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North Carolina named America’s ‘Top Business Climate’
Story Date: 11/2/2012
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Source: PRESS RELEASE, 11/2/12
Gov. Bev Perdue announced today that North Carolina ranked as the nation’s “Top Business Climate,” according to Site Selection magazine. It is the tenth time in the last 12 years the state has taken the top honor in the annual ranking by Site Selection, one of the nation’s premier economic development magazines.
“North Carolina is a great place to do business and a place where companies and their employees can thrive,” said Gov. Perdue. “We have a long history of making critical investments in education and customized training programs to build the workforce of tomorrow. We have a low cost of doing business, we encourage innovation. Sec. Crisco and I and our regional, county and city partners have been very aggressive on recruiting companies to North Carolina and growing North Carolina’s home grown small businesses.”
Over the past year, executives from some of the world’s most respected corporations that chose to locate or expand in North Carolina identified the state’s wealth of talented and skilled labor, the outstanding custom training programs, a solid transportation infrastructure, the low cost of doing business and a high quality of life as competitive advantages found in North Carolina.
“All states face economic and budgetary challenges these days, but this ranking reminds us that there are significant success stories, too,” says Site Selection Editor in Chief Mark Arend. “North Carolina’s first-place finish underscores its success across a wide spectrum of industries, from aerospace to life sciences to energy. We commend the governor and her economic development team for their focus on making and keeping their state business-friendly.”
Site Selection magazine’s annual “Top Business Climate” rankings are based on quantitative and qualitative factors that corporate site-seekers – those who help companies expand or relocate – say they consider most important. Fifty percent of the ranking comes from a survey of corporate site selection executives who ranked North Carolina No.2, and 50 percent of the ranking is based on five criteria – three that require states to demonstrate a strong record of attracting capital investment and the other two criteria are the Tax Foundation and KPMG’s Location Matters analysis of state tax burdens on mature firms and new firms.
The article about North Carolina’s No. 1 ranking can be found at: www.siteselection.com.
What corporate executives are saying about doing business in North Carolina:
“As a hub for prestigious universities and a well-established tech community, we are excited to find new local talent to join our company,” said Jesse Lipson, VP & GM, Data Sharing at Citrix. “We look forward to expanding the Citrix team in what has been recognized as one of the fastest growing U.S. cities.” Citrix, a market leading provider of cloud, collaboration, networking and virtualization technologies, announced it plans to create 337 jobs and invest $12.5 million in Raleigh.
Leviton’s Chief Financial Officer Mark Baydarian states: “Leviton started manufacturing in North Carolina in the 1960’s. Since that time we have found North Carolina to be an excellent environment to manufacture products. Our North Carolina employees are loyal, dedicated and productive workers. Additionally, we have found the state to be fair and supportive of manufacturing growth.” Leviton, a leading manufacturer of electrical wiring, lighting controls, power cables and other electrical products announced an expansion in Morganton that will create 152 jobs with a $7.3 million capital investment.
“UTC is extremely pleased to be expanding its footprint in North Carolina with the leadership team for its Aerospace Systems business,” said Alain M. Bellemare, president and chief operating officer of UTC Propulsion and Aerospace Systems. “With the continued growth of global air travel, Charlotte will serve as a strategic centerpoint for our operations as we position the company to meet this demand.” United Technologies, a global leader in the research, development and manufacture of high-technology products, announced it would locate a divisional headquarters in Charlotte creating 325 jobs with a capital investment of $4 million.
“After more than a decade of producing overseas in lower labor cost markets, we are bringing manufacturing home to the United States,” said Peter Johnstone, CEO of Gunboat. “Productivity and quality control are essential to our success. We spent months evaluating locations in various states along the eastern seaboard. North Carolina stood clear above the rest.” Gunboat, a maker of high-end sailboats, announced it would locate a new shipyard in Wanchese and create 71 new jobs with a capital investment of $1.8 million.
“After several years of searching we are incredibly excited to have landed in Asheville,” said Kim Jordan, CEO and co-founder of New Belgium. “From the deep sense of community to the rich natural environment and the opportunity to revitalize a brownfield site near a vibrant downtown, Asheville has everything we’ve been looking for in a location for our second brewery.” New Belgium Brewing, the third largest craft brewer in the country, will build its East Coast brewery in Asheville creating 154 jobs with an investment of $115 million.
“We appreciate the support we received from the Department of Commerce, Alamance County and the City of Burlington throughout this process,” said Stan Sheetz, president and CEO of Sheetz, Inc. “North Carolina’s winning mix of a strong labor force, financial assistance, and excellent location will enable us to better serve our customers and expand our offerings in North Carolina and Virginia.” Sheetz, a large chain of convenience stores and gas stations announced it will establish a distribution and food manufacturing facility in Burlington and plans to create 254 jobs and invest more than $32.8 million in the facility.
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