[This transcript was generated automatically from audio using AI and hasn't been reviewed by a person -- it can contain mistakes, including plausible-sounding sentences that were never actually said. Treat it as a starting point, not a verbatim record.]

[0:32] I'm so proud to be standing before you. As the representative for House District 24, I'm here today in my office in
[0:54] back home in our district. One of the committees that I'm proud to be on is the Commerce and Economic
[1:01] Development Committee for the North Carolina House. Let me tell you, our district is the
[1:06] talk of the state, with the major business and industry that's coming to our community, folks all
[1:12] across North Carolina have taken notice. One of the things that I tell them all the time is that
[1:18] Wilson County and Nash County both are open for business.
[1:23] We want to make sure that we have the right environment, that invites business, that we,
[1:29] that I tell them all the time, we have some of the best support systems and best work force you
[1:34] can ask for. So we're continuing to try to attract those businesses and make sure they know that we've
[1:39] got to spot for them. As you may have heard, we are celebrating Johnson and Johnson coming
[1:45] to the city of Wilson, I would tell you there have been so many community leaders that have come before me that have worked so hard to set the conditions to have a major corporation like that coming to bring over 400 jobs that are high paying and high skilled jobs.
[2:04] And I'm just proud to be a part of the team to make sure that we partner together, that we make sure they are comfortable here in Wilson and that we take care of business.
[2:13] so that they know we are the best place to do business in the state.
[2:17] We're also doing all that we can to make sure we're looking after our small businesses and our local businesses.
[2:23] One of the things that I said on the campaign shows that while we are so glad to have folks coming in,
[2:28] it's a priority to make sure we don't forget the folks that have already been here,
[2:33] the folks that have been building in this community, and that they know their business is just as important as any other.
[2:39] So, I'm going to be looking forward to visiting businesses around our community to listen to what your needs are to see how we can partner together
[2:47] because I firmly believe that small businesses, the backbone of communities like ours, and we're going to make sure you're not forgotten.
[2:56] We're also focusing on some agricultural needs that we have in Wilson County in the state of North Carolina.
[3:01] But we all know how pivotal agriculture is to our state and how important it is to the local
[3:08] economy that we have.
[3:10] So I've been proud to be partnered with the North Carolina Farm Bureau and our Wilson County
[3:16] Farm Bureau to make sure that we are pushing forward legislation that supports our agricultural
[3:21] needs.
[3:22] That includes the hurricane disaster relief bill that not only is the first step in making sure
[3:30] that we are taking care of the victims out west for Hurricane Helene, but also taking care of victims from past hurricanes that happened a few years ago in eastern part of our state, because we know that we can't afford for eastern North Carolina to be left behind.
[3:45] So we're going to continue collaborating with our partners and make sure that folks know that agriculture is number one for us in this state.