Carolina On My Mind

East coast location, world-class research and education facilities, and quality of life have long attracted business to North Carolina.

NCFIL brings together the latest in food processing equipment, expert food scientists, and partners from across the state to help food companies and entrepreneurs get their products to market quickly and effectively. Managed by NC State University and located in the NC Research Campus, NCFIL offers services for every stage of product development, including product research and development, pilot plant production, training and workshops, and food industry consulting.

Rowan County is also home to the Piedmont Research station, one of 18 across North Carolina where scientists and students test research in real-world scenarios under natural conditions.

“We are proud of the continued growth of our county’s agbiosciences sector, and the potential it holds to provide a stronger economy for our area,” said Rod Crider, Rowan Economic Development Council President. “We have a strong agricultural heritage and new resources in place to help us build a brighter future. Our strategic location, growing labor pool, and logistical advantages make it easy to see why more companies are choosing to locate in Rowan County.”

Situated in the heart of the eastern U.S., Rowan County is one of the largest and fastest-growing consumer markets in the nation. Its abundance of transportation options provides superior logistics as well as supply chain flexibility.

Highway access is the greatest transportation asset with same-day access to all Eastern U.S. markets via three interstates—I-85, I-77, and I-40. Rowan County is just 45 minutes from two major international airports and home to the general aviation Mid-Carolina Regional Airport.

An intermodal facility is in nearby Charlotte and other shipping and rail options are easily accessible.While water resources are slowly dwindling across the globe, they remain plentiful in Rowan County. With a surplus of 8.7 million gallons per day (GPD), the Yadkin River generates an average daily flow of two billion GPD and has a maximum capacity of 18 million GPD.

Rowan County has access to a 1.5 million person labor force—one of the largest pools of potential workers in the Southeast. It’s large because Rowan County is situated between North Carolina’s Charlotte region and the Piedmont Triad region—two of the fastest growing population centers in the U.S. This continuing influx of talented professionals to the region provides businesses and companies access to a robust pool of highly skilled and educated workforce.

For companies that are looking to relocate in the Charlotte metro area, Rowan County offers several business cost advantages including low-cost electricity, lower construction costs, competitive labor costs, and an affordable cost of living.

Raleigh And Wake County: Sweet Spot Of The East

The East Coast comes with a certain level of credibility. Big cities offer impressive job prospects and culture, but they also come with a degree of uncertainty. In between the questions, there is a sweet spot. Enter Raleigh and Wake County, NC, anchors of the Research Triangle region. Together, Greater Raleigh’s 12 municipalities offer all the perks of a big city, but with the livability to enjoy it.

North Carolina
Greater Raleigh’s 12 municipalities offer perks of a big city with the livability of smaller scale communities. (Photo: Adobe Stock / Kevin Ruck)

The job market in the Triangle has exploded during the past five years—and it’s not slowing down anytime soon. In 2020, Glassdoor named the Raleigh metro area the No.1 Best City for Jobs. In 2022, GoBankingRates named Raleigh the Best City for Young Professionals, and Bankrate ranked Raleigh as the Best Place to Live in the U.S. Impressively, the Triangle saw 17% job growth in the last five years.

The Triangle is the second-fastest growing tech hub in the U.S. There are 4,000 tech companies employing more than 60,000 in software development, information security, and everything in between. The region was even named the No.10 Top Tech Talent Market in North America in 2020 in a CBRE report, and in 2022, JLL named the region as a Global Top 25 for Innovation & Talent Concentration. As the 5th largest life sciences hub in the country, more than 600 life science companies have operations in the Triangle, employing 42,000+ people with an average annual salary of $140,000.

Research Triangle Park, also known as RTP, is the largest research park in the U.S. It’s located at the center of three Tier-1 research universities: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University, and Duke University. The 7,000-acre research park is home to more than 300 companies including tech powerhouses Apple, IBM, Cisco, and more. Companies at RTP conduct more than $6 billion worth of research ranging from life sciences to advanced manufacturing.