regional_economic_development

ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. – November 04, 2026 -- The Rocky Mount Event Center has generated an estimated $27.3 million in economic impact so far in 2026, about 86 percent of its $31.8 million full-year 2025 total, as it prepares to host the 47th Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Volleyball Championship on November 9–11.

Eight teams will compete at the 165,000-square-foot downtown venue

Eight of the conference's top volleyball programs will play for the title at the city-owned facility, which is operated by The Sports Facilities Companies. Admission is free to the public. CIAA representatives are due to arrive Saturday, November 7, and participating teams on Sunday, November 8, which adds visitor activity ahead of the first match.

The CIAA, founded in 1912, is an NCAA Division II conference and describes itself as the nation's oldest historically Black athletic conference.

Dallas – – September 29, 2026 -- MassChallenge, ranked the No. 2 accelerator in the U.S. by TIME and Statista, has named Dallas its second U.S. headquarters, backed by a renewed two-year grant from Lyda Hill Philanthropies. The investment extends a five-year partnership at Pegasus Park and will fund two ten-week accelerator tracks in Health & Life Sciences and Security & Resiliency, plus Founder Access Clinics connecting early-stage founders with academic, clinical and corporate stakeholders.

Texas applications to MassChallenge grew more than fivefold since 2022

Texas-based applications to MassChallenge's national programs have risen over five times since 2022, while annual innovation-event attendance approaches 1,000. The grant will also support INNOVATE '26, MassChallenge's flagship Dallas convening scheduled for November 17 at Pegasus Park.

College Station, Texas – September 13, 2026 -- Matica Biotechnology, a Texas-based cell and gene therapy CDMO, has entered a collaboration with Bondwell Technologies to advance the latter's proprietary protein bioprocessing platform toward manufacturing readiness.

Matica Bio will provide development expertise to prepare Bondwell's technology for commercialization

Under the agreement, Matica Bio will support Bondwell Technologies, headquartered in College Station, in scaling its proprietary protein technology for bioprocessing and life science applications. The collaboration is designed to move Bondwell's platform closer to manufacturing readiness and future commercial deployment.