On Tuesday, February 18th, Labor Commissioner Luke Farley visited Spruce Pine to meet with small business owners and learn about the community’s concerns related to Helene recovery and to see, firsthand, the ongoing rebuilding process.
“I want to thank the business owners and residents for taking the time to meet with me. I appreciated their candor in sharing their experiences and concerns. The situation for small businesses remains dire. If we can’t get them back up and running soon, our communities in western North Carolina are going to be hollowed out,” said Commissioner Farley. “The workforce will move away in search of jobs elsewhere, the businesses won’t be able to reopen because they won’t have workers or customers, and the tax base will be permanently eroded. We need to simplify and streamline the process of rebuilding and reopening. As Labor Commissioner, I’m committed to finding solutions that will quickly let our neighbors in western North Carolina go back to earning a living. But this isn’t just about businesses reopening. It is about rebuilding lives, families, and communities that depend on those businesses.”
