The Chatham County Economic Development Corporation has been awarded a $50,000 Golden LEAF Foundation grant for job creation and retention. The money will be used to hire an economic development specialist who will work to attract and retain jobs in Siler City and Western Chatham in industries such as food processing and green business and to look for new opportunities that fit with the area’s strengths.
Golden LEAF receives half of the money the state gets from the master settlement with tobacco companies. It distributes that money to nonprofits and governments to provide economic opportunities to poor or tobacco-dependent regions.