Davidson County Community College will host one of three regional forums by Gov. Bev Perdue next month designed to promote the competitiveness and economic development capacity of small towns in North Carolina.

The Governor's Forums on Small Town Competitiveness will bring together state and local officials, business and economic development leaders and various federal, state, local and nonprofit organizations dedicated to community economic development.

"North Carolina's small towns are the heart of our state and the sorts of places where our efforts to strengthen education are paying off with a skilled, educated workforce that can attract new businesses," Perdue said. "The economic health of these small towns is critical to the economic future of the entire state. These forums are designed to celebrate what's great about small town North Carolina and how we can preserve these wonderful communities by helping them stay competitive in the 21st century economy."

The half-day forum at DCCC will be Sept. 28. The first forum will be Sept. 16 at Martin Community College in Williamston, and the last will be Oct. 6 at Haywood Community College in Clyde.

Each forum will include a panel discussion on best practices from local government leaders within their respective regions, a discussion of the challenges faced by small towns and a Small Town Competitiveness Resource Fair to link up small town leaders with funding and service providers that may be helpful to local economic development.

Joining Perdue in this effort are partners including the N.C. Department of Commerce, the N.C. League of Municipalities, N.C. Association of County Commissioners, the N.C. Rural Center, the Golden LEAF Foundation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Appalachian Regional Commission.