Chapel Hill leaders working to create a strong local economy will swap strategies today with those from another hill — Capitol Hill.

Forty-five business leaders from across the Triangle will participate in a White House business leader briefing and will meet with Economic Development Administration officials to discuss job creation and economic growth.

The leaders from Chapel Hill include former mayor and Chapel Hill 2020 co-chairwoman Rosemary Waldorf, Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt, Top of The Hill owner Scott Maitland and UNC real estate director Gordon Merklein.

Waldorf said she is excited to collaborate with leaders from Raleigh and Durham during the trip.

“We are thinking regionally about a lot of things,” she said.
She said one collaborative effort already underway has been researching transportation and infrastructure options for the Triangle.

Waldorf said she hopes the meeting will also address health care concerns in addition to economic innovation.

Merklein said these conversations are essential for moving the national economy forward.

“The feedback that the administration receives from this group and others will help shape federal policy,” he said. “It’s an opportunity for the administration to hear from us and figure out how to create jobs.”

As a small business owner, Maitland said he hopes sharing his experiences will offer a useful perspective, and that he himself will learn something.

“I am sure that I will walk away much more informed about challenges and opportunities facing the small business community,” he said.

Maitland said he would like to see local and national policy allow increased access to capital and resources so that more people can start their own businesses.

Maitland said the meeting is a valuable opportunity for Chapel Hill to influence the discussion about the country’s economic future.

“The opportunity to help craft policy designed to harness the economic potential of our town, our area and our nation is too potentially important to pass up.”

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