Upper Coastal Plain Business Development Center

Wilson City Council members all agreed to give "The Incubator" as its known locally $45,000. In doing so, it matched that which the center also received from the county. UCPBDC is a small business starter, a place where entrepreneurs can utilize office space to grow a business and where existing business can expand.


The center opened in November 2007. Since the turn in the economy in 2008, unfortunately, the center has found it difficult to maintain the base needed to stablize the venture.  Currently, there are nine tenants leasing space. According to Greg Goddard, executive director, for the center to be self-sufficient at least 80 percent of the floor space needs to be leased.

Mayor Bruce Rose commented, "I don't want to see that center fail and I don't want to the see the city blamed for its failure" at the January 18 city council meeting. City council members noted they would be hard pressed to extend further donations in the future. Councilman Bill Blackman questioned Goddard  if he would be asking for additonal funding in the spring. Godddard confirmed that he would. In saying so, Blackman stated, "I'm going to have a hard time voting for it when it comes up again.

The UPCBDC is locally housed in Wilson but extends regionally to include Edgecombe, Halifax, Nash, and Northhampton counties.