Kate Pickett Eggleston has accepted an offer from Prince Edward County to fill the economic developer position that has been open since former Economic Developer Sharon Carney retired in June 2016. Eggleston currently works as communications specialist for the Town of Farmville.

“It has been my pleasure to work for the town,” Eggleston said. “Leaving is bittersweet, but I am excited about this new opportunity to advance my career in this position with the county.”

The Prince Edward County Board of Supervisors approved the hiring of Eggleston at the Feb. 6 board meeting.

“Certainly, communications, social media and what not. We just don’t do a whole lot of that,” County Administrator Wade Bartlett said regarding the skill set that Eggleston will bring to the county. “Our website doesn’t have Facebook and all of that on there and a lot of citizens that’s how they get their information through their phone now. About half of the citizens.”

He stipulated that this position can’t compete with bigger areas like Fairfax, which he said spends roughly $8 million on economic development, or Martinsville and Henry County, which he said spends roughly $1.5 million on economic development.

“So we rely on Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) and Virginia Growth Alliance (VGA) as all rural and small counties do for our leads,” Bartlett said. “So this key position is more about building relationships, going up to VEDP.”

He said meeting people from VEDP and bringing them to the county and letting them see what the county has to offer, in terms of county owned and private facilities, would be part of the job.

“That’s one of the keys and that would also relieve me of having to go to a VGA marketing committee for this and that and all,” Bartlett said.