North Carolina Economic Development Guide 2021

SUM OF ITS PARTS

North Carolina’s diverse regions and industries deliver unique benefits that help make it a thriving state for business.

The Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina is a vital piece of North Carolina’s business community puzzle.

CHARLOTTE

With Charlotte as an industry hot spot, businesses are embracing commutable, regional counties.

EAST

Industries across the spectrum plant roots and expand in eastern North Carolina’s large cities, coastal communities and charming small towns.

TRIANGLE

The Raleigh-Durham area has tremendous momentum with a combination of top universities, a highly skilled workforce and advanced manufacturing.

TRIAD

Local organizations come together to boost the Carolina Core’s industrial megasites, urban research parks and mixed-use developments.

Provided by the Piedmont Triad Partnership

Western counties find innovative solutions to sustain tourism and attract business during an unprecedented year.

10 REASONS TO BE IN N.C.

1. A BUSINESS-FRIENDLY TAX ENVIRONMENT

North Carolina’s 2.5% corporate income tax rate is the lowest among the 44 states with the levy. Overall, North Carolina has the third-lowest business tax burden in the U.S., according to a comprehensive 2018 Anderson Economic Group study that considers 11 taxes that businesses pay.

2. NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED BUSINESS CLIMATE

North Carolina consistently finishes among the top three states in well-regarded national business rankings. In 2020, North Carolina tied with one other state as the No. 1 best state business climate in the country, according to Site Selection magazine. In 2019, North Carolina remained Forbes’ choice as the nation’s No. 1 best state for business — for the third year in a row. Meanwhile, CNBC placed North Carolina No. 3 in its 2019 ranking of America’s Top States for Business.

3. FAST-GROWING POPULATION AND TALENT POOL

North Carolina’s population is expected to grow to 10.5 million in 2020 and surpass 11 million by 2030. The state’s population is increasing at twice the U.S. average, which fuels the local pipeline of workforce talent. The state’s growing population has access to top-tier training. Students are earning degrees at 53 colleges and universities across the state. North Carolina’s 58-campus community college system is the nation’s third-largest and a national model for customized workforce training.

4. AFFORDABLE BUSINESS-OPERATING COSTS

North Carolina’s cost-effective business environment is clear across several measures, including construction costs (16% below the national average in metropolitan areas) and industrial electricity costs (about 10% below the U.S. average). In fact, North Carolina’s labor, energy and tax costs are all well below the national average, according to Forbes, and rank as the nation’s fourth-lowest overall.

5. LOCATION AND LOGISTICS TO REACH MILLIONS

North Carolina’s central East Coast location and superb road transportation network provide access to more than 178 million customers within a day’s drive. The state’s two deepwater seaports and two Class 1 rail carriers enable companies to reach millions more domestic and international customers. North Carolina boasts several regional airports and four international airports including the nation’s seventh-busiest in Charlotte and the very well-connected Raleigh-Durham International Airport.

6. LEADERSHIP IN RESEARCH AND INNOVATION

North Carolina public and private universities excel in research and development. Duke University, University of North Carolina, and North Carolina State University ranked among the top 100 universities worldwide granted U.S. utility patents in 2019. The state is also home to several research parks, including the nation’s largest at Research Triangle Park, home to more than 250 of the world’s most innovative companies employing more than 50,000 people.

7. QUALITY OF LIFE

North Carolina’s low cost of living and family-friendly reputation make it an ideal place to call home. Residents enjoy a moderate climate year-round and unique access to a variety of stunning natural landscapes, flanked by the Great Smoky Mountains and Blue Ridge Mountains to the west and 300 miles of beaches to the east.

8. STRONG MANUFACTURING AND GROWING TECHNICAL WORKFORCE

At more than 475,000 employees, North Carolina has the largest manufacturing workforce in the Southeast and the ninth-largest in the U.S. The state’s technology industry jobs increased 20.8% from 2013 to 2018, the third-highest growth rate in the country and well above the national average of 8.3%.

9. PERFORMANCE-BASED, TARGETED INCENTIVES

North Carolina offers eligible companies state and local programs that lower their costs and increase their global competitiveness, including performance-based grants tied to job creation. In recent years, legislators have significantly expanded possible grants for projects that create large-scale employment and investment in North Carolina.

10.ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE

The Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina helps companies of all sizes identify sites, navigate economic-development incentives, find workforce solutions and more. If you are interested in locating or growing your business in North Carolina, call 919-447-7744, email clientservices@edpnc.com, or visit edpnc.com.

Building Dreams in the Eastern North Carolina Region

Chambliss & Rabil is a fully integrated real estate investment, development and management firm headquartered in Rocky Mount, NC with a geographic emphasis Raleigh to Wilmington. Founded in 1974, by Norman Chambliss III and Jimmy Rabil, Chambliss & Rabil focuses on the acquisition, development and redevelopment of medical, retail, office, multifamily and mixed use properties. We are committed to making a positive impact on the communities in which we operate and strive to be good stewards of our resources.

Reliable, ethical, experienced and professional, we work to the highest standards. Where Your Investment Meets Opportunity

The Perquimans Marine Industrial Park is situated in northeastern North Carolina along the beautiful Perquimans River. This 71-acre county-owned park is part of the 400-acre Perquimans Commerce Centre just south of historic Hertford. For more information contact: Dave Goss, Director, Perquimans County Economic Development 252-312-5314 | economicdevelopment@perquimanscountync.gov

PROJECT E DITOR

Taylor Wanbaugh

PROJECT ART DIRECTOR

Peggy Knaack

CONTRIBUTORS

Kathy Blake, Vanessa Infanzon, David Mildenberg

PUBLISHED ANNUALLY BY

PUBLISHER

Ben Kinney

EDITOR

David Mildenberg

MANAGING EDITOR

Taylor Wanbaugh

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Cathy Martin

SENIOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Edward Martin

SPECIAL PROJECTS EDITOR

Pete Anderson

CREATIVE MANAGER

Peggy Knaack

ART DIRECTOR

Ralph Voltz

ACCOUNT MANAGERS

Sue Graf, Melanie Weaver Lynch

MARKETING COORDINATOR

Jennifer Ware

AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT

SPECIALIST

Scott Leonard

1230 W. Morehead Street, Suite 308

Charlotte, NC 28208

Telephone: 704-523-6987

All contents copyright ©2020 Old North State Magazines LLC

PRESIDENT David Woronoff

PIECE BY PIECE

North Carolina’s biggest advantage may be its diversity in landscapes, culture and industries. With more than 10.5 million residents, the state spans across the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, towering high-rises in shiny urban landscapes, rolling green farmlands, and a stretch of sandy beaches. Prominent industries include aerospace and defense, agriculture, biotechnology, energy, finance, furniture, manufacturing, textiles, and tourism.

One of the top 10 fastest-growing states by population, North Carolina is home to three highly rated research universities, dozens of other public and private universities, and 58 community colleges that offer a vast array of education and workforce-training opportunities (Page 62). Those assets helped the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina win recognition as the “best in class” state economic development organization in an October survey by the Development Counsellors International marketing firm. Nearly 40% of respondents named EDPNC as the top group of its kind nationally (Page 10).

No two regions of North Carolina are quite the same, yet each area provides benefits that help make it a thriving state for business.

The Charlotte region is a hot spot for corporate headquarters and financial and technology industries, while surrounding counties attract manufacturers and a diverse pool of companies (Page 16). Eastern North Carolina is luring industries across the spectrum looking to plant roots and expand in its charming cities and towns in the plains and on the coast (Page 24). The Triangle area is a global hub for softwaredevelopment and life-sciences companies in addition to top universities, highly skilled labor and advanced manufacturing (Page 36). In the middle of the state, the Triad area stands out for its transportation infrastructure and the Carolina Core initiative, which is promoting the region’s industrial megasites, urban research parks and mixed-use developments (Page 44). In the west, local leaders are thinking outside the box to entice tourists and national brands looking for a thriving business environment and excellent quality of life (Page 50).

Could your organization be a perfect piece in North Carolina’s thriving economic development puzzle? For more information and business opportunities, check out ncedg.com.

— Taylor Wanbaugh, project editor

BUILDING BUSINESS

The Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina is a vital piece of North Carolina’s business community puzzle.

Business leaders inevitably stress the important role that their local economic development group plays in attracting and retaining new companies and industries. But the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina stands out.

According to marketing firm Development Counsellors International’s recent “Winning Strategies” report, which surveyed 316 U.S. corporate executives with site-selection responsibilities, North Carolina is the No. 3 state for best business climate. The EDPNC received high marks, with 37% of respondents naming it as their top “best in class” state economic development organization, more than any agency.

EDPNC CEO Chris Chung has led the Raleigh-based nonprofit organization since its formation in 2015, overseeing efforts to recruit business and industry; support the growth of existing business; promote the export of N.C. products and services around the world; and attract tourism, convention, and film-production activities to the state. In 2019, North Carolina saw 154 new projects or expansions that engaged state economic developers, $4.4 billion in projected investment from new projects and 21,675 new jobs announced. Chung, an Ohio State University grad, previously led economic development groups in Ohio and Missouri.

Headquartered in Raleigh, the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina oversees projects across the entire state.

What are the key focuses of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina?

We perform a variety of critical economic development functions on behalf of the state of North Carolina. And everything we do is dedicated to one overriding mission, which is to help improve the economic well-being and quality of life for all North Carolinians.

Our focus is on collaborating with state, regional, local and private-sector partners to recruit new business and employers to the state, support the expansion of existing industry, assist manufacturers with overseas exports, counsel entrepreneurs on launching a business in the state, and promote North Carolina as a tourism destination. We also market the state as a location for film productions and as a retirement destination.

All these activities combined contribute to sustainable job creation and growth in the state. We are a private nonprofit corporation that performs these key business and tourism marketing functions under contract to the North Carolina Department of Commerce.

What services does EDPNC offer? What are some of the different industries that fall under your umbrella?

We’re always marketing the state for new corporate facilities and expansions across a wide range of diverse industries. But we certainly shift our marketing priorities as needed when we see opportunities for growth.

Recently, those areas have included automotive, aviation and aerospace, food and beverage products, information technology, life sciences and pharmaceutical, offshore wind energy, warehouse distribution facilities, outdoor recreation products, and film and TV production.

Our business recruiters not only support companies that reach out to us directly for information about the state’s business assets and potential sites, we also have a business development team dedicated to proactively identifying international and domestic companies on the cusp of expanding in North America. They build relationships with these companies and generate leads for our business recruiters.

Being proactive is an important strategy in helping us cultivate business recruitment leads that result in more high-impact projects in the state’s rural communities. Ontex Operations USA’s recent announcement of a $93.3 million plant that will create more than 400 new jobs in Rockingham County is just one recent example of a project sourced by our business development team through their early contact with Ontex’s headquarters in Belgium.

Supporting the retention and expansion of existing industry in our state is equally important. Our existing industry team routinely helps manufacturers identify and clear barriers to growth — for example, connecting these businesses to workforce development support or state funding that can pay for building renovations and expansions.

Our trade team’s services to exporters range from international market research and export education workshops to introducing companies to new international distributors.

We also have a team of small-business consultants, Business Link North Carolina, that counsels entrepreneurs and helps them navigate the legal and regulatory requirements of opening a business in the state. Primarily through their toll-free line, this team handles more than 23,000 cases a year of supporting entrepreneurs in ways that also include referrals to small-business mentoring and more.

Visit NC, our tourism marketing team, promotes the state as a premier destination for visitors. Among other things, Visit NC oversees the state’s tourism advertising campaigns, which have contributed to record tourism-related spending and employment in North Carolina in recent years — prior to 2020 and COVID’s devastating global impact on the tourism and travel industry.

In addition, Visit NC offers a well-regarded cooperative marketing program that enables local tourism offices in urban and rural communities across the state to promote their local destinations affordably through Visit NC advertising and marketing channels.

How does EDPNC support existing industries and companies? Why is that an important function of your organization?

I’ve already touched on some of the many ways we support existing industries, primarily small- to medium- sized manufacturers across the state. And our tourism marketing efforts bolster attractions, hotels, restaurants and other businesses that rely heavily on visitors traveling to their communities.

Our recruitment of new corporate facilities to the state generates headlines. But many people don’t realize that smallto mid-sized businesses of fewer than 500 employees across the state account for 45% of our private-sector workforce. And the tourism industry supported employment exceeded 235,000 jobs in North Carolina in 2019.

Helping existing employers to retain and add jobs across our key industries has always been an important part of what we do. What’s taken on special importance since March of 2020 has been our efforts to drive tourism in ways that preserve as many jobs as possible in that important sector of our state economy; unfortunately, since the onset of the pandemic, we’ve seen the loss of roughly 76,000 jobs in travel-generated employment in North Carolina.

Has this changed in the face of the pandemic? How has EDPNC pivoted during this time to assist businesses?

Our fundamental role hasn’t changed, but it’s evolved to assist businesses with their most pressing issue of survival during the pandemic.

Continued on page 14

Q&A with Stan Kelly

President & CEO Piedmont Triad Partnership

Q: What is the Carolina Core?

A: The Carolina Core is North Carolina’s next economic engine. Bridging the urban crescent between Charlotte and the Research Triangle in central North Carolina, the Carolina Core is defined by diverse assets connected along future Interstate 685 – from megasites to Class A office space, from bustling metros to rural communities. In the Core, businesses and people can access North Carolina’s fastest growing metros, while still benefitting from the perks and quality of life of mid-sized cities and small towns.

From our companies to our people to our deep investments in our communities, the Carolina Core is a future-ready region brimming with opportunity set to transform North Carolina.

Q: Why should companies make the Carolina Core their next big move?

A: This 120+ mile stretch of central North Carolina from west of Winston-Salem to Fayetteville is defined by assets that make the region a globally competitive market – a smart

and growing talent pool of more than 2 million people, access to 30+ colleges and universities, multiple airports, four megasites totaling 7,200 acres of certified land, industrial and urban research parks and more. Companies also benefit from North Carolina’s corporate tax climate, which includes the lowest corporate tax rate in the United States, and competitive incentive programs.

Purpose and vision are at the Core here, with public and private leadership highly engaged on a vision for the future. A spark has caught and strong, innovative companies are investing and growing in the Carolina Core.

Q: What is it like to live in the Carolina Core?

A: There’s something for everyone living in the Carolina Core. Affordable housing and excellent public schools leave more money for the things you like – whether that’s practicing yoga in an urban park, hiking and tubing, or attending the PGA Wyndham Championship. And without traffic congestion, you will have more time to enjoy these activities with your family.

Q: Where can I learn more about the Carolina Core? A: To learn more, visit NCCarolinaCore.com

We have served as a clearinghouse to answer questions from businesses and help them connect to the right resources. At the outset of the pandemic, we helped manufacturers understand how to qualify as “essential” so that they could keep operating during the lockdown. We’ve helped companies pivot to manufacturing PPE — personal protective equipment — by connecting them to resources such as product testing and possible supply chain partners.

We’ve referred furniture, textile and other manufacturers shifting to PPE production to regional, state and national databases where they can connect to health care facilities and businesses that need to acquire PPE. We’ve also helped businesses navigate the array of state and federal COVID relief grant and loan programs available to them.

We’re also partnering in a key program to support public health and the safe opening and operation of the businesses most impacted by the pandemic. Our Visit NC division developed and implemented the marketing campaign for the $15 million “Count On Me NC” public health initiative, launched in 2020 and funded by the state using federal CARES Act money.

The program, conceived by the NC Restaurant & Lodging Association and presented in partnership with the state Department of Health and Human Services and N.C. State Extension, provides free online training modules that guide restaurants, hotels, attractions and other businesses on best practices for reopening and operating during the pandemic. It also directs consumers to look for the “Count On Me NC” logo at these businesses, indicating their employees have completed the voluntary training. As of October 2020, more than 3,600 North Carolina businesses were participating in “Count On Me NC.”

We’re promoting “Count On Me NC” primarily in-state, but also in contiguous states. In fact, all of our tourism marketing efforts have shifted to targeting those areas because we know that as people begin to travel again, they will want to visit nearby destinations within a drivable distance.

Another component of the “Count On Me NC” program includes $5.5 million worth of credits we are providing local tourism offices across the state to participate in our cooperative marketing program. COVID has devastated local government budgets — including for local tourism marketing. The credits are another way we can help our local partners.

Another area hit hard by the pandemic is exporting, because the pandemic shut down borders, travel and large in-person trade shows around the world. Businesses have to connect to their existing international customers virtually and find new customers the same way.

So we’re helping small-business exporters exhibit in virtual trade shows that are just beginning to replace the many densely packed, in-person events canceled in 2020.

We are also helping small-business exporters through our website globalization program. The program connects these businesses to federal grants of up to $10,000 to help them pay for translating and search-engine optimizing their website in other countries. We can also introduce them to a company qualified to do the website work.

WHAT IS YOUR “BUSINESS PITCH” FOR RECRUITING BUSINESSES TO NORTH CAROLINA? WHAT ARE SOME OF THE BIGGEST BENEFITS OF DOING BUSINESS IN THE STATE?

As businesses recover from the economic downturn of COVID-19, North Carolina will remain a leading contender for companies considering when and where to build new facilities.

North Carolina still has the same reliable strengths that have made us Forbes’ choice as the nation’s best state for business for the past three years in a row. They include a talented and growing workforce fueled by a large number of people moving into the state; a low cost of doing business; affordable living in a state with vibrant metropolitan areas and shoreline-to-mountains natural beauty; a climate of innovation evident in our research resources and vibrant startup communities; and our central East Coast location and infrastructure that make it easy for companies to reach their customers in the U.S. and around the world.

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE OF BUSINESS LOOK LIKE FOR NORTH CAROLINA? DO YOU THINK IT WILL EVOLVE AS INDUSTRIES CHANGE BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC?

We don’t anticipate our recruitment of manufacturing projects will change dramatically due to COVID, because manufacturing tends to need a physical footprint. Our recruitment of corporate office projects may change, however. Companies that have discovered they can rely on remote workers during the pandemic may, after COVID, be less interested in big office buildings and more interested in hearing about our workforce talent and how we’re growing it.

And will COVID-19 prompt more companies to locate projects in smaller cities or suburban and rural areas? We don’t know the answer yet. But a recent national survey of corporate site selectors found nearly 50% indicating large urban areas — cities with a population of over 1 million — are less attractive business locations in light of COVID-19.

In addition, COVID has placed a lot of emphasis on life-science research and the development and production of whatever treatments are necessary to get ahead of this pandemic or others that may follow. North Carolina is a national leader in pharmaceutical and biological product manufacturing, so I expect we’ll benefit from growth there.

Finally, North Carolina saw a definite uptick in corporate expansion projects related to food processing and manufacturing in 2020. I think that’s connected to people cooking and consuming more at home. We’re well positioned to attract more of the same. We have a robust food-supply chain spanning crop production, food processing, packaging and product distribution. And the EDPNC has a business recruiter dedicated to attracting investment in that area.

COMMUNITY EFFORT

With Charlotte as an industry hot spot, businesses are embracing commutable, regional counties.

By Kathy Blake

A 158,000-square-foot building on 20 acres in Anson County, designed for logistics or light manufacturing, is listed for $2.3 million as “Charlotte Commercial Real Estate.”

In Stanly County, the Economic Development Commission lures textile, energy and aerospace companies with the phrase “Close to Charlotte. Even Closer to Perfect” and boasts a transportation system “in touch with the entire Charlotte region.”

The morning run on the Amtrak train from Salisbury in northern Rowan County to Charlotte is 47 minutes.

The 18-mile Monroe Expressway makes eastern Union County to Interstate 485 a quick, 22-minute shot.

As the Piedmont shrinks, rural land and uncluttered smaller towns are attracting businesses, while those same less-congested areas are selling real estate to workers who commute to Mecklenburg County.

Charlotte Regional Business Alliance statistics show 21,361 commuters making the trip across the Catawba River from Gaston County daily, and 28,756 rolling in from Cabarrus County. Farther up the road, 5,240 head south from Rowan County, and 2,999 commute from Catawba County.

“We’re a regional economy, and the growth of one part of the region benefits the whole region in a lot of ways,” says Chuck McShane, senior vice president of economic research for the 14-county business alliance. “And the more we can think that way when it comes to transportation and economic movement and growth, the more we can continue to grow — and grow smartly — so we can be prepared for any challenge that comes with growth, as well.”

“You can’t put a big manufacturing facility in downtown

Charlotte,” says Rod Crider, president and CEO of the Rowan County Economic Development Commission in Salisbury. “But you can in Rowan [County]. There are businesses we work with that are strongly looking at this advantage in this location. We’re halfway between two major markets, Charlotte and the Triad, and you’re still close to urban amenities as well. We’ve even put together an ad campaign that says, ‘Smaller Can Be Better.’”

Page Castrodale, interim executive director with Cabarrus Economic Development, agrees. “Absolutely, especially in a post-pandemic world,” she says. “We are already seeing indications that people are moving out of densely populated urban areas to the Charlotte region because they can now work remotely from a place where the quality of life is high and the cost of living is low. I expect many companies will continue to do the same.”

“I think Charlotte is going to continue to grow and prosper and will continue to spread out geographically,” says John Marek, executive director of the Anson Economic Development Partnership. “Anson County is poised to be the ‘next big thing’ in Charlotte area development. That includes residential, commercial and industrial. The western side of the county, including the towns of Peachland and Polkton, are well-positioned for residential growth as the suburban, ex-urban flow from Charlotte continues. The eastern side of the county will see increased manufacturing and logistics growth due to its proximity to the I-73/74 corridor.”

McShane says the regional business alliance is focused on understanding the strengths of the surrounding area in order

BIGGEST COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES

UNC Charlotte

Central Piedmont Community College, multiple locations

Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, multiple locations

Gaston College, multiple locations

ATTRACTIONS

U.S. National Whitewater Center, Charlotte

Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord

Carolina Panthers NFL team, Charlotte

NASCAR Hall of Fame, Charlotte

Charlotte Hornets NBA team, Charlotte

Carowinds, Charlotte

Discovery Place, Charlotte

Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens, Belmont

Schiele Museum of Natural History and Planetarium, Gastonia

N.C. Transportation Museum, Spencer

Lake Norman and Lake Wylie

INDUSTRIES

Business and financial services

Corporate headquarters

Aerospace and defense

Textiles Energy

Automotive-parts manufacturing

to position “the region to build on those strengths. Back in 2011, seven out of 10 people moving to the Charlotte region wound up in Mecklenburg [County]. Back in 2019, it’s exactly reversed. Only three out of 10 are in Mecklenburg [County].”

Still, both Charlotte and Mecklenburg County have grips on businesses that fare best in city habitats. While many industries were struggling after the pandemic struck in early 2020, “we see a lot of growth in financial and insurance,” McShane says, “and there’s a lot of technology in finance in Charlotte. A lot of companies are moving to automated processes, and that’s an advantage for Charlotte as companies in the payment sector are growing. I think health care jobs will grow as the population grows, but there’s also the innovation side of it in medical devices and pharmaceuticals. It’s a growing space.”

MOVERS AND JOBMAKERS

More than 3,000 manufacturing companies are planted in the Charlotte region, and employment has grown at twice the national average since 2013, according to the business alliance, which works to make the region a melting pot of manufacturing, aviation, technology, financial and agricultural firms, many with foreign roots. While second-quarter 2020 saw a net job loss of more than 155,000 — 40% in the leisure and hospitality

industry — the alliance notes that 22 traded-sector companies announced expansions or relocations, bringing more than $1.1 billion in capital investment.

“In manufacturing, I’d include automotive in that with the parts and machinery being built here,” McShane says. “You don’t think about it as much in [downtown] Charlotte, but you look at the total economic output numbers and manufacturing being the driver for capital investment and the export activity. With assets like the North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis, there are opportunities there.”

From the east, Stanly County’s close work with the business alliance is paying off. Charlotte Pipe and Foundry, a manufacturer and distributor of plumbing systems, announced a plant relocation in May from Charlotte to Oakboro, where it plans to create 400 jobs and invest $325 million in a new facility. Medical and industrial product manufacturer Nabell USA is investing about $2.9 million to upgrade its Albemarle location and add 15 jobs in the next two years. And Fiberon, which makes PVC decking and railing, is spending $20 million in the next three years to upgrade its New London plant.

“We rely on [the alliance’s] business development staff to generate viable project leads that match up with our infrastructure and product assets,” says Stanly County Manager Andy

Lucas. “We constantly work to foster and strengthen our relationships with the CRBA staff to ensure they are very familiar with what Stanly County has to offer in the Charlotte region. The investments in highway infrastructure, Charlotte Douglas International Airport and light-rail [train system] have and will continue to better position the outlying counties in the region such as Stanly County. The improved connectivity makes it easier to ship and receive goods and enhances access to a larger labor shed.”

Crider says Rowan County real estate is seeing a population shift this year from major northern markets. “We think Rowan offers a better balance. You can have this place that’s a little suburban, a little urban, but not the traffic. There are better housing prices, and people are discovering that, and it’s really great. Realtors are seeing younger families in particular from the Northeast looking to relocate to this area from New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.”

Although many residents leave the county to head to Mecklenburg or Wake counties for work, Crider says there are many who commute to Rowan County as well.

“What motivates companies to look at Rowan is: Is there an available building, an available site, and are they near the workforce? Those things and the labor cost and the taxes.”

The county lists eight industrial and business park locations that target advanced manufacturing, health care, transportation, and office and technology. Continental Structural Plastics announced upgrades of its Rowan County operations in August, with $45 million in new equipment, 61 additional jobs in two years and a 50,000-square-foot facility expansion.

In Gaston County, the towns of Belmont and Mount Holly have seen significant population and business growth, while corporate and industrial parks are drawing companies throughout the county. The two towns border the Catawba River. More than 30 companies in Gaston County have international ties.

“We have a lot of [Charlotte] commuters who would live farther in than Belmont,” says Donny Hicks, executive director of Gaston County Economic Development Commission. “There’s a decent amount of commuter traffic from the central part of the county. It’s like a reversed ‘L’ from the northern part of the county to the South Carolina line. We need new infrastructure to keep up with this.”

Far from the textile mills of old, industrial parks attract businesses such as biomedical technology, optoelectronics and precision metrology. Gaston County is a go-to for advanced manufacturing, career technical education, shops and entertainment, and residential. As Hick puts it, the county is a location of choice in America.”

In August, the Gaston County EDC announced GNT USA’s plan to invest $30 million to build a food-processing center in the Apple Creek Corporate Center on Dallas Cherryville Highway, the first tenant in the park, which is still under construction. October 2021 is a target opening date. GNT expects to add 40 jobs.

Connecticut-based chemical manufacturer Dymax estimates 59 new jobs with an average annual salary of $59,000 will come from its new $21.5 million investment in a manufacturing plant in the new Gastonia Technology Park.

And Röchling Engineering Plastics, with offices in Canada and Dallas, announced a 75,000-square-foot expansion of its Gaston County warehouse in February.

“We want to continue recruiting good, high-quality manufacturing,” Hicks says. “The companies that have come here the last couple years are happy because of the airport, the

highways, and regardless of where you’re coming from, you’re welcome because we have people here from all over the world.”

The Charlotte Area Transit System’s 2030 Corridor System Plan has its LYNX Silver Line train extending to a park-andride station in Belmont. In 2024, pending budget approval, a four-year project is scheduled to widen 10 miles of I-85 through Gaston County from U.S. 321 to Mount Holly, at an estimated tag of $262.78 million.

“A lot of what we’ve done is preparation work,” says Gaston County EDC Marketing Director Steve Nye. “The downtowns have put in … physical improvements to their downtowns, and that’s added to the high quality of living we have in Mount Holly and Belmont. And it’s spreading to Cramerton and McAdenville, and that’s improving the environments for companies coming in.”

In Cabarrus County, The Grounds at Concord comprises 1,830 acres northeast of Charlotte zoned for industrial development. “Our goal is to populate that campus with high-skill, high-wage manufacturing jobs, and those are exactly the kinds of companies that are looking at it,” says Castrodale, who says Cabarrus has seen more than 500 new jobs since March. “It’s exciting to think about what that campus will look like five, 10 years from now.”

Cabinetmaker Golden Home International, which has locations in China, Australia and the Middle East, established its North American headquarters at The Grounds of Concord in April, promising 257 new jobs with average annual salaries of about $42,500. The company plans to invest about $86 million in a 700,000- to 800,000-square-foot plant. And Prime Beverage Co., a beverage-packing company, announced in June it will add 231 jobs and invest $68 million for a 300,000-square-foot space in an existing spec building in Kannapolis.

The Cabarrus Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, a partnership between Cabarrus Economic Development and coworking company Flywheel, will open this year as a coworking space for small business and startups. “The timing couldn’t be better,” Castrodale says. “While this project has been in the works for a while now, we know that entrepreneurship supports economic recovery. To have this center in our community at a time when many will be embracing entrepreneurship is something we’re very proud of.”

Marek says Anson County is seeing benefits from the Monroe Expressway. “Most of Anson County is less than an hour drive time to [downtown] Charlotte. [German flooring manufacturer] Loba-Wakol is a great example. Their North American headquarters was previously located near the

About 50 miles northwest of downtown Charlotte, Hickory Furniture Mart is one of the largest tourism attractions in Catawba County, drawing more than 500,000 visitors a year.

[Charlotte] airport. When they needed space to expand, they looked at more than 60 potential locations around Charlotte and found that the ideal combination of cost and proximity was in Wadesboro.”

Marek, whose background is in manufacturing management, says he brings a “blue-color mentality” to economic development. “We are very much a roll-up-your-sleeves-and-get-the-job-done culture,” he says. “We value action and accomplishment over indecision and endless analysis.”

Anson County is partnering with Pee Dee Electric and North Carolina’s Southeast to develop the Atlantic Gateway Logistics Park, with 800,000 square feet of light industrial and warehouse space. The county also is in the final stages of its first shell building in the Wadesboro Industrial Park. “Our strengths are advanced textiles, metalworking, food and beverage, and wood and forestry,” Marek says. “Our ‘sweet spot’ is that 50-job, $5 million-investment project that’s looking for a 50,000- to 100,000-square-foot building or a pad-ready site to accommodate one.”

Anson County also offers Bootstrap and Enterprise grants for small businesses that participate in the N.C. Rural Center’s Thread Capital loan program. For businesses in operation more than two years, he says, the Anson EDP will match 10% of the loan up to $5,000.

Northwest of Mecklenburg County, the Catawba County EDC announced 271 jobs in fiscal year 2019-20 and a com-

bined investment of $139.3 million. The Arhaus furniture company has topped the list since January with 67 jobs and $26 million invested. Of 76 project submissions, 47 were in manufacturing.

In September, Wisconsin-based MaxPax detailed plans for a 158,000-square-foot Hickory location, where it will spend $9.55 million on building renovations and machinery and add 300 jobs within five years.

The county also is planning a 500-acre mixed-use development in Conover called Hunsucker Crossing, which will include a 265-acre industrial park.

In Rowan County, Crider says he’s had a variety of inquiries. “Food processing, manufacturing, consumer and industrial products, human health and pharmaceutical all have been looking,” he says. “By the end of the year, we hope to have commitments to reach our goal of 500 jobs and $70 million in investments.”

EDUCATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

The 350-acre North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis, a scientific research and development complex that studies nutrition and food’s effect on areas such as cancer, diabetes, obesity and heart disease, opened its Food Innovation Lab in 2019, which processes and packages N.C.-grown produce.

In Gaston County, the Career and Technical Education pathway and Gaston College training give students a head start on career choices. “A lot of companies we’ve recruited the last

several years have been part of the workforce training,” Hicks says. “And the CTE graduation rates are way above the regular high school graduation rates. They’ve had great placements in those industries. If you look at a manufacturing facility now, it’s really more of an IT facility. We were one of the first with a veterinary medical technology program. It can be technical, graphic design, medical, and you look at the wages and they compare to what you’d get at a four-year institution.”

Rowan County is in the process of becoming an ACT Work Ready Community, in which jobseekers can pair with an employer to see whether their job skills match the positions for which the company is hiring. “The individuals are tested on level of skill — bronze, silver or gold — to match their skill set with employers,” Crider says. “We’ve also established an eight-week program, the N.C. Manufacturing Institute at [Rowan-Cabarrus] Community College, and when they come out,

its half-dozen traffic lights will be built. If the project was approved today and fast-tracked, it could probably open by 2030, but I expect that 2035 or 2040 is a better guess.”

In 2018, Marek authored a website blog about the potential economic impact of that someday bypass. Events of 2020 make it read like a premonition.

“The interesting thing about planning for the potential economic impact of a future road is that, based on the rate of technological change in the transportation and retail industries, there is a good chance many of the issues being raised today will be moot by then,” Marek wrote. “Will traditional storefronts still be around, or will the majority of our shopping be internet-based? Will fast-food restaurants be highly automated, multilane drive-thrus where food is ordered in advance from a mobile app? Will self-driving cars and trucks alleviate the need for new roads? Will roads even look like they do today or

The Hickory Metro Convention Center, located on I-40 near the U.S. 321 interchange, hosts meetings, public shows, corporate and association events, sporting events, large conferences and more. The center, which opened in 1997, provides spaces that adhere to COVID-19 guidelines, allowing

IF YOU BUILD IT...

Industries across the spectrum plant roots and expand in Pitt County.

By Kathy Blake

Pitt County’s economic roots literally are in the soil. Tobacco farms in the 1800s led to construction of warehouses and processing plants. Today, more than 186,000 acres of the county are farmland, and tobacco trails sales of grains, dry beans and peas.

But a different growth also is being cultivated: construction of buildings to house new industries and expand existing ones. In the past 15 years, more than 3,000 industrial jobs have been created, according to the Pitt County Development Commission, with more than $1 billion in new industrial investment. Nearly 25% of the county’s gross economic output is in manufacturing.

“We are slammed right now with projects left and right, with people looking for buildings and sites,” says Kelly Andrews, executive director of the commission. “There are certain businesses that are doing very well and ramping up, like in life sciences and food distribution and warehouse space. The one thing they need, and everyone needs, is buildings. We have one shell building that’s a real hot commodity right now, and it’s going to sell very quickly.”

The building is in Indigreen Corporate Park in Greenville. The county lists six industrial parks — two in Farmville, two in Greenville and two in Ayden.

The population of Greenville, the county seat, has grown from 60,476 in 2000 to 93,137 in 2018, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The city is home to East Carolina University — the state’s fourth-largest university. Its Brody School of Medicine, whose students partner with Vidant Medical Center as a teaching hospital, prompted the Princeton Review in 2020 to name ECU the top college for producing medical graduates who

practice in the state.

In July 2019, the college broke ground on a 141,500-square-

Rendering of the Life Sciences and Biotechnology Building at ECU

OTHER INDUSTRIES ARE ALSO DISCOVERING PITT COUNTY

In late September, pharmaceutical company Metric Contract Services, a division of Australia’s Mayne Pharma, announced a $10 million, 3,760-square-foot expansion of its Greenville site. The company has invested more than $80 million in equipment and facilities in Greenville.

Andrews says the county saw a fast-paced summer, despite pandemic fears.

“We had four companies open up during COVID,” Andrews says. “We’re busier than ever.”

EASTERN SNAPSHOT

COUNTIES:

Beaufort

Bertie

Bladen

Brunswick

Camden

Carteret

Chowan

Columbus

Craven

Cumberland

Currituck

Dare

Duplin

Edgecombe

Gates

Greene

Halifax

Hertford

Hoke

Hyde

Jones

Lenoir

Martin

Montgomery

Nash

New Hanover

Northampton

Onslow

Pamlico

Pasquotank

Perquimans

Pender

Pitt

Richmond

Robeson

Sampson

Scotland

Tyrrell

Washington

Wayne

Wilson

BIGGEST COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES

East Carolina University, Greenville

UNC Wilmington

UNC Pembroke

Fayetteville State University

Fayetteville Tech Community College

Cape Fear Community College

Pitt Community College

ATTRACTIONS

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse and Wright

Brothers Memorial, the Outer Banks

Historic Tryon Palace, New Bern

Battleship North Carolina, Wilmington

Airlie Gardens, Wilmington

1886 Roanoke River Lighthouse, Edenton

North Carolina Aquariums: Kure Beach, Roanoke Island, Nags Head and Pine

Knoll Shores

Fort Fisher State Historic Site, Kure Beach

N.C. Maritime Museums: Beaufort, Hatteras, Southport

INDUSTRIES

Aerospace and defense

Agriculture

Biotechnology

Marine trades

Metalworking

Textiles

Tourism

Other expansions included:

• World Cat, which manufactures outboard-powered catamarans and has been in Tarboro since 2002, committed $8.9 million to expand its Greenville production plant and add 60 jobs. The One North Carolina Fund provided a $180,000 performancebased grant toward the 230,000-square-foot addition for HC Composites, the parent company of World Cat, to make the move.

• Victra, a Verizon Wireless retail partner, announced plans in May to expand from its Raleigh headquarters to open a 200-job call center in Greenville. The company is receiving a five-year, $500,000 job-creation grant.

• Utah-based customer-contact company Focus Services picked Greenville for a 380-seat customer-solutions center.

• SunEnergy1, a top-five U.S. solar developer, plans a 950-acre solar farm near Bethel.

Also in August, Inc. magazine ranked Greenville-based gaming-design and software-development company Grover Gaming No. 194 on its Inc. 5000 list; the company is in the top 4% in the nation in revenue growth. Greenville awarded the company a grant worth as much as $500,000 in February to hire producers, artists, engineers, software developers and audio designers. Grover says it may add as many as 100 jobs.

“It’s all very different. We have a new call center, the boating

In 2019, Pitt County middle and high school students participated in Grow Local, an initiative by the Greenville-Pitt County Chamber of Commerce where students visited area businesses to learn about different industries. The goal was to encourage students to join the local workforce after graduation.

company and gaming, so that says something about our economy,” Andrews says.

The promise of more jobs is great news for the residential real estate market in Pitt County, Andrews says. “Two days on the market, gone,” she says. “We are seeing both Northerners (relocating) and locals. We’re seeing those big companies with their official announcements but all over the county, there are companies that are expanding by 10 jobs, 15 jobs, that are adding to our tax base, that don’t make the papers, but they’re bringing in people and revenue.”

Andrews also notes that the National Civic League recently recognized Pitt as an All-American County. “I’m very proud of us.”

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A STRONG DEFENSE

Defense makes up a huge part of the North Carolina business sector. In fact, it’s the second-largest industry of the state’s economy, according to the North Carolina Military Business Center, whose state headquarters is located at Fayetteville Technical Community College Defense has a $66 billion annual impact and represents 12% of state gross domestic product.

Defense and federal contracting also represent a huge portion of the local and statewide economy. In fiscal year 2019:

Federal agencies awarded $7.1 billion in prime contracts to companies in 98 of 100 North Carolina counties, an increase of $1 billion from fiscal year 2018.

The U.S. Department of Defense awarded $4.6 billion in prime contracts to companies in 80 of 100 North Carolina counties, an increase of $900 million from fiscal year 2018.

Cumberland County ranked second to Onslow County in federal ($1.25 billion) and Department of Defense ($1.11 billion) contracts.

With 13 offices across the state, the center serves as the federal and defense business development and technology transition entity for North Carolina. Its key goal is to increase federal revenues for businesses statewide. In 2020, the center has helped businesses to identify and compete for a record volume of federal contracts — both COVID-19-related and normal acquisitions in support of military and federal agencies.

The center also supports the recruitment of defense contractors to North Carolina and integration of transitioning military, family members and veterans — a huge engine for economic development — into the state’s workforce.

GO WITH THE FLOW

Coastal communities push past storms and coronavirus to stay the course.

By Kathy Blake

The Outer Banks’ narrow and winding N.C. 12 begins its Currituck County leg in Corolla and exits about 18 miles south near Southern Shores and Wright Memorial Bridge, for now the only connector from the Atlantic side to the mainland. Most summers, the county welcomes about 500,000 tourists during the 10-week busy season. In 2019, travel and tourism had an economic impact of $253 million in Currituck County, according to Visit North Carolina.

Currituck County leaders and other officials along the N.C. shoreline anticipated a massive slump in activity this summer because of COVID-19 restrictions. But tourists, residents and businesses seeking a place by the sea played safe and stayed the course.

Even a storm — Hurricane Teddy came ashore and dumped 6 feet of beach onto N.C. 12 near Hatteras and Ocracoke, causing a three-day cleanup project — didn’t stop progress.

“This has turned out to be a phenomenal year, probably the best in a decade. [Tourists] did cancel their reservations back in March, but as time went on with people being stuck at home, they wanted to get out,” says Larry Lombardi, Currituck County’s economic development director. “[N.C.] 12 is jammed. It’s one way in and one way out, and we have a good possibility of passing last year’s numbers.”

From April through the end of September, Currituck issued 223 new single-family home permits, the majority in Moyock and Corolla, Lombardi says.

“People are buying [home] lots, maybe in anticipation of the new bridge,” Lombardi says. “And actually, it’s a good time to build a home. Even with COVID-19, it hasn’t stopped. It’s crazy. I think it’s going to get crazier. People from the North drive through Moyock to get to the Wright Memorial Bridge, and a lot of them are looking to get away from big cities and, for the most part, we’re rural. Chesapeake, Norfolk and Virginia Beach are less than an hour away.

“In addition, in the month of September alone, we had 246 permit/zoning applications. Thirty-one of them were issued for Single-Family Certificate of Completion, and there were applications for 50 new single-family development permits. During this same time frame, we have had more than 10 businesses open and applications for commercial development along Route 168 [city of

Barco through Moyock to the Virginia line] and Route 158 [from Barco inland toward Camden] have doubled from last year.”

To accommodate the influx in new residents and tourists, planning for a mixed-use residential, commercial and entertainment destination is on the way. The phased construction of Currituck Station will be on 3,000 acres in Moyock and will include trails, open space, housing and retail. A unified development ordinance was approved in June to lay out plans for the project after land is rezoned from agricultural.

Tractor Supply, a retailer specializing in farm, garden and pet supplies, has committed to the development, pending approval by the county commission and planning board. Two other national firms have submitted commercial development projects for Moyock.

“[Currituck Station] is planned for 30 years, but it could be fully built in 10, who knows?” Lombardi says. “People want to see some type of employment and commercial services up there instead of across the state line. We’ll be able to offer a variety of housing that attracts all ages — young, middle-aged, older.”

The “new bridge,” the Mid-Currituck Bridge near Corolla, has been rescheduled for summer 2021 construction because of N.C. Department of Transportation budget woes. The $491 million, two-segment 7-mile toll road connector will provide a northern link to the mainland as well as a two-lane route over Maple Swamp. The bridge also will improve evacuation flow during hurricanes and storms.

“Engineers from Moffatt & Nichol have reached out to the county recently,” Lombardi says, “which means things are beginning to happen and the building of the bridge is getting closer to reality.”

One of Lombardi’s key efforts is linking county manufacturing to Dominion Energy’s offshore wind farm that is under construction about 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach, Va. The project is expected to spark creation of 4,000 jobs over the next decade, including wind-turbine technicians expected to earn a median annual salary of $54,370.

With a growing population and more than 3,200 skilled veterans living in Currituck County, “we have a trained workforce,” Lombardi says. “We have people who work in ship repair in Norfolk, but we also have smaller companies that are second-level contractors for the shipyards. So we’re looking for our fair share.”

ROCKY MOUNT MAYOR SEES BRIGHT FUTURE

Mayor Sandy Roberson believes Rocky Mount is the “greatest place in America to live.” While that label may be expected from a mayor, it’s a more personal conclusion of the city that’s shared by Edgecombe and Nash counties. “I was born in Greenville, but I have lived here the entirety of my life, with the exception of a few years while I was at [Hampden-Sydney College] in Virginia.”

Roberson, whose day job is managing partner of Rocky Mount-based Healthview Capital Partners, says that he has witnessed bad times for the community given the loss of some key employers. But he sees good days ahead, a view shared by Rocky Mount Chamber of Commerce President and CEO David Farris. “We continue to see more development coming into the Rocky Mount area,” the chamber leader says. “Our director of economic development — Alan Matthews — has more projects in the works today than perhaps any time.” Those include the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles’ headquarters move from Raleigh to Rocky Mount and the soon-to-be-completed Carolina Connector intermodal hub.

Roberson met with Business north Carolina Publisher Ben Kinney to discuss Rocky Mount’s business climate. The answers were edited for clarity and brevity.

North Carolina’s economy has evolved over the years. How did those changes affect Rocky Mount, and what was its response?

ROBERSON: Agriculture always has been a big part of our economy. There are train tracks nearby, so we’ve been a railroad town, too. And Rocky Mount Mills — the state’s second-oldest cotton mill — was founded here. Then manufacturers began leaving for lower labor costs under the North American Free Trade Agreement, and not long after Hurricane Floyd brought catastrophic flooding to the region in 1999. Our local economy was devastated as businesses

and jobs disappeared. Our population shrunk — 57,685 in 2010 to 54,644 in 2018, according to N.C. Office of State Budget and Management.

But there are exciting things happening in Rocky Mount. For example, we’re becoming a logistics hub again. Jacksonville, Fla.-based CSX Corp. is developing its $158 million intermodal hub — the Carolina Connector — which is expected to be done early next year. Its three cranes are expected to move more than 100,000 shipping containers between trains and trucks every year. And after Interstate 87 is complete between Rocky Mount and Norfolk, Va., it and Interstate 95 put us within about a four-hour drive of five major East Coast ports: Norfolk, Charleston, S.C., Wilmington, Morehead City and Baltimore. And Rocky Mount-Wilson Regional Airport, whose runway is 7,099 feet long, gives us the ability to handle air cargo.

What attracts businesses to Rocky Mount?

ROBERSON: Many people sit down and try to figure out how to recruit industry to their town. And many times, they fail to fully appreciate the attributes that they have. We look at what Rocky Mount has historically had and ask, ‘How do we build on it?’ Maybe it takes a slightly different direction than in the past. We’re playing to our strengths, and we’re perfectly positioned for growth.

I sit on the board of Rocky Mount-based Carolinas Gateway Partnership, which handles economic-development efforts in the city and several nearby communities. Its president and CEO, Norris Tolson, says for every piece and parcel of available land in Nash County, including Whitaker Business and Industry Center, he has three inquiries. There is a tremendous amount of interest. Corning, N.Y.-based Corning Inc., for example, recently spent $89 million to develop an 800,000-square-foot distribution center at the Kingsboro Business Park, which is about 7 miles east of Rocky Mount. It will handle Corning Valor glass, which is used in pharmaceutical packaging. [The plant will] employ about 100 people.

We’ve been mentioned among possible relocation sites for large manufacturers, such as automakers, for many years because of our proximity to the 1,449-acre Kingsboro CSX Select Site. That finally got some traction in 2017, when China-based Triangle Tyre announced its subsidiary — Triangle Tyre USA — was building a factory that would eventually employ about 800 people there. While that project was kind of our first big win, it unfortunately has stalled because of the current trade dispute. But we hear over and over that it will happen.

Interest is growing in Rocky Mount’s downtown. How has the city’s new event center helped?

ROBERSON: We opened the 165,000-square-foot Rocky Mount Event Center in 2018. It can host a variety of functions, including sports, music, entertainment, weddings and special events. It was gaining traction before the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic. That put the brakes on it and other downtown developments, including a possible hotel.

We’re seeing more investors from outside the region come and buy property. I believe, as time goes on, that we’ll see a complete downtown revitalization, especially once we figure out how to deal with COVID-19, so we can have lives that are closer to the way they were pre-pandemic. Take youth sports, for example. The event center’s general manager, David Joyner, says most of those tournaments were canceled this spring, especially up and down the East Coast. And while they wait for a safe return to play, their organizers are rewriting their plans, not only how they run their events but where they are held, too. More people are looking at Rocky Mount as a destination. David said we would be almost completely booked if it was safe to do so, based on the number of recent inquiries from event organizers. That’s exciting to hear.

SMALL-TOWN CHARM

Towns such as Elizabeth City in the eastern part of the state are seeing a rejuvenation with businesses opening and established businesses expanding.

By Kathy Blake

Debbie Malenfant grew up in the Pasquotank County town of Elizabeth City, a harbor for historic homes and churches, where boats dock on a bend in the Pasquotank River upstream from Albemarle Sound. The town had fewer than 15,000 residents then and was known for its large U.S. Coast Guard Air Station, south of the city limits. “When you’re growing up in a place like here and you’re in high school, you have this whole mentality that there’s nothing to do.” she says. “As you become a mature adult, you realize that’s not really the case. Let me manage your to-do calendar for a week. I guarantee you’ll be exhausted.”

Malenfant is director of Elizabeth City Downtown Inc., a nonprofit intent on beautifying, revitalizing and promoting the downtown district. With monetary grants, governing partnerships and investors who look at old, unused buildings and visualize economic potential, she is helping uplift the heart of her city, door by door.

“Downtowns,” she says, “have a whole different feel from shopping centers. It’s a feeling of home and comfort and interaction, and you see people on the sidewalks who you know, so you stop and chat. It’s more of a quality-of-life experience, not just shopping.”

The downtown group works through the Main Street Program created in 1980 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation to rejuvenate central business districts. North Carolina lists 110 communities in the program. Elizabeth City has $46,000 available in Facade Improvement Grants, an application-based program in which businesses can apply directly to the Main Street offices. In early October, three were ready to submit.

“There’s one building that has long been vacant and blighted that has potential for apartments upstairs and retail down, and one that has boutique potential with apartments upstairs with a facade that could use some tender loving care,” Malenfant says.

The third, a $3.5 million to $4 million project by 7 Sounds Brewery, will help transition its Water Street building to include about 7,000 square feet of second-floor event space. Elizabeth City received $200,000 last year toward restoring the exterior to

its original historic state, according to the N.C. Department of Commerce.

Malenfant used to own a downtown business, The City Wine Sellar, Bakery, Deli & Wine Bar. When she took over the ECDI four years ago, her focus was a total makeover to make downtown more dressed up and inviting. “We had some empty buildings, a lot of blight, and I felt that there was a lot of potential for bigger things to happen,” she says. “We had empty storefronts, and there was significant room for economic development.”

Her long-term goal: “It’ll be the place to be and the place to live.”

Weatherly Lofts is part of that vision. The 43-apartment complex, in the renovated historic Weatherly Candy Factory building on North Water Street, has one-bedrooms from $995 per month and two-bedroom units from $1,600. J.D. Lewis Construction reimagined the 1923 building into upscale rentals, some two-story.

“We need to fill our empty spaces, encourage investment in downtown and encourage people to take pride in it,” Malenfant says. “And that really has happened the last couple years. There’s a complete turnaround. There’s pride in being downtown.”

In October, county commissioners accepted a letter of intent to purchase the former Elizabeth City Middle School building on the edge of downtown, with plans to convert it into 70 apartments.

Continued on page 35

“Initially, our [downtown] focus was restaurants, dining and sipping opportunities, but we’re also creating community spaces, using underutilized alleys where people can dine outside,” Malenfant says.

The city has a Business Improvement Grant program, with $80,000 available for improvement grants, $60,000 of which is for downtown. Applicants may apply for as much as $20,000. All funds are matching grants; a $5,000 project, for example, would receive a grant of $2,500. The program started in 2013. “To date, it has awarded $478,364 in grants and directly spurred private investment of almost $3.2 million,” she says.

DOWNTOWN ISN’T THE ONLY AREA EXPERIENCING ECONOMIC GROWTH

Two industrial parks — the Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Aviation Research and Development Commerce Park and Pasquotank County Commerce Park — are in the process of being certified in their yet-to-be-used portions.

“Those two parks are on the radar of the state economic development organizations, so companies can connect through the Economic Development Partnership of N.C. ... and request information, and say, ‘Hey, we want to locate there,’” says Christian Lockamy, economic development director for the Elizabeth CityPasquotank County Economic Development Commission.

The Commerce Park, on N.C. 17 about 40 miles from Norfolk, Va., and the Port of Virginia, has 14 tenants. The Aviation Park is a concept developed by former longtime City Manager Rich Olson.

Two prominent residents are across the street. Telephonics, a defense contractor that makes radar and communication systems for the military and aviation industry, recently purchased a 30,000-square-foot building near Leonardo DRS, formerly DRS Technologies, which provides contractors with reconnaissance and surveillance systems for military and intelligence agencies. Several Coast Guard and aviation training facilities share the neighborhood.

“Aviation is one of our target sectors. It’s very prominent,” Lockamy says. “So are clean energy manufacturing, precision manufacturing and warehouse logistics and distribution, and food and beverage manufacturing. Those target sectors are based on types of companies already in our area and our assets that can support those kinds of companies.”

“The credit for developing Elizabeth City,” Malenfant says, “goes to all the people who are investing in it. It takes one or two people to take the risk and believe in the potential, and that encourages others to recognize it as a good investment. Credit goes to the risk-taker who can put their money where their mouth is.”

FAST, FORWARD: THE RESEARCH TRIANGLE’S ALLURE

The Raleigh-Durham area has tremendous momentum with a combination of top universities, highly skilled labor and advanced manufacturing.

By Kathy Blake

For Research Triangle Park’s 7,000 acres and surrounding 11-county territory of innovation, manufacturing and technology, new construction and incoming business keep the commerce hub ticking.

About 45 minutes southwest of Raleigh in Sanford, Audentes Therapeutics, a San Francisco-based life-sciences company, announced in February an investment of $110 million for a gene-therapy manufacturing facility in Lee County, joining New York City-based Pfizer at Central Carolina Enterprise Park and building on the area’s reputation as a life-sciences hub.

Meanwhile, in Raleigh, the agricultural science sector is getting a boost, with construction on N.C. State University’s Centennial Campus’ new Plant Sciences Building 50% complete. The 185,000square-foot center is expected to open in late 2021 or early 2022, according to Richard Campbell, chief communications officer for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. The addition will increase the area’s dominance in agricultural technology, an industry that touches about 112 area companies.

Rounding out the Triangle’s diverse business community is its vast offering of coworking spaces. Favored by innovators and inventors, a new generation of workforce — the disruptors, whose game-changing products redefine their industries — rent space on a fresh blueprint that redefines “office building.”

All of these pieces put together make up what the Triangle area is: a diverse center for innovation where any industry professional can set up shop with proven success.

“People all over the world study the model of the Research Triangle Park,” says Ryan Combs, executive director of the Research Triangle Regional Partnership in Raleigh, an economic development connector for businesses and private-sector growth. “They may not know it’s in North Carolina, but they know RTP.”

And with a diverse business community comes the need for a strong workforce pipeline and advanced training. Talent and education — the 11 counties are home to 10 colleges and universities and seven community colleges — pair nicely with the area’s stellar quality of life. About 76 people move to the area daily, according to a 2019 partnership study. The regional median home value is $175,000, and the median household income is $76,000 with a labor force of 1 million.

“We do a lot of great things here,” Combs says. “Look at the health care system, with gene therapy. It’s a game changer because it’s going to drive down the cost of health care. Look at the universities and the $3 billion we get a year in research dollars. You take technologies developed at the universities, incubate and have a company in the urban core, and then you expand to the rural counties and manufacture.”

BUILDING THE TALENT PIPELINE

Audentes Therapeutics, which develops genetic medicines as part of Tokyo-based Astellas Pharma, says its Lee County facility will create about 200 jobs. President and CEO Natalie Holles says

TRIANGLE SNAPSHOT

COUNTIES:

Chatham

Durham

Franklin

Granville

Harnett

Johnston Lee

Moore

Orange

Person

Vance

Wake

Warren

BIGGEST COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES

N.C. State University, Raleigh

N.C. Central University, Durham

UNC Chapel Hill

Duke University, Durham

Wake Technical Community College, multiple locations

Central Carolina Community College, multiple locations

ATTRACTIONS

North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh

PNC Arena, home of the Carolina

Hurricanes NHL team, Raleigh

State Farmers Market, Raleigh

North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh

Durham Performing Arts Center

Morehead Planetarium and Science Center, Chapel Hill

Marbles Kids Museum, Raleigh

North Carolina Museum of History, Raleigh

Museum of Life and Science, Durham

Koka Booth Amphitheater, Cary

INDUSTRIES

Biotechnology and pharmaceuticals

Information technology

Clean technology

Higher education

State government

Sanford’s location “will support the next phase of our growth as we establish a robust, global supply chain and expand our therapeutic and geographic scope.”

The business is partnering with Central Carolina Community College for workforce development and Sanford Area Growth Alliance, the local economic development group.

The college, which also works with Pfizer and KriGen Pharmaceuticals in Harnett County, will offer courses that prepare students for positions at the Audentes facility. “We intend to be the workforce partner that focuses on building and sustaining the biotech talent pipeline, specifically targeting the pharmaceutical-manufacturing industry sector,” says Central Carolina President Lisa Chapman. Training will include two-year credentials for entry-level positions, Many students later earn four-year degrees through agreements with area universities.

“We are well-positioned to provide a comprehensive approach to meeting workforce

needs,” Chapman says. That includes “great opportunities for providing learning pathways for adults who may be ready to transition from other careers to the promising opportunities in biotech.

A HUB FOR AG-TECH

A region once dominated by tobacco farming, the Triangle is home to a 25company cluster of agricultural-technology companies that contribute $1.2 billion to the gross regional product. “This area could explode as an ag-tech hub,” Combs says. The work is critical to meeting the world’s food needs as the population grows from 7.8 billion to an estimated 10 billion by 2050.

About 90 research faculty members at N.C. State will be immersed in the Plant Sciences Initiative to help farms develop new crop and plant varieties, improve marketability, collaborate on agricultural challenges and attract and train scientists for research and to create a pipeline to its partners in biotechnology.

“It’s about bringing together [economists, engineers and scientists] by enveloping interdisciplinary research to solve those grand global challenges associated with plants,” says Richard Linton, dean of N.C. State’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, who predicts 84% of future ag jobs will be connected to plant science. “I don’t think that there’s a more exciting place outside of Research Triangle Park for growth and opportunities in agriculture and life sciences.”

North Carolina has about 48,000 farms, which contribute $90 billion to the state economy, according to RTRP figures.

DURHAM

NORTH CAROLINA

TALENT, CULTURE, INNOVATION. TRANSFORMATION.

With a robust talent pipeline from 12+ higher education institutions nearby, a thriving ecosystem of technology, life sciences, manufacturing, and other industries, spanning Research Triangle Park, and a vibrant downtown with amenities to satisfy any lifestyle, Durham is the ideal place to grow your business. For more information, email: econdev@durhamchamber.org

Last year, Campbell notes, was a record for sponsored research, research grants ($96.5 million) and donor support ($51.6 million) for the agriculture college. Its N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative has seven projects underway with N.C. State interdisciplinary teams, from crop resilience and sustainability programs to developing sensors that detect volatile organic compounds plants use to communicate with each other, and using imagery and analytical data to grow more marketable fruits and vegetables.

“This highlights the great progress being made with our partners to solidify North Carolina’s position as the global hub for plant science innovation,” Campbell says.

With higher education institutes, and proximity to Raleigh-Durham International Airport, mountains, beaches and state parks, the Research Triangle is known as an ideal business hub. “People are figuring out that this is a great place to start a company,” Combs says. “You do these things in New York or Boston, you get lost in the crowd. People can connect with people a lot easier here. It’s the easiest place in the country to get a first meeting.”

TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS: RALEIGH

Rzine’s “Best Big City to Live In” list in 2018 behind Austin, Texas; ranked No. 2 on Forbes’ list of “Best Place for Business and Careers” and No. 2 for Forbes’ “Best Educated City.”

During summer 2020, another “two” aided Raleigh by keeping its mostly local-owned downtown businesses from COVID-induced hardship.

“Small business often is described as the cultural soul of Raleigh, and our downtown is about 90% locally owned, a really high percentage for a city our size,” says Raleigh Economic Development Manager Veronica Creech. “You see that unique experience all around our city, but particularly downtown, and we didn’t want to lose that.”

Raleigh’s Small Business Relief Fund, much of it raised through donations, provided $1 million in funding to 181 small businesses, with a few rules: No money goes to the CEO or owner’s salary, and rent was the preferred expenditure, to keep the business in place. Companies could apply for two months’ rent, or $10,000 — whichever was larger. Average grant size was $7,500. Of the $1 million, $16,400 was from individual donations.

The second fund that has aided businesses during the coronavirus crisis is the Building Up-fit Grant (the BUG), which received 75 applications in its first three weeks. “We just opened a new round, and we’ve had more applications in this cycle than in all of last year combined,” Creech says.

Raleigh’s other number is five: In August 2019, FitSmallBusiness.com ranked Raleigh the No. 5 Best City for Female Entrepreneurs in the U.S. In February, the site ranked the city the No. 5 Best State for Black Entrepreneurs. In March, The Wall Street Journal named Raleigh the No. 5 Hottest Labor Market in the U.S.

Broadcasting, owner of TV station WRAL. The communications company intends to add 1,165 jobs with an average annual salary of $96,832.

Last June, mosquito-repellant company Murphy’s Naturals announced an expansion in Raleigh, and Everett, Wash.-based Fortive said it will spin off its transportation-mobility business into a company called Vontier in Raleigh with 100 local management jobs and 8,400 employees worldwide.

“What we’re hearing nationally and across the state is that we’re really ranking high as a destination, a place to grow and a place to expand,” Creech says. “We have not slowed down. We are engaging with people who want to get in front of people and relocate to places more spread out, less congested. And we’re ready to respond to those wandering eyes.”

DOWNTOWN RALEIGH’S TRANSFORMATION

Downtown Raleigh has expe rienced incredible growth during the last 10 years. Since 2010, $1.7 billion of development has been completed, with a 91% increase in new housing units, according to a report from the Downtown Raleigh Alliance, which promotes the capital’s center city. There has also been a more than 40% increase in downtown stores and a doubling of new restaurants and bars over the last decade.

Longtime employee Bill King was tapped as CEO of the Downtown Raleigh Alliance in 2019. In a recent interview, King discussed how downtown Raleigh has been transformed over the last decade into a hot spot for both business and residential purposes. His answers were edited for clarity and brevity.

COULD YOU SHARE SOME HIGHLIGHTS OF DOWNTOWN RALEIGH ALLIANCE’S RECENT ANNUAL REPORT?

We do our annual “State of Downtown” report every year. And obviously, it’s a challenging year, but what we wanted to reflect in the report was both where the downtown market was pre-pandemic as a way of showing where it can be again, but we were honest about those areas where it has been a struggle. But I will say there’s

still a lot of positives here. In the last five years, the growth in downtown has been explosive. We’ve seen over $1.4 billion in construction completed just in the last five years. In downtown, we’ve had 3,123 residential units built in the last five years, which is a tremendous amount of residential growth for a relatively small area. And what we found is that we still have in our multifamily properties, 97% occupancy. ... Of our buildings that are all stabilized 97%, occupancy is pretty tremendous, given how many units we added. So it’s a lot of demand, and a lot of units we absorbed. We saw good growth there. We’ve had over a million square feet of office space in the last five years. We’ve had a very healthy downtown. And we want to show this is a submarket that has seen a lot of really positive growth. There’s a lot of people who still believe in the submarket. That’s really good. So we’re really happy with where we were and where

we think we’re going to be again, and we’re starting to see those positive signs of growth.

WHAT ARE THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE PEOPLE WHO ARE MOVING DOWNTOWN?

It tends toward employees, but what you see is a bit of a bifurcation. So in the condo market and the for-sale market, you are seeing a lot of emptynesters ... who seek out downtown Raleigh. You [can] ditch the yard, the big house and you [can] buy a condo downtown. The multifamily and the rental [unit interest] tends to skew in the 22 to 35 range and it is the largest demographic. ... Over 10% of our residents walk to work every day. So I think there is an interest [for] downtown employees. But we also found there were a number of people who were ... reverse commuting out of downtown. So they lived downtown because of the amenities [such as] the restaurants and the bars and stores, and then they would commute out to [Research Triangle Park or other employment hubs] throughout the region because they like the [downtown] lifestyle. Obviously that’s been impacted some [by the pandemic]. But when we clear through this pandemic, those businesses will come back, and I think that [massive growth] will happen again.

WHAT ARE A FEW KEY FACTORS THAT HAVE MADE DOWNTOWN RALEIGH A HOT SPOT?

I think certainly the employment base has shifted some. We still have a large government sector here. [About] 40% of our employees are government, obviously being the state capital, the county seat and municipal government. But we’ve actually seen that percentage shift a fair amount, even just in the last five, six years. We used to be closer to 50%. ... We’ve added a lot of tech companies, architecture, engineering. Those creative type of companies have moved into downtown. We’re anchored by Red Hat, Citrix, Pendo; those are some of the big ones. ... There are companies that are cloud-based and software-based that find a lot of energy in downtown collaboration, ideas that share talent. The coworking spaces took off here as well. So [there were] a lot of small startups [that] came into downtown. That’s been a big part of it. On the ground floor, you know, we have a lot of what we call quality. So we’ve got locally owned entrepreneurs and innovators that have been really, really helpful for our revival. We have a lot of locally owned restaurants [that] have

of. That’s been really helpful for our revival as well. We’re a downtown that is really walkable and connected. And in a region that has been historically suburban-natured, having a downtown that has a lot of walkability and transit options, is easy to get in and out of, I think it’s been really helpful, too.

WHEN YOU LOOK OUT 10 YEARS, WHAT DO YOU SEE FOR THE FUTURE OF DOWNTOWN’S GROWTH?

I think there’s certainly room. So you know, we’re proud of all the growth we’ve had, there’s a lot of opportunities to grow. So I think you will continue to see that happen. I think COVID has slowed our economy overall. But we haven’t had projects canceled. In fact, we’ve had projects still moving forward. We still have cranes up right now. We think we’ll still see growth continue here because we think those things that made downtown attractive will keep making it attractive. I think they’ll still have a good appetite for urban living, urban work, and the collaboration and collision you have between people here, in a good way, I think it will continue to happen. We do see that growth continuing. There’s a lot still in the pipeline. Over a billion dollars left in the pipeline

left. So there’s still a lot of opportunity there. I think COVID has slowed that down. But we certainly haven’t seen it hit the brakes.

WHAT ARE SOME OF DOWNTOWN RALEIGH’S MAIN ATTRACTIONS?

In 2019, we had 3.5 million people visit the top attractions in downtown. We’ve got the [N.C.] Museum of Natural Sciences, [N.C.] Museum of History, Marbles [Kids Museum], and the N.C. Museum of Art. ... They provide visitation and good diversity to bring a lot of families downtown, which I think is really healthy and a good thing. We’ll be excited to have them back. They have started reopening [as of October] in phased ways and partial reopenings. ... That is certainly a big part of the attractiveness. ... We also have events and conventions. We have a big convention center here that is still relatively new, that has attracted a lot of shows. We have a lot of events, such as the IBMA World of [Bluegrass Festival]. That’s the signature one. But Hopscotch, which is an independent music festival, has also been very popular. Festivals are a part of our culture as well. So we’re excited to have those back when it’s safe to do so.

LITTLE BIG SHOT: DURHAM

Talent is a big part of what sells Durham: Duke and North Carolina Central universities, world-renowned Duke University Hospital, a life-sciences and biotechnology center, and a vibrant startup culture make it the lifestyle choice for many, says Timothy Downs, vice president of economic development for the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce.

“Durham really is, for all intents and purposes in the Triangle, the center of life sciences and biotech work,” he says. “We seem to be very much on the radar for companies that are in Palo Alto, [Calif.], San Francisco, Boston, Philadelphia, places that have those centers, and they’re looking at us for relocations. Because the one thing we do better than any of our competitors is talent.”

The market’s allure was obvious in Bayer’s blockbuster acquisition of Durham-based AskBio announced in late October. The German pharmaceutical giant is paying $2 billion upfront and as much as $2 billion in milestone payments for the privately held company, which was started in 2001 by UNC Chapel Hill scientist Jude Samulski and Sheila Mikhail, a lawyer and finance executive. AskBio raised $235 million in 2019 from two large private equity companies, the biggest capital raise by an N.C. life-sciences company.

Durham benefits from a “cool” quality, stemming from its robust restaurant and entertainment scenes, hiking trails, the Durham Bulls minor league baseball team and a growing number of coworking spaces. “Raleigh and Durham complement each other so well, because Durham is smaller and sort of edgier with a more accessible kind of culture,” Downs says.

The summer of 2020, as upended as it was, couldn’t slow prog ress in Durham.

“There hasn’t been a slowdown at all. My work is primarily two things, the recruitment effort — and, it’s not literal recruitment be cause they’re coming to us — and then working on projects, once they’re getting close or they’re announced and underway,” Downs says. “[By October,] nothing [had] changed. It’s kind of crazy.”

At the start of October, Downs’ projects included two tech-

nology companies involved in local expansions, a company from California wanting to relocate and precision-medicine company Beam Therapeutics of Boston, which announced plans in August to invest $83 million over five years in a new, Research Triangle Park manufacturing facility and fill 201 jobs.

Another company, he says, is potentially moving in from outside the U.S., and another expansion involves an advanced technology company that does 5G and semiconductor work and sells its wares to the Department of Defense.

“It’s not all life sciences,” Downs says. “It’s good to have the balance.”

Companies increasingly pick locations based on where employees want to live, Downs says. More than half of Durham’s population is 25 to 34, according to the N.C. Department of Commerce.

“The reason we win projects and the reason we get people is [because of] our quality of life. We have all the things you want, [whether] you’re single or if you’re married with kids.”

The Durham Performing Arts Center, which opened in 2008, attracts more than 500,000 visitors annually with 2,700 seats, intimate sightlines, and state-of-the-art sound and video capabilities.

CAROLINA CORE COMES TOGETHER TO WIN BIG

Local organizations collaborate to boost the Carolina Core.

Provided by the Piedmont Triad Partnership

We’re all in this together: This phrase has become commonplace during the COVID-19 pandemic. But in the Carolina Core, this notion has been gaining momentum since August 2018.

Bridging the urban crescent between Charlotte and the Research Triangle at the heart of the state, the Carolina Core is defined not by city or county lines but by diverse assets connected along U.S. 421 (future Interstate 685) and I-85. The Carolina Core is home to four megasites and many industrial sites and parks, urban research parks and mixed-use developments. Businesses have access to North Carolina’s fast-growing metros, while still benefiting from the quality of life of midsized cities and small towns.

Public and private leadership in the Carolina Core is highly engaged and aligned on a vision for the future. Central North Carolina business, education and economic development leaders have coalesced around a cohesive economic growth strategy that focuses on the cumulative impact of the region’s globally competitive assets in transportation, education, real estate, workforce and more.

“From our companies to our people to our deep investments in our communities, the Carolina Core is a future-ready region brimming with opportunity set to transform North Carolina,” says Stan Kelly, president and CEO of the Piedmont Triad Partnership. “In fact, we believe that central North Carolina is the next engine of transformational growth for the state. The public and private sectors have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in infrastructure, sites and higher education, positioning the region as a top destination for business and jobs. When we come together to tell our region’s collective story, our potential is unlimited.”

The Carolina Core strategy has yielded collaboration and regionalism, with local chamber and economic development leaders who once competed against each other joining forces to sell the region collectively.

“We take pride in working together as a team,” says Brent Christensen, president and CEO of the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce. “What sets us apart is our belief that when one of us succeeds in landing a project, we all succeed.”

Over the last year, local economic development leaders from the region have participated in joint marketing missions and presentations to share the Carolina Core story with site-selection consultants. The coalition of leaders has also hosted site-selection consultants and the state’s top economic development leaders on visits to the region. Together, these and other collaborative marketing efforts are increasing the visibility of a region on the rise.

“Through the Carolina Core, our region can present a unified voice of our many strengths including prime available sites and land, a diverse and educated workforce, and our innovative mindset,” says Mark Owens, president and CEO of Greater Winston-Salem Inc. “When you pull together our unique assets, we are a strong and complete region that is ready for any project.”

Today, leaders from the public and private sectors in the Carolina Core come together to fund large development efforts that attract and retain the best talent and entice new companies that want to build out industry clusters.

“Our collaborative, proactive approach through the Carolina Core provides an opportunity to differentiate central North Carolina in a highly competitive economic development landscape to attract businesses and new jobs,” says Kirk Bradley, president and CEO of Lee-Moore Capital.

Community leaders have rallied around several projects that have helped transform the region such as Winston-Salem’s Innovation Quarter, one of the nation’s foremost urban research parks; Greensboro’s Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts; and High Point’s downtown Catalyst Project.

TRIAD

SNAPSHOT

COUNTIES:

Alamance

Caswell Davidson Davie Forsyth Guilford Montgomery Randolph

Rockingham

Stokes

Surry

Yadkin

BIGGEST COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES

UNC Greensboro

Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem

Elon University

High Point University

N.C. A&T State University, Greensboro

Guilford Technical Community College, multiple locations

Forsyth Technical Community College, multiple locations

Winston-Salem State University

ATTRACTIONS

North Carolina Zoo, Asheboro

International Civil Rights Center & Museum, Greensboro

Old Salem Museum & Gardens, Winston-Salem

Greensboro Science Center, Greensboro

Andy Griffith Museum, Mount Airy Yadkin Valley Wine Country, Elkin

Kaleideum Science and Children’s

Museums, Winston-Salem

INDUSTRIES

Aerospace and defense

Furniture

Finance

Insurance

Textiles

Winemaking

A REGION ON THE RISE

Companies such as Amazon, Publix and Pfizer have plans to invest and grow in the Carolina Core. Many other companies including Honda Aircraft, FedEx, HAECO and Aetna are continuing to grow in the region.

The companies cited the Carolina Core’s robust workforce, strategic location, vast transportation and logistics networks, readily available sites and excellent quality of life as what attracted them to the area.

Instead of county lines, the Carolina Core’s boundaries are built by the assets that make the region a globally competitive market: multiple airports, a talent pool of more than 2 million people, more than 30 colleges and universities with 250,000 students and more. These assets have long served companies from the era of producing goods such as tobacco and textiles to the current global tech-based economy.

In Greensboro and Winston-Salem, more than 800,000 square feet of Class A office space is available, and the Innovation Quarter in Winston-Salem has 2.1 million square feet of office, laboratory and educational space. Industrial operations have their pick of Whitaker Park, a 220-acre mixed-use campus, or one of four megasites that total 7,200 acres of certified land. The Greensboro-Randolph Megasite is a certified site located minutes from I-40 and I-85. At the Chatham-Siler City Advanced Manufacturing Site, 1,800 acres of certified, shovel-ready land is powered by

excellent logistics and high-capacity utilities. The 2,500-acre Moncure Megasite offers close proximity to the state capital, Research Triangle and three Tier 1 research universities. At Piedmont Triad International Airport, the PTI Aerospace Megasite’s 1,000 acres include runway access and preliminary approval for development by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

SMART AND GROWING WORKFORCE

The Carolina Core’s population is fast-growing. The key working age population of 25- to 34-year-olds is projected to grow 7.3% between 2019 and 2024. The workforce continues to become more educated, with a 6.7% increase in degrees between 2013 and 2018. With access to more than 30 colleges and universities, the Carolina Core is a hotbed for higher education. These institutions not only fuel the region’s workforce but also contribute to an innovation mindset and inject a vibrancy into communities with academic lectures, sports games and performances available to the public. Kontoor Brands President and CEO Scott Baxter says the talent at “our local universities is incredible, particularly around tech.”

Talent in the Carolina Core “has a strong work ethic as we have seen in interns from nearby colleges as well as associates that have been with us for over a decade,” says Michimasa Fujino, president and CEO of Honda Aircraft.

SPECIAL DELIVERY

By David Mildenberg

UPS is making a record corporate investment in sites in Alamance and Guilford counties, with plans for a $316.4 million investment over the next four years. It continues the surge in distribution centers across the state as large companies adapt to the shift to online sales that has been hastened by the COVID-19 crisis.

“The COVID-19 pandemic is changing the nature of global supply chains, and [the] news is early evidence that North Carolina is positioned well for the future,” said Tony Copeland, secretary of the N.C. Department of Commerce, in a release.

“UPS is an iconic name in logistics, and their expansion will impact the state’s economy and business community in a number of very positive ways.”

The Atlanta-based delivery company plans a $262 million distribution and delivery center in Graham that will create about 450 jobs over the next few years and add 141 jobs at its large Greensboro hub. UPS employs more than 3,200 people in the Triad, including its UPS Freight business, and its Guilford County operation ranks among the company’s five largest centers nationally, according to Greensboro Chamber of Commerce CEO Brent Christensen.

The new jobs will average about $65,000 annually, higher than Alamance’s average of $41,611 and Guilford’s of $49,002. UPS has long ranked among the nation’s most unionized companies. To entice the expansion, state and local officials offered more than $16 million in incentives that are mostly tied to meeting job and investment targets.

UPS is a key example of how North Carolina is having a surprisingly strong year from an economic development standpoint despite the pandemic, Copeland said. “We’re pretty much on par with where we were last year, which says a lot about the resiliency and attractiveness of our state.”

Founded in 1907, UPS delivers 5.5 billion packages and documents annually across the world. The company employs a workforce of 528,000.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT THE CAROLINA CORE

WHAT MAKES THE CAROLINA CORE UNIQUE IN THE WORDS OF EXECUTIVES:

STILL FIRST IN FLIGHT

The more than 200 aerospace companies in the Carolina Core are experiencing tremendous success, thanks to an educated and productive workforce, high-value cost of real estate and utilities, and access to suppliers and market.

The region’s community colleges are taking a central role to ensure North Carolina is still first in flight. Forsyth Technical Community College is looking forward to welcoming its first class of 25 students at the new, state-of-the-art Mazie S. Woodruff Aviation Technology Lab at Smith Reynolds Airport. The $16 million, 53,000-square-foot lab can accommodate eight airframes and will help meet the growing demand for aviation technicians and mechanics. Starting salaries for graduates are expected to

exceed $60,000. Graduates of this program and aviation programs at Guilford Technical Community College are critical to the continued growth of the state and regional aerospace industry.

More than 18,000 people are employed in regional aerospace and supply chain companies. Aerospace leaders thriving in the Carolina Core include Honda Aircraft, headquartered in the region since 2006 and operating R&D, manufacturing and customer-service facilities; HAECO Americas, with 600,000 square feet of facilities including a new hangar that is one of the largest in the HAECO family; Textron Aviation, operating one of only 15 service centers for Cessna business jets worldwide; and Collins Aerospace Systems, operating the aircraft interiors division with 1,500 employees.

Rendering of Forsyth Technical Community College’s Mazie S. Woodruff Aviation Technology Lab at Smith Reynolds Airport

FULL SPEED AHEAD: PROGRESS ON FUTURE I-685

Partners in the Carolina Core are collectively rallying behind a game-changing future interstate designation for U.S. 421 to spur economic growth and make the region more competitive on the global stage. A future interstate designation will further enhance the region’s robust transportation network by improving safety and mobility while providing the vital connection of Interstates 77, 85 and 95.

Support for Future I-685 is building, with the N.C. Department of Transportation and seven counties along the route unanimously passing resolutions endorsing the effort. The area’s metropolitan and rural planning organizations have also given the green light in support of the interstate designation.

In partnership with members of North Carolina’s congressional delegation, a bill of support for the future I-685 designation was drafted and approved by the Senate Transportation Subcommittee. The next step is inclusion in a bill that will be voted on in the future. While the language still has a long path to becoming law, this marks significant positive progress.

RECREATING RECREATION

Western counties find innovative solutions to sustain tourism and attract business.

By Kathy Blake

In summers before the pandemic, Boone was known for its perpetually busy sidewalks, crowded cafes with quirky menus, magnetic artsy shops and a harmonious camaraderie of locals, college students and free spirits. Elevated 3,333 feet above sea level in the mountains of Watauga County, where highways 321 and 421 collide at King Street by downtown’s Dan’l Boone Inn, the city is nurtured by tourism and higher education.

But March flipped everything upside down. Appalachian State University’s 19,280 students went on spring break, then resorted to distance learning in the wake of COVID-19, meaning the town — with a population of 19,458 — lost half its people. Travel and tourism came to a halt.

“Our tourist community really hasn’t been back since the end of ski season,” David Jackson, president and CEO of the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce, said in May. “We know this to be an eclectic gathering place, but it’s been just us lately.”

Farther south in Buncombe County, health care is a leading employer, but leisure and hospitality lure the crowds. The county brought in nearly $1.3 billion in visitor spending in 2019, fourth-highest in the state.

Asheville is ranked among “Best Places to Retire in 2020” by Forbes.com and Buncombe County is listed as “One of the Best Counties in North Carolina for Small Business” by SmartAsset.com 2020, according to the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce.

“We had a busy summer. People have been respectful of the community’s desire for safety for everyone, so mask-wearing and social distancing has been observed,” says Kit Cramer, CEO of the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce. “Overall, we’ve managed to keep virus loads down, which is also good. But we’re coming to the grim realization that it may come back with a vengeance, so we’re encouraging flu vaccines to lessen the pressure on our

health care system. We’re also encouraging businesses to think how to continue taking advantage of outside spaces. The Asheville Independent Restaurant Association is working on group-buying of outdoor heaters and has worked with the city and health departments to ensure they’ll meet codes.”

Western counties thrive on seasonal vacationers who flock to the region for outdoor recreation, art experiences, family-entertainment venues and sightseeing. Businesses and real estate companies benefit by promoting the unique work-play outdoors atmosphere.

For 2020, the word for the west was innovation.

CREATIVE ALTERNATIVES

In Boone, a Keep Boone Healthy campaign in spring segued to Show Your Love, an initiative with Watauga, Ashe and Alleghany counties. “We combined forces with the chambers in those areas to message the three Ws,” Jackson says. “We want to welcome people to our area; that’s what we do 365 days a year. But we want to say, ‘Respect our community the way you respect your own. Embrace the spirit of keeping healthy.’ The Rotary Club got signs printed with logo work so it showed some consistency. People driving around can see the message from county to county.”

Jackson says Airbnb numbers outpaced what they did in previous years, and the towns saw daytrippers first, then people with shorter stays. “People not only are coming, but they’re being respectful of the rules,” he says.

In Henderson County, where visitors dropped $324.7 million last year, the kickoff to summer tourism is its Garden Jubilee, when crowds of 200,000 hit the mountains Memorial Day weekend for a two-day lawn and garden show. More than 200 vendors gathered on Main Street in Hendersonville, selling plants, pottery, arts and crafts and other items. It’s been a downtown staple for more than 20 years.

WESTERN SNAPSHOT COUNTIES:

Alleghany

Ashe

Avery

Buncombe

Burke

Caldwell

Cherokee Clay Graham Haywood Henderson Jackson Macon Madison McDowell

Mitchell

Polk

Rutherford Swain

Transylvania

Watauga

Wilkes

Yancey

BIGGEST COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES

Western Carolina University, Cullowhee

UNC Asheville

Appalachian State University, Boone

Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College

ATTRACTIONS

Biltmore Estate, Asheville

Blue Ridge Parkway

Nantahala Outdoor Center, Bryson City

Tryon International Equestrian Center, Mill Spring

Sliding Rock, Transylvania County

North Carolina Arboretum, Asheville

Grandfather Mountain, Linville

Chimney Rock State Park, Chimney Rock

Linville Caverns, Marion

Cherokee Cultural Attractions, Cherokee

Tweetsie Railroad, Blowing Rock

INDUSTRIES

Aerospace and defense

Furniture

Beer

Data centers

Tourism

Advanced manufacturing

Christmas trees

Things looked a little different this summer, but Beth Carden, executive director of the Henderson County Tourism Development Authority, found a way to host the county’s jubilee safely.

“We pulled out our list of nurseries and orchards, looked at which ones had the space we needed, and created a Garden Jubilee nursery and orchard tour,” she says. “And the 265 vendors we were to have on Main Street, the nurseries and orchards hosted 50 of the vendors that normally would have been [downtown]. Our hotels were full Memorial Day weekend. We did all this in less than three weeks with a new brochure listing 15 places participating. The people would drive around. The next couple of weeks afterward, we heard from the public about how much they enjoyed seeing the orchards and the process of growing apple trees, and they said they’d come back this fall.”

Labor Day weekend was also packed with visitors, she says.

The Henderson County tourism group created a Cheers Trail passport program, where visitors get a “passport” listing 23 local venues that stamp their passport when visited. “If you visit 12 of the 23, bring the book back and get a [gift valued at $10],” Carden

By Vanessa Infanzon

Mills River doesn’t have the tourism cachet of nearby Asheville, Hendersonville or Brevard, but it’s become a regional hot spot for economic developers. The town has landed industrial developments from Amazon, Norafin Americas and others that prize its low tax rate and relatively level land.

“The greatest attraction to the businesses has been the available land,” Town Manager Daniel Cobb says. “Unlike neighboring communities such as Brevard or Asheville, much of Mills River is gently rolling hills or even flat terrain. Coupled with access to utilities and the interstate, Mills River is well positioned to continue its positive trend of growth and development.”

says. “We’re putting heads in beds, bringing people here and doing things that aren’t crowd-related.”

“I think we’ll continue to see a new normal,” says Brittany Brady, president and CEO of the Henderson County Partnership for Economic Development. “No one has lived through this [situation] before. Everyone’s looking for a cheat sheet. In the world of economic development, we’re going to learn how to do virtual site visits. … People are adapting, whatever industry they’re in.”

“There’s a government reaction to recovery, but there’s a whole other side, and that’s the psychological reaction to recovery,” says Ben Teague, vice president of strategic development for Biltmore Farms, a leading local commercial real estate company. “There’s a lot of potential to [allowing] people to travel, but if people don’t feel safe, it doesn’t matter how fast you release them. If they don’t feel safe, they’re not going to your store.”

The Asheville chamber created a Smart Restart Toolkit in May, with business guidelines for safe reopening and links to professional organizations specific to each type of business. The online guidebook also includes a section on “Communicating with your Team” for employee relations regarding sick leave, child care and worker protection. A chart states how long coronavirus stays on surfaces such as aluminum, glass, paper, plastics, cardboard and wood.

Mills River incorporated in 2003 to protect itself from annexation by neighbors. Its population has jumped from about 5,800 to 7,400 since then, reflecting the region’s increasing popularity. Unlike its better-known neighbors, it doesn’t have a downtown district in its 22 square miles, though there are plenty of churches, small businesses and the 50-acre Mills River Park.

“Quality of life is a really big driver as to why people come here,” Cobb says. Low property taxes also help: The millage rate is 19 cents per $100 value, versus 43 cents in Asheville and 49 cents in Hendersonville.

Brittany Brady, CEO of the Henderson County Partnership for Economic Development, traces Mills River’s growth back to 1994 when a family began parceling its farmland to industrial tenants. It became the 79-acre Broadpointe Industrial Park, which has 10 tenants including FedEx Ground, Gaia Herbs and Pepsi Bottling.

In 2009, Ferncliff Industrial Park became the county’s first North Carolina Certified Site, which involves a process to ensure potential users that a site is viable for industrial purposes. The 260-acre property is home to automotive-parts manufacturer GF Linamar and Sierra Nevada Brewing, Mills River’s most prominent tourist attraction.

Since Chico, Calif.-based Sierra Nevada opened its East Coast site in 2015, the brewery’s tour through its elaborately designed campus and neighboring forest has become a staple for visitors. Because of the pandemic, tours and in-room dining are suspended through the end of the year. Curbside pickup is offered.

The Henderson County economic development group is a 25-year-old public/ private partnership promoting the region. Staff members work with site location consultants focused on six advanced manufacturing sectors: health care, food and beverage production, machinery and materials, outdoor recreation, professional and technology services, and transportation components.

Access to Henderson Country’s 200 apple growers attracted Bold Rock Hard Cider to Mills River. In 2015, when Bold Rock decided to expand its main operation in Nellysford, Va., its staff considered regions that could provide lots of apples. North Carolina ranks seventh nationally, with Henderson County dominating the state’s production, says Lindsay Dorrier, Bold Rock’s brand manager. Bold Rock, which is owned by Charlotte-based Artisanal Brewing Ventures, now produces between 600,000 and 800,000 cases per year at the Mills River cidery.

“Once you have a client who lands in a community,” Brady says, “they’re telling other industries that this site is good. We’ve got a good infrastructure, it’s in a good location, there’s a strong workforce here. People like to be in good company. The work that was done at Broadpointe and the work that was done in Ferncliff has shown other corporate citizens that this is a good place to be.”

“Our citizens reacted well to the Smart Restart Toolkit. We also shared it with chambers of commerce in surrounding counties in the region,” Cramer says. “We all want to be able to get back to some semblance of normalcy, but do so safely. Our fundamentals are good, and I expect that once we have a vaccine that’s widely available, we’ll come back as strong as we ever were.”

North Carolina generated a record $26.7 billion in visitor spending in 2019, up from $25.3 billion a year earlier, according to the N.C. Department of Commerce. Data released in May 2019 also noted that tourism employs about 230,000 statewide, with more than 45,000 businesses directly providing products and services to travelers. According to the Economic Development Partnership of N.C., the state’s outdoor recreation industry employs 260,000 people and brings $28 billion in consumer spending annually.

The state hosted more than 51 million visitors in 2018. About 78 million potential customers are within a day’s drive, according to the EDPNC.

BUSINESS DEALS

It isn’t just outdoor activity that’s sustaining western counties.

In Henderson County’s Mills River, Amazon is opening a $28 million, 112,000-square-foot distribution hub and hiring about 200 people at $15 an hour. Lowe’s also is building a distribution center in Mills River, a $10 million investment that will add 50 jobs at a 90,000-square-foot building. Construction should be complete by next summer or early fall.

Henderson County ranked No. 14 out of N.C.’s 100 counties for tourism impact in 2019, with $324.7 million in visitor spending. Travel and tourism in the county accounts for 2,500 employees, according to the Hendersonville Times-News

Henderson County also relies on advanced manufacturing, with 130 manufacturers ranging from small to more than 600 employees for a total of 2,609 jobs, which helped the county claim a mere 3% unemployment rate, according to the Henderson County Partnership for Economic Development.

In Boone, construction on Appalachian State University’s football stadium complex includes a revamp of Owens Field House, giving a new identity to the end zone building that was constructed in the 1960s. “What started as just a conversation has turned into a thing, and the university is gaining significant event space,” Jackson says. “The top floor will have catering, and you’re talking 450-plus seated for a meal, plus there will be breakout capabilities. It will open us back up to convention traffic. You couple that space with the hotels developed in the last decade, and we now have enough hotel space to open things up and play into our geography.”

In nearby Catawba County, the Hickory CVB is encouraging residents to help local businesses stay afloat by buying online and purchasing gift cards. To spruce up Zoom meetings, the bureau’s website began offering seven local scenic backgrounds of area sites including the Catawba River and Bakers Mountain Park.

Mandy Pitts Hildebrand, CEO of the Hickory Metro Convention Center & Visitors Bureau, says that the group has pivoted to livestream local events for people to enjoy online.

“There have been many creative virtual tours and lectures from arts and science organizations, and several musicians in the Western Piedmont Symphony have performed on social media as well,” she says.

In Hickory, more than 30 events scheduled for the convention center were canceled between mid-March and August after the first COVID-19 case was reported in Catawba County. The cancellations amount to more than $125,000 in lost revenue, not counting sales and occupancy taxes from hotels and restaurant revenue. Catawba County ranks 16th in the state in annual tourism expenditures, at $302 million.

The convention center now offers a portable audio/video cart for video-conferencing, and restrooms are being renovated with touchless facilities and sinks. The building will be further renovated and expanded, with plans expected to be approved in December.

The Chamber of Catawba County created an Open & Safe

Events such as Hendersonville’s annual Garden Jubilee and outdoor activities including flyfishing in the Pisgah National Forest attract thousands of tourists to western North Carolina each year.

playbook to show visitors that Hickory and surrounding cities are safe to visit, with guidelines from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. The Chamber also started a “Take-Out Blitz,” listing restaurants and shops with curbside shopping and delivery.

Overall, creativity is yielding positivity.

The Hickory CVB October newsletter included a to-do list, including open museums, the Fall After Market Sale at the Hickory Furniture Mart, a list of open restaurants, and merchants whose goods are available online. There’s also a list of hiking spots and leaf-gazing locations and places that are dog-friendly.

“Things are picking up,” Hildebrand says, “with visitors stopping or staying here as they travel to explore the North Carolina mountains.”

Jackson says the biggest struggle is fitting all puzzle pieces together, “because the puzzle keeps changing. We want to make sure the whole High Country is open, the whole five-county area, so when people come back here, they enjoy it for what it is, and that is a place that can handle them safely. It’s led to some inspiring conversations. Once we get through this, we can work in a better way moving forward, and we will have come through it with the right battle scars. We can think regionally, and that’s a silver lining.”

Teague recalls Hurricane Katrina, which ravaged the Gulf Coast in 2005. Though natural disasters and COVID-19 are different enemies, he says, “I saw firsthand the people who waited for someone else to save them, and they never fully recovered. But the people who saw a future, and got to work, those are the ones for whom it was a significant core memory, but it didn’t define who they are. Your mindset going into this is, we will evolve and there is a future and there is hope. And hope defines what happens. If you feel like there is a future and there is hope, you’re going to be more creative. If you focus on this thing now, and everything is terrible, you clam up and you don’t keep small businesses alive and take the necessary risk to safely reopen your economy.”

Teague says he’s never been more bullish on western North Carolina’s future. “The talent is extremely strong, the brand is extremely strong, and people have wanted to come here for all the obvious reasons. Proverbially, if I were an investor, I definitely would put my money here.”

“We’re looking ahead to fall and winter,” Jackson says. “Glue the leaves on the trees, then pray for cold. We’re hoping we can be that long, winter destination when ski resorts open. We’ll be playing to an audience that’s begging to go outside, so maybe Mother Nature will help us out.

“It’s great to see people interact again. We’ve taken that for granted as a society, and we don’t want to go backward.”

FLYING HIGH

By David Mildenberg

In mid-October Raytheon’s Pratt & Whitney aerospace unit announced plans to invest $650 million in a 1 million-square-foot turbine airfoil manufacturing plant in Asheville and create 800 jobs through 2027. The jobs will pay an average annual salary of $68,000, higher than Buncombe County’s average of $43,134. Pratt & Whitney could receive state incentives and infrastructure improvements of more than $20.6 million over 12 years, based on hiring and investment targets.

The project has been the topic of much conjecture for months after the Asheville Citizen Tribune reported earlier in 2020 that Biltmore Farms would help develop a large manufacturing facility in southwestern Buncombe County that could employ as many as 1,200 people. The chosen site involves a 445-acre track near Interstate 26 and the French Broad River that is owned by Biltmore Farms.

The development was referred to as “Project Ranger” in permit applications with the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality and other state and federal agencies. The Golden LEAF Foundation has awarded $12 million to the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce’s Community Betterment Foundation to support the construction of a bridge crossing the French Broad River and connecting to N.C. 191, providing access to the plant.

The project “will enable Pratt & Whitney to continue to modernize and transform its operations with cutting-edge technologies,” said Chris Calio, president of Pratt & Whitney, in a release. “Turbine airfoils are a critical component across our engine portfolio, and demand will increase significantly as the market recovers over the next several years. We need to invest today to ensure that we have the infrastructure, production capabilities and workforce in place to meet future market demand and provide the best products to our customers worldwide.”

Biltmore Farms is controlled by the Cecil family, descendants of the Vanderbilt family who created Biltmore Estate.

“From the moment our team met with Pratt & Whitney and learned of their plans for a world class manufacturing facility, we knew they would craft a brighter future for the people of western North Carolina,” Jack Cecil, CEO of Biltmore Farms, said in a release.

Pratt & Whitney makes engines used by nearly 30% of the world’s commercial passenger aircraft, while 34 armed forces globally use the company’s military engines, according to the company’s website.

OPEN FOR BUSINESSN

From incentives to workforce education to thriving public and private companies, North Carolina is a great place to establish and expand your business.

NORTH CAROLINA’S 2019 SCOREBOARD

154 new projects or expansions that engaged state economic developers

$4.4 billion projected investment of new projects

BIGGEST JOBS ANNOUNCEMENTS

2019

21,675 new jobs announced by Gov. Roy Cooper

2018

DISCRETIONARY GRANTS

Job Development Investment Grants provide performance-based incentives directly to new and expanding businesses to help offset the cost of establishing or expanding in the state.

The One North Carolina Fund is another incentive program that awards cash grants based on the number of jobs created, amount of investment, location and expected economic impact.

In 2018, legislators approved a Transformative Project provision of the JDIG grant program. To qualify, companies must create at least 3,000 jobs and invest at least $1 billion within 10 years.

Other programs include Building Demolition and Building Reuse grants that provide funds for site

and renovation of vacant industrial and

buildings.

TIERED TAX CREDITS

North Carolina annually assesses the economic health of its 100 counties, assigning each to one of three tiers. The 40 most distressed counties — the lightest-shaded below — are eligible for greater tax credits. Lesser incentives are available for other counties.

THE BIG GET BIGGERN

North Carolina landed a string of high-profile corporate expansions in the last year, led by large companies that have adapted to the impact of the pandemic. These are some of the biggest announcements.

CENTENE CLAYTON, MO.

NEW JOBS: 3,237

COUNTY: MECKLENBURG

PROJECTED INVESTMENT: $1 BILLION

N.C. INCENTIVES: $378.9 MILLION

One of the largest U.S. health insurers plans a 1 million-square-foot campus near UNC Charlotte. Centene says it will add more than 3,000 jobs in the Queen City and invest more than $1 billion by 2032. The new positions will have average annual salaries of $100,089, higher than Mecklenburg County’s average of $68,070. Centene reported nearly $75 billion in revenue for 2019 and serves more than 23 million customers across 50 states.

LOWE’S MOORESVILLE

NEW JOBS: 1,600

COUNTY: MECKLENBURG

PROJECTED INVESTMENT: $153 MILLION

INCENTIVES: $72 MILLION

Lowe’s is investing heavily to sell more home-improvement products online and wants Charlotte to be its digital hub. The retail chain is putting its global-technology center in the Queen City’s South End neighborhood, where it will occupy 15 floors of a 23-story, 357,000-square-foot tower. There, Lowe’s will employ more than 2,000 data scientists, architects, analysts and artificial intelligence experts, including 400 positions transferred from Mooresville. Salaries will average $117,000 annually, nearly double the Mecklenburg County average. The project is expected to be completed in 2021.

AMAZON SEATTLE

NEW JOBS: 1,200

COUNTIES: HENDERSON, GUILFORD

PROJECTED INVESTMENT: $138 MILLION

INCENTIVES: NA

Amazon is adding more than 1,000 jobs in North Carolina, continuing rapid expansion. The company hasn’t disclosed its investment, but Greensboro TV station WFMY estimated the Guilford County site’s value at $110 million. In May, Amazon said it would invest $28 million in a delivery station in Mills River, near Asheville, that will add 200 jobs. The company, which reported $281 billion in 2019 revenue, added 6,400 N.C. employees in response to higher demand for online orders because of the coronavirus pandemic. More than 3,500 jobs are expected to stay on full time, a spokesperson says.

BANDWIDTH RALEIGH

NEW JOBS: 1,165

COUNTY: WAKE

PROJECTED INVESTMENT: $103.4 MILLION

INCENTIVES: $32.3 MILLION

The communications-software company that helps power videoconferencing programs such as Zoom, Skype and Google Meet is planning a major expansion in its hometown, spending $70 million on a 500,000-square-foot headquarters and paying $30 million for a 40-acre state-owned site. Bandwidth will add 1,165 positions in R&D, operations, sales and administration over the next eight years, with an average annual salary of nearly $97,000. Bandwidth had 1,728 customers in 2019 and reported $232.6 million in revenue.

MICROSOFT REDMOND, WASH.

NEW JOBS: 930

COUNTIES: WAKE, MECKLENBURG

PROJECTED INVESTMENT: $70.5 MILLION

N.C. INCENTIVES: $22.7 MILLION

Microsoft is creating nearly 1,000 jobs through two projects. The company is adding 500 jobs in Morrisville, mainly in software development positions, and investing $47.5 million in the expansion. It is expected to reach the job target by 2023. The company is also investing $23 million to expand its 22-acre Charlotte campus and create 430 jobs, mainly in engineering and management. The jobs in Wake County are expected to average about $125,000 annually, while the compensation in Mecklenburg will average about $99,000.

BIOAGILYTIX LABS DURHAM

NEW JOBS: 878

COUNTY: DURHAM

PROJECTED INVESTMENT: $61.5 MILLION

N.C. INCENTIVES: $18.9 MILLION

The contract-research company is expanding its Research Triangle Park headquarters, adding 878 jobs and investing $61.5 million. The new jobs will have an average annual salary of $96,477, higher than Durham County’s average of $71,756. In 2020, the company announced plans to launch COVIDence, a platform to provide employers a comprehensive COVID-19 testing program. BioAgilytix, which specializes in large molecule bioanalysis, operates laboratory locations in Cambridge, Mass., and Hamburg, Germany.

NORTH CAROLINA’S LARGEST PRIVATE COMPANIES

Chevrolets, Cheerwine, turkey legs and solar panels are some of the products powering the state’s biggest closely held enterprises.*

$1 BILLION OR MORE IN REVENUE (latest fiscal year)

1.HENDRICK AUTOMOTIVE

Charlotte

Automotive dealerships

CEO: Rick Hendrick Employees: 10,600

2.AMERICAN TIRE DISTRIBUTORS

Huntersville

Tire distribution service

CEO: Stuart Schuette Employees: 4,700 (estimated)

3.EPIC GAMES

Cary

Video game company

CEO: Tim Sweeney Employees: 2,200 (estimated)

4.BELK

Charlotte

Department store chain

CEO: Lisa Harper Employees: 24,000 (estimated)

5.TRANSPORTATION INSIGHT

Hickory

Logistics consultant

CEO: Reynolds Faulkner Employees: 1,460

6.SAS INSTITUTE

Cary

Software development

CEO: James Goodnight Employees: 13,939

7.ALEX LEE

Hickory

Wholesale and retail grocer

CEO: Brian George Employees: 13,700

8.PARKDALE

Gastonia

Textile company

CEO: Anderson Warlick Employees: 5,000 (estimated)

9.FLOW AUTOMOTIVE

Winston-Salem

Automotive dealerships

CEO: Don Flow Employees: 1,800 (estimated)

10.PIKE

Mount Airy

Construction and engineering services for electric utilities

CEO: J. Eric Pike Employees: 8,300

11.LEITH CARS

Raleigh

Automotive dealerships

CEO: Danny Williams Employees: 1,800 (estimated)

12.FORM TECHNOLOGIES

Charlotte Manufacturer of metal components

CEO: Mike Grunza Employees: 10,000 (estimated)

13.PRESTAGE FARMS

Clinton

Pork and poultry production

CEO: Bill Prestage Employees: 2,900

14.NATIONAL GYPSUM

Charlotte

Manufacturer of wallboard products

CEO: Thomas Nelson Employees: 2,500 (estimated)

$500 MILLION TO $999 MILLION (latest fiscal year)

15. MARKET AMERICA

Greensboro

Product brokerage and digital marketer

CEO: JR Ridinger

Employees: 805

16. VARIETY WHOLESALERS

Henderson

Discount retailer

CEO: Art Pope

Employees: 8,000 (estimated)

17. GOLDSBORO MILLING

Goldsboro

Grain, poultry and pork production

CEO: H.G. Maxwell III

Employees: 800 (estimated)

18. STEELFAB

Charlotte

Steel fabricator

CEO: R. Glenn Sherrill Jr.

Employees: 1,288

19. CTE

Charlotte

Dealer of construction and industrial equipment

CEO: Ed Weisiger Jr.

Employees: 1,500 (estimated)

20. CONCORD HOSPITALITY ENTERPRISES

Raleigh

Hotel management and development

CEO: Mark Laport

Employees: 6,014

21. AMWINS GROUP

Charlotte

Wholesale insurance distributor

CEO: Scott Purviance

Employees: 4,000 (estimated)

22. WINDOW WORLD

North Wilkesboro

Window installation service

CEO: Tammy Whitworth

Employees: 1,000 (estimated)

23. CHARLOTTE PIPE & FOUNDRY

Charlotte

Pipe manufacturer and supplier

CEO: Roddey Dowd Jr.

Employees: 1,500 (estimated)

24. BARNHILL CONTRACTING

Rocky Mount

General contractor

CEO: Robert Barnhill

Employees: 1,020

25. ACN

Concord

Telecommunications service provider

CEO: Greg Provenzano

Employees: 1,100 (estimated)

26. GREGORY POOLE EQUIPMENT

Raleigh

Dealer of construction and other equipment

CEO: J. Gregory Poole III

Employees: 1,300 (estimated)

27. SOUTHCO DISTRIBUTING

Goldsboro

Convenience-store supplier

CEO: Sherwin Herring Employees: 217

28. SAMPSON-BLADEN OIL CO.

Clinton

Distributor of petroleum products

CEO: Haddon Clark III

Employees: 1,000 (estimated)

29. SHURTAPE TECHNOLOGIES

Hickory

Manufacturer of adhesive tape, consumer goods and office supplies

CEO: Vuk Trivanovic Employees: 1,600

30. ENNIS-FLINT

Greensboro

Manufacturer of pavement markings and traffic products

CEO: Matt Soule

Employees: 1,500

NORTH CAROLINA’S LARGEST PUBLIC COMPANIES

Top performers in the state were ranked by market value as of June, 30, 2020.

3. HONEYWELL

Charlotte Diversified holding company 4. DUKE ENERGY

Charlotte Utilities 5. TRUIST FINANCIAL Charlotte

Durham

8. LABORATORY CORP. OF

Burlington

9. MARTIN MARIETTA

Raleigh

11. NUCOR Charlotte Steel

12. INGERSOLL RAND

Davidson Industrial goods

13. ADVANCE AUTO PARTS

Raleigh Specialty retail

14. DENTSPLY SIRONA

Charlotte Medical supplies

15. PPD

Wilmington Health care services

16. ALBEMARLE CORP.

Charlotte Chemicals

17. CREE

Durham Semiconductors and LED lighting

18. PRA HEALTH SCIENCES

Raleigh Pharmaceutical services

19. SYNEOS HEALTH

Raleigh Pharmaceutical services

20. SEALED AIR

Charlotte Containers and packaging

21. PREMIER

Charlotte Health care services

22. FIRST CITIZENS

BANCSHARES

Raleigh Financial services

23. HANESBRANDS

Winston-Salem

Apparel

24. HIGHWOODS PROPERTIES

Raleigh Real estate

25. LENDING TREE

Charlotte Financial services

26. CURTISS-WRIGHT

Charlotte Aerospace and industrial equipment

27. BANDWIDTH

Raleigh

Software

28. BRIGHTHOUSE FINANCIAL

Charlotte Financial services

29. COCA-COLA CONSOLIDATED

Charlotte Soft drinks

30. EXTENDED STAY AMERICA

Charlotte Hotels

31. SPX

Charlotte Industrial equipment

32. BMC STOCK HOLDINGS

Raleigh Wholesalers

33. COMMSCOPE HOLDING Hickory Telecommunications equipment

34. JELD-WEN HOLDING

Charlotte Building products

35. SPX FLOW

Charlotte Industrial equipment

36. SONIC AUTOMOTIVE

Charlotte Car dealerships

37. KONTOOR BRANDS

Greensboro Apparel

38. ENPRO INDUSTRIES

Charlotte Industrial equipment

39. G1 Therapeutics

Durham Pharmaceuticals

40. INGLES MARKETS

Asheville Grocery stores

41. BIOCRYST

PHARMACEUTICALS

Durham Pharmaceuticals

42. CORNERSTONE BUILDING BRANDS

Cary Industrial goods

43. FIRST BANCORP

Troy Financial services

44. GLATFELTER

Charlotte Paper/engineered products

45. AERIE PHARMACEUTICALS

Durham Pharmaceutical services

46. TANGER FACTORY OUTLET CENTERS

Greensboro

Shopping centers

47. LIVE OAK BANCSHARES

Wilmington Financial services

48. CHANNELADVISOR

Morrisville

Software

49. BIODELIVERY SCIENCES

INTERNATIONAL

Raleigh Pharmaceutical services

50. PRECISION BIOSCIENCES

Durham Pharmaceuticals

sources: Capital Investment Cos. and The Nottingham Co.

NORTH CAROLINA HIGHER EDUCATION DIRECTORY

PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES

APPALACHIAN STATE UNIVERSITY Boone | appstate.edu

CAROLINAS COLLEGE OF HEALTH SCIENCES Charlotte | carolinascollege.edu

EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY Greenville | ecu.edu

ELIZABETH CITY STATE UNIVERSITY Elizabeth City | ecsu.edu

FAYETTEVILLE STATE UNIVERSITY Fayetteville | uncfsu.edu

NORTH CAROLINA AGRICULTURAL AND TECHNICAL STATE UNIVERSITY Greensboro | ncat.edu

NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY Durham | nccu.edu

NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY Raleigh | ncsu.edu

UNC ASHEVILLE Asheville | unca.edu

UNC CHAPEL HILL Chapel Hill | unc.edu

UNC CHARLOTTE Charlotte | uncc.edu

UNC GREENSBORO Greensboro | uncg.edu

UNC PEMBROKE Pembroke | uncp.edu

UNC SCHOOL OF THE ARTS Winston-Salem | uncsa.edu

UNC WILMINGTON Wilmington | uncw.edu

WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY Cullowhee | wcu.edu

WINSTON-SALEM STATE UNIVERSITY Winston-Salem | wssu.edu

PRIVATE INSTITUTIONS

APEX SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY Durham | apexsot.edu

BARTON COLLEGE Wilson | barton.edu

BELMONT ABBEY COLLEGE Belmont belmontabbeycollege.edu

BENNETT COLLEGE Greensboro | bennett.edu

BREVARD COLLEGE Brevard | brevard.edu

CABARRUS COLLEGE OF HEALTH SCIENCES Concord | cabarruscollege.edu

CAMPBELL UNIVERSITY Buies Creek | campbell.edu

CAROLINA CHRISTIAN COLLEGE Winston-Salem | carolina.edu

CAROLINA COLLEGE OF BIBLICAL STUDIES Fayetteville | ccbs.edu

CATAWBA COLLEGE Salisbury | catawba.edu

CHAMBERLAIN UNIVERSITYNORTH CAROLINA Charlotte | chamberlain.edu

CHARLOTTE CHRISTIAN COLLEGE AND THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY Charlotte | charlottechristian.edu

CHOWAN UNIVERSITY Murfreesboro | chowan.edu

DAVIDSON COLLEGE Davidson | davidson.edu

DEVRY UNIVERSITY Charlotte, Raleigh | devry.edu

DUKE UNIVERSITY Durham | duke.edu

ECPI UNIVERSITY Charlotte, Greensboro, Raleigh ecpi.edu

ELON UNIVERSITY Elon | elon.edu

GARDNER-WEBB UNIVERSITY Boiling Springs | gardner-webb.edu

GRACE COLLEGE OF DIVINITY Fayetteville | gcd.edu

GREENSBORO COLLEGE Greensboro | greensboro.edu

GUILFORD COLLEGE Greensboro | guilford.edu

HERITAGE BIBLE COLLEGE Dunn | heritagebiblecollege.edu

HIGH POINT UNIVERSITY High Point | highpoint.edu

JOHNSON & WALES UNIVERSITY Charlotte | jwu.edu/charlotte

JOHNSON C. SMITH UNIVERSITY Charlotte | jcsu.edu

LEES-MCRAE COLLEGE Banner Elk | lmc.edu

LENOIR-RHYNE UNIVERSITY Asheville, Hickory | lr.edu

LIVING ARTS COLLEGE Raleigh | living-arts-college.edu

LIVINGSTONE COLLEGE Salisbury | livingstone.edu

LOUISBURG COLLEGE Louisburg | louisburg.edu

MARS HILL UNIVERSITY Mars Hill | mhu.edu

MEREDITH COLLEGE Raleigh | meredith.edu

METHODIST UNIVERSITY Fayetteville | methodist.edu

MID-ATLANTIC CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY Elizabeth City | macuniversity.edu

MILLER-MOTTE COLLEGE Fayetteville, Jacksonville, Raleigh, Wilmington | miller-motte.edu

MONTREAT COLLEGE Montreat, Black Mountain montreat.edu

NORTH CAROLINA WESLEYAN COLLEGE

Rocky Mount | ncwc.edu

NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY Charlotte, online northeastern.edu/charlotte

PFEIFFER UNIVERSITY Misenheimer, Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham | pfeiffer.edu

PIEDMONT INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY Winston-Salem | piedmontu.edu

QUEENS UNIVERSITY OF CHARLOTTE Charlotte | queens.edu

ST. AUGUSTINE’S UNIVERSITY Raleigh | st-aug.edu

SALEM COLLEGE Winston-Salem | salem.edu

SHAW UNIVERSITY Raleigh | shawu.edu

SOUTHEASTERN BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY Wake Forest | sebts.edu

SOUTHEASTERN FREE WILL BAPTIST BIBLE COLLEGE Wendell | sfwbc.edu

ST. ANDREWS UNIVERSITY Laurinburg | sa.edu

STRAYER UNIVERSITY Charlotte, Concord, Greensboro, Huntersville, Morrisville, Raleigh strayeruniversity.edu

UNIVERSITY OF MOUNT OLIVE Mount Olive, Durham, Goldsboro, Jacksonville, New Bern, Smithfield, Washington, Wilmington umo.edu

UNIVERSITY OF PHOENIX Charlotte | phoenix.edu

WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY Winston-Salem | wfu.edu

WARREN WILSON COLLEGE Swannanoa | warren-wilson.edu

WATTS SCHOOL OF NURSING Durham | wattsschoolofnursing.org

WESTERN GOVERNORS UNIVERSITY Durham, online | wgu.edu

WILLIAM PEACE UNIVERSITY Raleigh | peace.edu

WINGATE UNIVERSITY Wingate, Charlotte, Hendersonville wingate.edu

COMMUNITY COLLEGES

ALAMANCE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Burlington, Graham alamancecc.edu

ASHEVILLE-BUNCOMBE TECHNICAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Arden, Asheville, Candler, Marshall, Woodfin | abtech.edu

BEAUFORT COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Washington | beaufortccc.edu

BLADEN COMMUNITY COLLEGE Dublin | bladencc.edu

BLUE RIDGE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Brevard, Flat Rock, Hendersonville blueridge.edu

BRUNSWICK COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Bolivia, Carolina Shores, Leland, Southport | brunswickcc.edu

CALDWELL COMMUNITY COLLEGE AND TECHNICAL INSTITUTE Boone, Hudson | cccti.edu

CAPE FEAR COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Burgaw, Castle Hayne, Hampstead, Wilmington | cfcc.edu

CARTERET COMMUNITY COLLEGE Morehead City | carteret.edu

CATAWBA VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Conover, Hickory, Newton, Taylorsville | cvcc.edu

CENTRAL CAROLINA COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Dunn, Lillington, Pittsboro, Sanford, Siler City | cccc.edu

CENTRAL PIEDMONT COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Charlotte, Huntersville, Matthews cpcc.edu

CLEVELAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Shelby | clevelandcc.edu

COASTAL CAROLINA COMMUNITY COLLEGE Jacksonville | coastalcarolina.edu

COLLEGE OF THE ALBEMARLE

Barco, Edenton, Elizabeth City, Manteo | albemarle.edu

CRAVEN COMMUNITY COLLEGE Havelock, New Bern | cravencc.edu

DAVIDSON COUNTY

COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Bermuda Run, Lexington, Mocksville, Thomasville davidsonccc.edu

DURHAM TECHNICAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE Durham, Hillsborough durhamtech.edu

EDGECOMBE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Rocky Mount, Tarboro edgecombe.edu

FAYETTEVILLE TECHNICAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Fayetteville, Fort Bragg, Spring Lake | faytechcc.edu

FORSYTH TECHNICAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE Kernersville, King, Walnut Cove, Winston-Salem | forsythtech.edu

GASTON COLLEGE Belmont, Dallas, Lincolnton gaston.edu

GUILFORD TECHNICAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE Colfax, Greensboro, High Point, Jamestown | gtcc.edu

HALIFAX COMMUNITY COLLEGE Weldon | halifaxcc.edu

HAYWOOD COMMUNITY COLLEGE Clyde | haywood.edu

ISOTHERMAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE Columbus, Rutherfordton, Spindale | isothermal.edu

JAMES SPRUNT COMMUNITY COLLEGE Kenansville | jamessprunt.edu

JOHNSTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Clayton, Four Oaks, Smithfield johnstoncc.edu

LENOIR COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Kinston, La Grange, Pink Hill, Snow Hill, Trenton | lenoircc.edu

MARTIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE Williamston, Windsor martincc.edu

MAYLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE Burnsville, Newland, Spruce Pine mayland.edu

MCDOWELL TECHNICAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE Marion | mcdowelltech.edu

MITCHELL COMMUNITY COLLEGE Mooresville, Statesville mitchellcc.edu

MONTGOMERY COMMUNITY COLLEGE Troy | montgomery.edu

NASH COMMUNITY COLLEGE Rocky Mount | nashcc.edu

PAMLICO COMMUNITY COLLEGE Bayboro, Grantsboro pamlicocc.edu

PIEDMONT COMMUNITY COLLEGE Roxboro, Yanceyville piedmontcc.edu

PITT COMMUNITY COLLEGE Winterville | pittcc.edu

RANDOLPH COMMUNITY COLLEGE Asheboro | randolph.edu

RICHMOND COMMUNITY COLLEGE Hamlet, Laurinburg richmondcc.edu

ROANOKE-CHOWAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE Ahoskie | roanokechowan.edu

ROBESON COMMUNITY COLLEGE Lumberton | robeson.edu

ROCKINGHAM COMMUNITY COLLEGE Wentworth | rockinghamcc.edu

ROWAN-CABARRUS COMMUNITY COLLEGE Concord, Kannapolis, Salisbury rccc.edu

SAMPSON COMMUNITY COLLEGE Clinton | sampsoncc.edu

SANDHILLS COMMUNITY COLLEGE Pinehurst (main), Raeford, Robbins, Carthage | sandhills.edu

SOUTHEASTERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE Whiteville | sccnc.edu

SOUTH PIEDMONT COMMUNITY COLLEGE MONROE, Polkton, Wadesboro spcc.edu

SOUTHWESTERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE Sylva | southwesterncc.edu

STANLY COMMUNITY COLLEGE Albemarle, Locust | stanly.edu

SURRY COMMUNITY COLLEGE Dobson, Elkin, Mount Airy, Pilot Mountain, Yadkinville | surry.edu

TRI-COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE Marble, Murphy, Robbinsville tricountycc.edu

VANCE-GRANVILLE COMMUNITY COLLEGE Creedmoor, Henderson, Louisburg, Warrenton | vgcc.edu

WAKE TECHNICAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE Cary, Morrisville, Raleigh, Wake Forest, Zebulon | waketech.edu

WAYNE COMMUNITY COLLEGE Goldsboro | waynecc.edu

WESTERN PIEDMONT COMMUNITY COLLEGE Morganton | wpcc.edu

WILKES COMMUNITY COLLEGE Sparta, West Jefferson, Wilkesboro wilkescc.edu

WILSON COMMUNITY COLLEGE Wilson | wilsoncc.edu

AROUND THE STATE | HOSPITALS

Business north Carolina’s list of the state’s best hospitals* with 50 or more beds examines data compiled from several sources to determine which medical centers provide the best care for their patients.

The rankings are calculated using more than 25 metrics, including information provided by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Patient-satisfaction surveys, as well as infection, readmission and death rates for common procedures, are also taken under consideration.

Other factors include safety report cards by the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit The Leapfrog Group, distinction awards from insurer Blue Cross and Blue Shield, and national performance ratings from U.S. News & World Report

1. MISSION HOSPITAL

Asheville Beds: 730

CEO: Chad Patrick

2. (TIE) MOSES CONE HOSPITAL**

Greensboro

Beds: 529

President: Terry Akin

2. (TIE) UNC REX HEALTHCARE

Raleigh Beds: 660

President: Ernie Bovio

4. (TIE) CAROLINAEAST MEDICAL CENTER

New Bern

Beds: 350

President/CEO: Raymond Leggett III

4. (TIE) DUKE UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL

Durham

Beds: 957

President: Thomas Owens

4. (TIE) FIRSTHEALTH MOORE REGIONAL HOSPITAL***

Pinehurst

Beds: 390

CEO: Mickey Foster

7. (TIE) ATRIUM HEALTH CAROLINAS MEDICAL CENTER****

Charlotte

Beds: 907

President, central division: Vicki Block

7. (TIE) DUKE REGIONAL HOSPITAL

Durham

Beds: 369

President: Katie Galbraith

7. (TIE) UNC HOSPITALS

Chapel Hill

Beds: 929

President: Janet Hadar

10. NOVANT HEALTH FORSYTH MEDICAL CENTER*****

Winston-Salem

Beds: 921

President/COO: Chad Setliff

11. NEW HANOVER REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER

Wilmington Beds: 769

President/CEO: John Gizdic

12. (TIE) NOVANT HEALTH PRESBYTERIAN MEDICAL CENTER

Charlotte Beds: 597

President/COO: Saad Ehtisham

12 (TIE) ATRIUM HEALTH

CABARRUS

Concord Beds: 457

President: Phyllis Wingate

14. CAROMONT REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER

Gastonia Beds: 435

President/CEO: Chris Peek

15. NOVANT HEALTH MATTHEWS MEDICAL CENTER

Matthews

Beds: 146

President/COO: Jason Bernd

16. (TIE) CAPE FEAR VALLEY

MEDICAL CENTER

Fayetteville Beds: 666

CEO: Michael Nagowski

16. (TIE) WAKE FOREST

BAPTIST MEDICAL CENTER

Winston-Salem Beds: 885

CEO: Julie Ann Freischlag

* The federal data and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina insurance distinctions were compiled in December 2019. Leapfrog safety scores and U.S. News & World Report rankings were updated in January 2020.

** Includes The Moses Cone Hospital (529 beds), Wesley Long (Greensboro, 204 beds) and Annie Penn Hospital (Reidsville, 110 beds)

*** Includes FirstHealth Moore Regional (Pinehurst, 402 beds), FirstHealth (Richmond, 99 beds)

**** Includes Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center (907 beds), Atrium Health Mercy (173 beds)

***** Includes Novant Health Forsyth (921 beds), Kernersville Medical Center (50 beds)

16. (TIE) WAKE FOREST

BAPTIST HEALTH HIGH POINT

REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER

High Point Beds: 351

CEO: James Hoekstra

19. VIDANT MEDICAL CENTER

Greenville Beds: 909

President: Brian Floyd

20. (TIE) ATRIUM HEALTH PINEVILLE

Pineville Beds: 235

President: Christopher Hummer

20. (TIE) WAKEMED RALEIGH CAMPUS

Raleigh Beds: 726

CEO: Donald Gintzig

22. (TIE) WAKEMED CARY HOSPITAL

Cary Beds: 156

SVP/admin: Thomas Gough

22. (TIE) DUKE RALEIGH HOSPITAL

Raleigh

Beds: 186

Interim president: Leigh Bleecker

22. (TIE) FRYE REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER, A DUKE LIFEPOINT HOSPITAL

Hickory

Beds: 335

CEO: Rod Harkleroad

25. (TIE) ATRIUM HEALTH UNION

Monroe Beds: 249

President: Michael Lutes

25. (TIE) NOVANT HEALTH HUNTERSVILLE MEDICAL CENTER

Huntersville Beds: 91

President: Mike Riley

THE PLACE TO BE

“Winning Strategies in Economic Development Marketing” survey by Development Counsellors International, 2020

Area Development magazine, 2020

Tax Foundation, 2021

ALAMANCE

Alamance Chamber of Commerce

ALLEGHANY

336-228-1338 alamancechamber.com EMPLOYMENT

Alleghany County Chamber of Commerce

336-372-5473 alleghanycountychamber.com

LARGEST PRIVATE-SECTOR EMPLOYER Laboratory Corporation of America

LARGEST

ALEXANDER

County Economic Development Corp. 828-632-1161 alexanderedc.org

HIGHER

LARGEST

LARGEST

ANSON

Anson Economic Development Partnership 704-690-4936 ansonedp.com

ASHE

Ashe County Economic Development

336-846-5501

ashencedc.com

BEAUFORT

Beaufort County Economic Development

252-946-3970

co.beaufort.nc.us

LARGEST

AVERY

Avery County Economic Development Committee 828-733-8201 averycountync.gov

BERTIE

Bertie County Economic Development 252-794-5301 co.bertie.nc.us

HIGHER EDUCATION Roanoke-Chowan Community College; Martin Community College

BLADEN

Bladen County Economic Development Commission 910-645-2292 bladennc.govoffice3.com

EMPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRY Manufacturing: 44.7% Waste management: 8.0%

LARGEST PRIVATE-SECTOR EMPLOYER Smithfield Foods

LARGEST CITY/TOWN Elizabethtown: population 3,404

COUNTY PROPERTY TAX

82.0 cents per $100 value

HIGHER EDUCATION Bladen Community College

BUNCOMBE

Economic Development Coalition Asheville-Buncombe County 828-258-6101

economicdevelopmentasheville.org

EMPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRY Health

LARGEST PRIVATE-SECTOR EMPLOYER Mission Health

LARGEST CITY/TOWN

COUNTY PROPERTY TAX

52.9 cents per $100 value

HIGHER EDUCATION

UNC Asheville; Montreat College; Warren Wilson College; Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College

CABARRUS

Cabarrus Economic Development 704-782-4000 cabarrusedc.com

(000S)

EMPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRY

15.6%

13.6%

LARGEST PRIVATE-SECTOR EMPLOYER Amazon.com

LARGEST CITY/TOWN Concord: population 95,453

COUNTY PROPERTY TAX

74.0 cents per $100 value

HIGHER EDUCATION Barber-Scotia College; Rowan-Cabarrus Community College; Cabarrus College of Health Sciences

CAMDEN

Camden County Economic Development Commission 252-338-6363, ext. 103 camdencountync.gov

EMPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRY

LARGEST PRIVATE-SECTOR EMPLOYER Boddie Noell Enterprises

LARGEST CITY/TOWN Elizabeth City (part): population 44

BRUNSWICK

Brunswick Business and Industry Development 910-408-1603 brunswickbid.com

BURKE

Burke Development Inc. 828-764-9370 burkedevinc.com

CALDWELL

Economic Development Commission of Caldwell County 828-728-0768 caldwelledc.org

CARTERET

Carteret County Economic Development Department 252-222-6121 carteretedc.com

CASWELL

Caswell County Office of Economic Development 336-514-0427  caswellcountync.gov

EMPLOYMENT

LARGEST PRIVATE-SECTOR EMPLOYER WS Construction

LARGEST CITY/TOWN Yanceyville: population 2,002

CATAWBA

Catawba County Economic Development Corp. 828-267-1564 catawbaedc.org

HIGHER

Piedmont Community College

CHATHAM

CHOWAN

CHEROKEE

LARGEST

Chatham County Economic Development Corp. 919-542-8274 chathamedc.org EMPLOYMENT

Edenton Chowan Partnership Inc. 252-482-2007 edenton.net

EMPLOYMENT

EMPLOYER Mountaire Farms

LARGEST

LARGEST PRIVATE-SECTOR EMPLOYER Vidant Health

LARGEST CITY/TOWN Edenton: population 4,612 COUNTY PROPERTY

HIGHER EDUCATION College of The Albemarle

CLEVELAND

Cleveland County Economic Development Partnership 704-669-4701 chooseclevelandcountync.com

Cherokee County Economic Development 828-835-9564, ext. 204 cherokeecounty-nc.gov

CLAY

Clay County Economic Development 828-389-0089 economic.claync.us

COLUMBUS

Columbus County Economic Development Commission 910-640-6608 columbusedc.com

HIGHER EDUCATION Southeastern Community College

CRAVEN

Craven County Economic Development

252-633-5300

cravenbusiness.com

EMPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRY Health care: 17.8% Government: 17.4%

LARGEST PRIVATE-SECTOR EMPLOYER CarolinaEast Health System

LARGEST CITY/TOWN New Bern: population 30,010

COUNTY PROPERTY TAX

cents per $100 value

HIGHER EDUCATION

Craven Community College

CURRITUCK

Currituck County Economic Development

252-232-6015

thinkcurrituck.com

EMPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRY

LARGEST PRIVATE-SECTOR EMPLOYER Academi Training Center

LARGEST CITY/TOWN Myock, unincorporated COUNTY PROPERTY TAX

HIGHER EDUCATION College of The Albemarle

DAVIDSON

Davidson County Economic Development Commission 336-243-1900 davidsoncountyedc.com

EMPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRY

LARGEST PRIVATE-SECTOR EMPLOYER Atrium

LARGEST CITY/TOWN Thomasville (part): population 26,862 COUNTY PROPERTY TAX

cents per $100 value

HIGHER

DUPLIN

Duplin County Economic Development Commission 910-296-2180 duplinedc.com

CUMBERLAND

Fayetteville Cumberland County Economic Development Corp 910-500-6464 fayedc.com

DARE

The Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce 252-441-8144 outerbankschamber.com

DAVIE

Davie County Economic Development Commission 336-751-2714 daviecountyedc.com

DURHAM

Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce 919-328-8750 durhamchamber.org

EDGECOMBE

FRANKLIN

Carolinas Gateway Partnership 252-442-0114 econdev.org EMPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRY

Franklin County Economic Development Commission 919-554-1863 franklincountync.us

GATES

GRANVILLE

LARGEST PRIVATE-SECTOR EMPLOYER QVC

LARGEST CITY/TOWN Rocky Mount (part): population 15,526

COUNTY

95.0

HIGHER

Edgecombe Community College

FORSYTH

Greater Winston-Salem Inc. 336-728-9200 winstonsalem.com

GASTON

Gaston County Economic Development Commission 704-825-4046 gaston.org

LARGEST PRIVATE-SECTOR EMPLOYER Novozymes North America

LARGEST

HIGHER EDUCATION Louisburg College; Vance-Granville Community College

Gates County Chamber of Commerce 252-506-1592  gatescounty.govoffice2.com EMPLOYMENT

Granville County Economic Development Commission 919-693-5911 granvillecounty.com

LARGEST PRIVATE-SECTOR EMPLOYER Ashton Lewis Lumber

LARGEST CITY/TOWN Gatesville: population 314

GRAHAM

Graham County Economic Development 828-479-7984 grahamcountyedc.org

HIGHER

College of The Albemarle

GREENE

Greene County Economic Development Commission 252-747-3446 co.greene.nc.us

GUILFORD

Greensboro Chamber of Commerce

336-387-8312, greensboro.org

High Point Economic Development Corp. 336-883-3116, highpointnc.gov

HARNETT

Harnett County Economic Development Commission 910-893-7524 harnettedc.org

EMPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRY

13.1%

11.3%

LARGEST PRIVATE-SECTOR EMPLOYER Cone Health

LARGEST CITY/TOWN Greensboro: population 293,726

COUNTY PROPERTY TAX

73.1 cents per $100 value

HIGHER EDUCATION

Bennett, Guilford and Greensboro colleges; High Point and NC A&T State universities; UNC Greensboro; Guilford Technical Community College

HALIFAX

Halifax County Economic Development Commission 252-519-2630 halifaxdevelopment.com

HAYWOOD

Haywood Economic Development Council 828-456-3021, ext.105 haywoodedc.org

HIGHER EDUCATION Campbell University; Central Carolina Community College

HENDERSON

Henderson County Partnership for Economic Development 828-692-6373 gohendersoncountync.org

HOKE

Raeford Hoke Economic Development Commission 910-875-6113 hokecounty.net

EMPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRY Health

LARGEST PRIVATE-SECTOR EMPLOYER Pardee Hospital

HERTFORD

Hertford County Economic Development 252-358-7801 hertfordcountync.gov

HIGHER EDUCATION Blue Ridge Community College

HYDE

Hyde County Office of Planning and Economic Development 252-926-4178 hydecountync.gov

EDUCATION Beaufort County Community College

IREDELL

Iredell Economic Development Corp.

704-663-1898

iredelldc.com

JOHNSTON

Johnston County Economic Development

919-205-1232

growwithjoco.com

LARGEST PRIVATE-SECTOR EMPLOYER

Lowe’s

LARGEST

JACKSON

Jackson County Office of Economic Development, 828-631-2240, jacksonthrive.jacksonnc.org

Jackson County Chamber of Commerce 800-962-1911, mountainlovers.com

HIGHER

LARGEST

LARGEST

JONES

Jones County Economic Development 252-448-1315 jonescountync.gov

HIGHER

LEE

Sanford Area Growth Alliance 919-774-8439

growsanfordnc.com/edc

LINCOLN

Lincoln Economic Development Association

704-732-1511 lincolneda.org

LARGEST

LENOIR

Lenoir County Economic Development 252-527-1963 lenoiredc.com

MACON

Macon County Economic Development Commission 828-369-2306 maconedc.com

MADISON

Madison County Economic Development Board

828-649-1377

investinmadison.com

EMPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRY

LARGEST PRIVATE-SECTOR EMPLOYER Mars Hill University

LARGEST CITY/TOWN Mars Hill: population 2,072

COUNTY PROPERTY TAX 50.0 cents per $100 value

HIGHER EDUCATION

Mars Hill College; Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College

MCDOWELL

McDowell Economic Development Association Inc.

828-652-9391 mcdowellnceda.govoffice3.com

LARGEST PRIVATE-SECTOR EMPLOYER Baxter International

LARGEST

MARTIN

Martin County Economic Development Corp. 252-789-4904 martincountyedc.com

MECKLENBURG

Charlotte Regional Business Alliance 704-378-1300 charlotteregion.com

MITCHELL

Mitchell County Economic Development Commission 828-537-1404 mitchellcountyedc.org EMPLOYMENT

Moore County Partners in Progress 910-246-0311 moorebusiness.org

MONTGOMERY

Montgomery County Economic Development 910-576-4221, ext. 1307 montgomerycountync.com

NASH

Carolina Gateway Partnership 252-442-0114, econdev.org

Nash County Economic Development 252-462-2027, selectnashnc.com

N.C. Wesleyan College; Nash Community College

NEW HANOVER

Wilmington Business Development 910-763-8414

wilmingtonbusinessdevelopment.com

EMPLOYMENT

LARGEST PRIVATE-SECTOR EMPLOYER

New Hanover Regional Medical Center

LARGEST CITY/TOWN Wilmington: population 122,891

COUNTY

HIGHER

ONSLOW

Jacksonville Onslow Economic Development 910-939-7023

PAMLICO

EMPLOYMENT

LARGEST

joednc.com EMPLOYMENT

Pamlico County Office of Economic Development

252-745-3081 pamlicocounty.org

PENDER

Wilmington Business Development

910-763-8414 wilmingtonbusinessdevelopment.com

NORTHAMPTON

Northampton County Economic Development Commission 252-534-1092 northamptonnc.com

ORANGE

Orange County Economic Development 919-245-2325 growinorangenc.com

PASQUOTANK

Elizabeth City Pasquotank County Economic Development Commission 252-338-0169 elizabethcitypasquotankedc.com

PERQUIMANS

Perquimans County Economic Development Commission 252-312-5314 econdevperquimansnc.com

PERSON

POLK

Person County Economic Development Commission 336-597-1752 personcountyedc.com EMPLOYMENT

Polk County Office of Business Development 828-894-2895 polknc.org

LARGEST PRIVATE-SECTOR EMPLOYER GKN Automotive Components

LARGEST

PITT

Pitt County Development Commission 252-902-2075 locateincarolina.com

HIGHER

LARGEST PRIVATE-SECTOR EMPLOYER Acts

LARGEST

RANDOLPH

Randolph County Economic Development Corp. 336-626-2233 rcedc.com

RICHMOND

Richmond County Economic Development 910-997-8190 richmondnced.com

ROCKINGHAM

Rockingham County Center for Economic Development, Small Business & Tourism 336-342-8138 gorockinghamcountync.com

EMPLOYMENT

ROBESON

Robeson County Office of Economic Development 910-739-7584 robesoncountyoed.org

ROWAN

Rowan EDC Partnership for Economic Development 704-637-5526 rowanedc.com

RUTHERFORD

Rutherford County Economic Development

828-287-6200 rutherfordncedc.com

SCOTLAND

Scotland County Economic Development Corp.

910-266-4326

scotlandcountyedc.org

LARGEST PRIVATE-SECTOR EMPLOYER Rutherford Regional Health System

LARGEST CITY/TOWN Forest City: population 7,443

COUNTY

HIGHER

SAMPSON

Sampson County Economic Development Commission 910-592-8921 sampsonedc.com

STANLY

Stanly County Economic Development Commission 704-986-3682 stanlyedc.com

LARGEST

LARGEST

STOKES

Stokes County Economic Development Commission

336-593-2496

SWAIN

stokesedc.com EMPLOYMENT

Swain County Economic Development Commission 828-448-7838 swaincountync.gov

LARGEST PRIVATE-SECTOR EMPLOYER Wieland Copper Products

LARGEST

SURRY

Surry County Economic Development Partnership Inc. 336-401-9900 surryedp.com

TRANSYLVANIA

Transylvania Economic Alliance 828-393-4130 transylvaniaalliance.com

TYRRELL

Tyrrell County Economic Development

VANCE

Henderson-Vance County Economic Development Corp. 252-492-2094 vancecountyedc.com

LARGEST PRIVATE-SECTOR EMPLOYER

Capt. Charlie’s Seafood

LARGEST

759

UNION

Monroe-Union County Economic Development 704-282-5780 developunion.com

HIGHER

LARGEST

LARGEST

WAKE

Wake County Economic Development 919-664-7000 raleigh-wake.org

WARREN

Warren County Economic Development Commission 252-257-3114

warrencountync.org

WATAUGA

Watauga County Office of Economic Development 828-264-3082 wataugaedc.org

EMPLOYMENT

LARGEST

WASHINGTON

Washington County Economic Development 252-793-5823 washconc.org

WAYNE

Wayne County Development Alliance Inc. 919-731-7700 waynealliance.org

WILKES

Wilkes Economic Development Corp. 336-838-1501 wilkesedc.com

YADKIN

Yadkin County Economic Development Council 336-679-2200

yadkinedc.com

SOURCES

WILSON

Wilson Economic Development Council 252-237-1115 wilsonedc.com

YANCEY

Yancey County Economic Development Commission 828-682-7722 yanceyedc.org

Population, counties, largest city/town, employment and unemployment rate: N.C. Office of State Budget and Management. Hyde and Currituck counties have no incorporated towns. Employment share by industry sector and largest private-sector employer: N.C. Department of Commerce Labor and Economic Analysis Division, as of fourth quarter of 2019. 2020-21 property-tax rate: North Carolina Association of County Commissioners and N.C. Department of Revenue. Per capita income: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Community colleges are listed for every county in their designated service area.

*Per capita income is for 2018, the most recent year available.

Currituck County

NORTH CAROLINA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIPS

CHARLOTTE REGIONAL BUSINESS ALLIANCE

JANET LABAR, CEO AND PRESIDENT jlabar@charlotteregion.com

330 S. Tryon St., Charlotte, NC 28202 charlotteusa.com | 704-378-1300

Serves Alexander, Anson, Cabarrus, Catawba, Cleveland, Gaston, Iredell, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Rowan and Stanly counties in North Carolina and four South Carolina counties.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIP OF NORTH CAROLINA

CHRISTOPHER CHUNG, CEO clientservices@edpnc.com

150 Fayetteville St, Suite 1200 Raleigh, NC 27601 edpnc.com | 919-447-7744

Serves the state, working with regional and local partners to help businesses relocate and grow.

MOUNTAIN WEST PARTNERSHIP

125 Bonnie Lane Sylva, NC 28779 gownc.org | 828-586-1962

Serves Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties and Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

NCEAST ALLIANCE

VANN R. ROGERSON, INTERIM CEO AND PRESIDENT rogerson@nceast.org 209 E. Fifth St., Greenville, NC 27858 nceast.org | 252-916-2562

Serves Beaufort, Bertie, Camden, Carteret, Chowan, Craven, Currituck, Dare, Duplin, Edgecombe, Gates, Greene, Halifax, Hertford, Hyde, Jones, Lenoir, Martin, Northampton, Onslow, Pamlico, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Pitt, Tyrrell, Washington, Wayne and Wilson counties.

NORTH CAROLINA’S SOUTHEAST REGIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIP

STEVE YOST, PRESIDENT locate@ncse.org

707 W. Broad St., P.O. Box 2556 Elizabethtown, NC 28337 ncse.org | 910-862-8511

Serves Anson, Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, Craven, Cumberland, Duplin, Hoke, Lenoir, Montgomery, Moore, New Hanover, Onslow, Pender, Robeson, Sampson, Scotland and Wayne counties.

PIEDMONT TRIAD PARTNERSHIP

STAN KELLY, CEO AND PRESIDENT info@ptpnc.com

416 Gallimore Dairy Road, Suite M, Greensboro, NC 27409 piedmonttriadnc.com | 336-668-4556

Serves Alamance, Caswell, Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Guilford, Randolph, Rockingham, Stokes, Surry and Yadkin counties.

RESEARCH TRIANGLE REGIONAL PARTNERSHIP

RYAN COMBS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR rcombs@researchtriangle.org P.O. Box 110351, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709 researchtriangle.org | 919-670-2819

Serves Chatham, Durham, Franklin, Granville, Johnston, Lee, Person, Wake, Warren and Wilson

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIP OF NORTH CAROLINA (EDPNC)

Christopher Chung, CEO 919-447-7744

christopher.chung@edpnc.com edpnc.com

BUSINESS/INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT AND RECRUITMENT (EDPNC) Client Services 919-447-7744 clientservices@edpnc.com edpnc.com

EXPORT ASSISTANCE (EDPNC)

Mike Hubbard, director of international trade 919-447-7757 mike.hubbard@edpnc.com edpnc.com/start-or-grow-a-business/ export-assistance

TOURISM (EDPNC)

Wit Tuttell, vice president 919-447-7740 wit.tuttell@visitnc.com visitnc.com

N.C. COMMERCE

Elizabeth (Liz) Crabill, chief deputy secretary 919-814-4695

Liz.Crabill@nccommerce.com nccommerce.com/workforce

N.C. BOARD OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION

John Hardin, executive director 919-814-4639

jhardin@nccommerce.com nccommerce.com/sti

NORTH CAROLINA ECONOMIC DEVELOPERS ASSOCIATION

Lawrence Bivins, managing director 888-246-2332 lawrence@nceda.org nceda.org

STATE LIBRARY OF NORTH CAROLINA 919-814-6780

timothy.owens@ncdcr.gov statelibrary.ncdcr.gov

UNC SYSTEM GENERAL ADMINISTRATION 919-962-1000 northcarolina.edu

N.C. COMMUNITY COLLEGE SYSTEM

Maureen Little, vice president of economic development 919-807-7150

littlem@nccommunitycolleges.edu nccommunitycolleges.edu

NORTH CAROLINA INDEPENDENT COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES

A. Hope Williams, president 919-832-5817 williams@ncicu.org ncicu.org

NORTH CAROLINA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS

Andrea Bushnell, CEO 336-808-4222

abushnell@ncrealtors.org ncrealtors.org

NORTH CAROLINA ASSOCIATION OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

Kevin Leonard, executive director 919-715-4369 kevin.leonard@ncacc.org ncacc.org

NORTH CAROLINA LEAGUE OF MUNICIPALITIES

Paul Meyer, executive director 919-715-3930 pmeyer@nclm.org nclm.org

NC CHAMBER

Gary J. Salamido, president and CEO 919-836-1404 gsalamido@ncchamber.com ncchamber.com

NORTH CAROLINA PORTS

Brian E. Clark, executive director 910-763-1621 brian.clark@ncports.com ncports.com