RALEIGH, N.C. — A Wayne County native has been named the director of the U.S. Agriculture Department's office designed to provide assistance to small businesses and those owned by minorities and women.
Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman on Thursday selected James E. House as director of the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilitization.
House most recently served as president of the Eckenberge Group, a suburban Washington firm that help with marketing for small businesses, federal contractors and historically black colleges.
House also served as president of the National Association of African-American Business Owners.



















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