Grow Local is an exciting new initiative led by the Greenville-Pitt County Chamber of Commerce and Pitt County Development Commission, where Pitt County businesses open their doors to host local middle and high school students, providing them an experience to introduce, involve, inspire and invest in students and young adult lives.

Businesses and employers can participate in three main ways:

     •  Host an experience
     •  Sponsor
     •  Be a Grow Local supporter and recruit additional businesses to participate

An experience is an activity that exposes student participants to a specific career, company or industry.  Experience types range from tours and activities, to job shadows.  Experiences should have clear learning objectives that relate to the job, industry or company that you are showcasing, and hands-on activities and information on future education needs for the jobs presented.

Businesses and employers of all sizes and industries can participate by hosting experiences.

Experiences can take place within the schools or at the business.  Some classrooms may be restricted from traveling, while other classrooms have the option to travel.  We also realize that some businesses may be limited on hosting students on site, so an off-site experience is offered in that case.

There is no set duration for experiences.  The time allotted for an experience should be planned around the activities the participants will be doing and school day time constraints.  Experiences could range from two (2) hours to four (4) hours.

There are multiple sponsorship levels:

     •  Platinum ($1,000)
     •  Gold ($500)
     •  Silver ($250)

To obtain additional details and sign up, contact Kate Teel or call 252.752.4101 ext. 228.

Grow Local Supporters are volunteers that help promote the program and recruit businesses and employers to host experiences.  To sign up, contact Kate Teel or call 252.752.4101 ext. 228.