Executive Voices: An Op-Ed Column

The Next Frontier
The state should keep investing in RTP so it can continue building our prosperity


By James O. Roberson

Sometimes a great idea turns out to be a great investment. And sometimes it turns out to be a flop. Today, we know the Research Triangle Park was a great idea – and a great investment that’s still paying off.

RTP ranks in the nation’s top tier of research, technology and business centers.  It’s home to 140 companies. It’s an idea center for nearly 50,000 North Carolinians who spend every day working to find solutions. They’re working on the next frontier, from AIDS vaccines and Alzheimer’s treatments to wireless Internet and transgenic crops.

These jobs have elevated the Triangle’s median family income to $52,000 – 30 percent higher than the state’s average.  Companies have invested some $2 billion in plants and equipment in the Park.

When the Park opened in 1959, North Carolina ranked next to last in per-capita income nationally. College graduates were leaving the state in droves. Few companies were moving their headquarters to this rural Southern state.

Against this backdrop, a group of business, government and academic leaders brainstormed the Big Idea that became the Research Triangle Park. There were critics who thought exploring North Carolina’s next frontier was a waste of resources.

RTP was an idea that required vision, bold leadership and courage. But a truly great investment is one that continues to reap dividends for many years.

The Research Triangle Park has been a catalyst for innovation, education, ideas and economic development. It has been a national model. It has drawn the best and brightest to North Carolina, keeping homegrown thinkers and leaders here as well. It has helped our universities thrive, and it has helped the Triangle become one of the most sought-after places to live, work and raise a family.

More importantly, RTP has changed the face of North Carolina and given our state a national profile. Because of the high-skill, high-wage jobs, our per capita income has risen to 31^st nationally. And it has shaped our state’s economy. Studies show that North Carolina’s aggressive, technology-based economic development strategy has boosted the economy of the state as well as the South and, in many respects, the nation and the world.

Economic advances have impacted many communities outside the Triangle. For example, BASF opened its North American headquarters for agricultural products in RTP in 1986. The international chemical corporation located its plant science headquarters there in 1999. But BASF also operates six more plants now, including R&D centers in Charlotte and Holly Springs and production facilities in Charlotte, Enka, Morganton and Wilmington.

In 1959, RTP was the last frontier. Today, it’s the next frontier for research and development. Whether it’s biotechnology, genomics, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications hardware or software – North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park is on the cutting edge.

And it’s an investment that can continue to build North Carolina’s prosperity – and future – for generations to come. But that will take vision, bold leadership and courage – on the part of North Carolina’s leaders.

It will take progressive leadership from elected officials – especially the General Assembly and local officials in the Triangle.

It will take innovative solutions for transportation problems plaguing the Triangle. Traffic jams on I-40 are more than an annoyance – they’ve become a barrier to economic development, as companies choose to locate elsewhere and the best workers choose jobs with less difficult commutes. North Carolina has seen a 140 percent increase in the number of cars on the highway, but transportation infrastructure has not kept pace. And this year, the Triangle will likely reach EPA nonattainment from the Clean Air Act – another mighty blow to economic development efforts.

It will take strong support for education. North Carolina has always been a leader in this regard, but we cannot let budget shortages stop us. We must continue to improve K-12 education so that we have a workforce intellectually up to the challenges of the next frontier.

Our universities have always been a critical cornerstone of RTP, and the General Assembly’s support of higher education – especially R&D efforts – is just as critical. Proximity to world-class research universities is a big reason world-class companies come here. Leaders must keep that in mind as they continue to “trim the fat” this year.

And it will take public-private support for similar initiatives across the state. RTP’s success has encouraged other universities to build their own research and technology campuses. University Research Park in Charlotte, Piedmont Triad Research Park, Biltmore Park Corporate Technology Center in Asheville and Centennial Campus at N.C. State University are working to bring similar benefits to their regions.

There is still much to be done to realize the opportunities of the next frontier.

The Park still has land to develop. In fact, there are an abundant 1,100 acres still available. But state and local leaders must do their part.

As one Park company CEO has vehemently stated, the education and transportation challenges before state and local leaders are the number one and number two requirements to growing the Park, and growing companies in the Park.

Education and transportation are investments in our state, our future, and in our children’s success. Just like RTP was a great idea and a great investment – but dismissed by some – I urge our state and local elected leaders to continue to show vision, bold leadership and courage in those areas.

If we lose sight of our investment and our priorities, we’ll find ourselves in the red in more ways than one.

Jim Roberson is president of the Research Triangle Foundation of North Carolina.

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