His Goal is Developing the East," News and Observer, August 24, 1969.
Tar Heel of the Week
Tom Willis is a man who believes in the future of Eastern North Carolina and the role it will play in total development of the state.
Tangible evidence of his faith is the fact that he was the first man to venture into industrial promotion in his native East. And he has stayed there despite offers in more lucrative fields.
In December, 1964, he joined East Carolina College in its expanding role in the East, becoming first director of the Regional Development Institute serving 32 counties.
Aim of the institute is to assist regional economic development.
"We know what the major problems are, thus we are action-and-solution-oriented," Willis said.
The secret of economic development, according to Willis, lies with local leadership. It was true with the formation and success of the Farmville Economic Development Council which Willis headed in 1956 as the first full-time economic development specialist east of Raleigh.
Farmville jumped into the limelight, becoming a giant in locating industry, putting many of its bigger competitors to shame.
"Because Farmville was successful, it lit the fire in the East," Willis said. About 2,300 new jobs were created by the Farmville Economic Council and its director in a community of 6,000 people.
"One person can not do this alone. It takes capable community leadership to do the over-all job," according to Willis.
Since that beginning, 20 of the 32 counties served by the institute have employed full time industrial and economic development directors. The results have been new plants and thousands of new jobs for Eastern Carolina folks.
Willis' decision to enter the economic development field came after a meeting with Farmville businessmen while he was on staff of the State Department of Conservation and Development:
"I challenged them to get something done in development and the took me up on it. When I returned to Raleigh later that same night, they called and offered me a chance to practice what I was preaching."
President Leo W. Jenkins brought Willis to East Carolina University after selling him on the need for a development institute which could help "change the direction the East was going."
Willis is optimistic about the region:
"I think the East has a tremendious future . . . I am dedicated to Eastern Carolina and want to stay here and see this thing go. One of the biggest things which bothers me is hte vast outmigration of our young people. These are the leaders of tomorrow."
Willis cited figures from 1960 through 1969: More than 31,000 persons left the state and 27,000 were from a nine-county eastern region. Then he added:
"It appears that our only salvation is to form an alliance to preserve rural and small communities. But everyone must stop seeking credit and just join hands and pull together . . . The credit will come . . . We have the raw resources but just are not using them as we should."
"That is why the institute is trying to motivate and promote leadership. Nearly 500 projects and research studies have been conducted by the ECU institute since it was formed. Ninety per cent have meant working directly with local communities."
The institute does not locate or suggest sites for industry. It works upon request and collects data which points out advantages or disadvantages of a given area.
There is a regional data bank and technical and consultant services are provided for special problems.
Requests come from the very small as well as the very large -- from a $50 million industry to a plumbing shop. It makes no difference; it's the end product which the development institute is concerned with.
Willis and his eight-man staff spend at least 50 per cent of their working time on the road: "You can't do the job from behind a desk. You have to be there personally."
Willis predicts that counties and towns which do not have full-time development and industrial people will have to get into the swing of things to open up new avenues of income and employement.
As an example, an institute survey of Greene County cited the need for a full time man working in economic development. It also pointed out that industry would be attracted to the county if the story were properly told.
As a result, a full-time director was hired. Already one new industry has been secured. Others are interested and the story of what Greene County has to offer is being told.
Willis is convinced the East must look for new sources of income:
"We should take a careful look at the possibility of fish farming in our many sounds and rivers. This is paying off in many states, particularly on the West Coast. If it will work here it offers a vast, untapped source of food and revenue."
Willis also says Eastern Carolina's tourist business offers unlimited opporturnities. He thinks the Carolina coast should be the charter boat capitol of the world for offshore fishing.
"There is so much we could do if we just take advantage of our opportunities," Willis says.
The Farmville native attended public schools in Pitt County, graduated form Randolph Macon Military and Wake Forest. He became the first assistant city manager at Raleigh in 1945, moving from there to Newton as its first city manager. Later he joined the C&D staff.
Despite his many hours away on the road, Willis has taken an active leadership role in his home town. He has served as president of the Farmville Kiwanis Club and chairman of the board of the Farmville Methodist Church. On a county level, he has worked with the Red Cross and United Fund programs.
He is married to the former Hope Wetherington of Grifton. They have two children.
