Executive Voices

Regional Partnerships Are Working

By Gordon Myers

North Carolina Citizens for Business and Industry consists of many varied types of companies, but we all have one thing in common — geographic considerations represent a major factor in our decision making. In other words, we operate within a region that makes good business sense.

A recent article (in the September issue of this magazine) reported on the findings of a report by Mac Holladay, a consultant hired by the N.C. Partnership for Economic Development (NCPED) to assess regionalism in North Carolina. Mr. Holladay found areas where some processes can be improved, but he also found an organization that is doing many things right.

In the early '90s, the General Assembly expanded regional initiatives across the state by creating regional economic development programs in the rural areas of eastern and western North Carolina. One of the major objectives of this legislation was to ensure that all 100 counties could participate in a regional program designed to meet the unique needs of their respective areas of the state.

In my role as chairman of the AdvantageWest economic development region, I have witnessed first-hand the progress of regionalism in North Carolina. One of the keys to its success is the diversity that exists between each of the regional programs.

Established just five years ago, NCPED and its seven regional partnerships are now working together in ways that we have never done before. We have a strong relationship with the N.C. Department of Commerce and Secretary of Commerce Rick Carlisle, and all are committed to the same goal: successful economic development in North Carolina.

Listed below are some highlights which demonstrate this:

u Two companies, Minka Lighting and Rutgers, recently chose Mecklenburg County and Gaston County to relocate to. Those leads came from the Carolinas Partnership from North Carolina's Southeast region and the Global TransPark Development Region. Prior to the state's system of regionalism, lead referrals to other areas of the state were unheard of.

u The Carolinas Partnership assisted the Research Triangle Regional Partnership in September as they prepared for a marketing trip to Germany, coordinating meetings with representatives in Frankfurt.

Individually, regions also have achieved success:

u The Piedmont Triad Partnership aided the recruitment of the Federal Express Mid-Atlantic hub to the Piedmont Triad Regional Airport. The regional partnership also played a key role in securing and supporting a special liaison to facilitate communications between key stakeholders in making the project a reality.

u Site Selection magazine recently named North Carolina's Northeast Partnership as one of the top 10 economic development organizations in the United States and Canada. This distinction was due in large part to the recruitment of a $350 million Nucor Corp. steel recycling facility to rural eastern North Carolina.

u North Carolina's Global TransPark Region deployed an economic development trust fund created by enabling legislation and approved by all 13 counties in the region. The trust fund has been utilized to provide low-interest loans to the counties for economic development projects in eastern North Carolina.

u North Carolina's Southeast established the Southeastern Partnership, a non-profit corporation, to solicit contributions from the private sector to supplement public funding of the regional program. This fund-raising effort has proven to be extremely successful and has created a pool of financial resources for local economic development organizations to use in recruiting companies to eastern North Carolina.

u AdvantageWest North Carolina designed the first certified industrial site (CIS) program in the country to address major industrial real estate challenges with the mountainous terrain in western North Carolina. Since the program was first implemented in 1996, over 1,200 acres of sites and more than 300,000 square feet of space have met the certification requirements. This program's economic impact has exceeded 1,000 jobs and $80 million of capital investment.

u The Carolinas Partnership has increased its focus on international recruitment. Most notably, the region recruited the TransAtlantic Business Dialogue to North Carolina, attracting over 120 executives from European-based and domestic companies to a three-day event in Charlotte.

u The Research Triangle Partnership played a key role in helping sponsor the 1999 U.S. Open in Pinehurst. This included a major presence in the tournament's corporate village for hosting site consultants, industrial clients and journalists.

While each region is situated to address specialized needs in the different areas of our state, it is the alliance between the N.C. Department of Commerce and the seven regions that brings structure to economic development in North Carolina. We meet regularly to discuss common problems and issues facing our state, such as workplace preparedness and the availability of tax credits to existing industries seeking to expand operations within our state. We also compare solutions, assess the value of relevant state policies and recommend changes, evaluate infrastructural needs impervious to regional lines, and see public and private funding where they are requisite to advancing our collective mission. Together, we are working to improve business and industry in North Carolina.

For those of us involved with the NCPED, this is the news that needs to be shared. We will use the findings of Mr. Holladays's study to strengthen and improve our current processes and to develop a strategic plan for regionalism in the future. If you are involved with one of the regional programs, thank you. If you are not, I encourage you to do so. It's good business for our state.

Gordon Myers of Asheville is vice president of real estate for the Ingles Markets supermarket chain.