Kannapolis' future seems virtually assured with the development of the N.C. Research Campus, and the biotech venture is bound to send ripples (if not riptides) through surrounding counties and beyond.

In that light, it's interesting to note how neighboring cities and the counties are preparing for the future, with or without biotechnology. The latest development has popped up in Rowan County, where business leaders are launching a marketing campaign that could bring more jobs to the region.

The Rowan Jobs Initiative has adopted the brand, "Available for Work," which describes this region in a lot of ways. Both Rowan and Cabarrus have a willing workforce, a wealth of industrial sites and a strong pool of local resources to support new business. Rowan is trying to set itself apart, promising a can-do attitude and promises kept. It's an exciting approach.

Each community needs an identity. For nearly 100 years, Kannapolis' identity was directly tied to textiles; now biotechnology appears to be our destiny. And while Cabarrus touts its connections to motorsports, the county is quickly becoming like many counties bordering Mecklenburg — a receptacle for Charlotte-Mecklenburg's runover and an alternative to living in the big, congested city. Residential and retail growth didn't just knock on the Cabarrus' door; they have knocked it down. The challenge is to keep the jobs and tax base to support that growth.

Rather than sit and wait for Charlotte's growth to spread out to the next ring of counties, Rowan plans to aggressively seek new and expanded industry in its own right, and business leaders are tying the county's name to a pretty strong word — WORK.

The counties in this region may rise and fall together in many ways, but each community is unique. "Available for Work; Salisbury-Rowan, NC" makes a statement about our neighbors to the north. If they can deliver on that promise and attract more jobs, they might just send some ripples of change — positive change — this way. Hope it works. Not everyone is cut out to work in biotechnology.