The Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina is pleased to announce the release of our 2017 Annual Report. Titled “Making Connections,” this year’s report is dedicated to EDPNC’s network of investors, partners, and community members across the state.
Economic development is a team sport—yes, it’s true that one of the biggest clichés in economic development also happens to be our secret sauce.
Flip through the 75-page report and you’ll find story after story depicting close collaboration and coordination between EDPNC, our local and state partners, business executives, and leaders across industry, government, and academia.
For EDPNC, 2017 represented a landmark year in each of our focus areas: recruiting new businesses to North Carolina; supporting the growth of existing NC businesses; helping manufacturers sell into international markets; helping budding entrepreneurs make their business dreams a reality; and making sure the world knows North Carolina as a great place to visit, live, work, and play.
As we reflect on the last year, here are some wins we’re thankful to have played a part in:
- Bringing nearly 20,000 new jobs in the state in 2017—representing a hefty 34 percent increase over 2016 and the highest number of jobs the EDPNC has helped recruit to the state in a single year.
- North Carolina’s rise to Forbes’ #1 State for Business and securing top rankings by CNBC, Area Development, Chief Executive Magazine, Site Selection Magazine, and many others.
- A robust export economy—according to EDPNC’s latest International Trade Report, North Carolina is #1 in the Southeast and #7 in the U.S. for the number of jobs supported by businesses exporting their products. Psst–keep an eye out for this year’s International Trade report to be released in the coming months.
- North Carolina’s emergence as one of the top states for startup activity in the Southeast, and one of the fastest growing states for women-owned businesses.
- Supporting the growth of rural communities through business recruitment and expansion: in 2017, we celebrated 93 project wins in Tier 1 and 2 counties, bringing 7,754 new jobs and $2.9 billion in new investment. This includes Egger Wood Products selection of Davidson County, and Triangle Tyre’s selection of Edgecombe County—the latter of which represents the largest manufacturing investment in rural North Carolina to date.
- Record levels of visitor spending in North Carolina, supporting more than 200,000 travel and tourism industry jobs across the state.
We recognize that when one North Carolina community wins, the entire state benefits. Our organization works tirelessly to bring economic opportunities to all of North Carolina, and we look forward to continuing to partner with you in 2018 and beyond.