Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Small Business topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Secretary of State Elaine Marshall visits Gates County to promote RISE for entrepreneurs
Summary
North Carolina Secretary of State Elaine Marshall presented the RISE initiative to Gates County, highlighting tools to connect new business creators with local resources, sharing statewide business-formation figures, and urging better referral networks, credit-readiness and community-college support for rural entrepreneurs.
North Carolina Secretary of State Elaine Marshall told Gates County commissioners she brought the Secretary of State’s RISE initiative—“resources for innovators, startups, and entrepreneurs”—to highlight state tools that help new businesses access local supports.
Marshall described a surge in new-business filings since 2020 and said the Secretary of State’s office now fields hundreds of filings daily. She cited month and quarter peaks and national-level totals discussed in her office’s data: “Since 2021, at the secretary of state's office, we have been creating between 650 and 700 new business every day our doors are open,” Marshall said, and referenced record monthly and quarterly filing totals in 2024 and 2025.
Marshall said RISE provides county-specific bulletins, an online searchable database and referral contacts to community colleges and small-business counselors. She emphasized gaps found in surveys of new business creators—lack of back-office knowledge, credit-readiness issues and insufficient local counseling—and urged early outreach to increase survival rates. Marshall also highlighted the role of broadband and daycare as constraints on rural entrepreneurship.
Commissioners thanked Marshall and noted local needs such as broadband and childcare that align with RISE priorities. Marshall left contact information and encouraged local leaders to use the RISE bulletin and county-specific resources available through the Secretary of State’s office.
This presentation was informational; no board action was requested or taken during Secretary Marshall’s remarks.
