At a recent regional meeting, Pat Riley, the president of Allen Tate Company, told us about his last official duty as the outgoing chairman of the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce. He attended an international conference of business leaders held in Raleigh. The discussion centered on identifying the centers of business and industry in the future. The group identified 10 "Mega-Regions" worldwide with the assets and infrastructure to be these dominant centers. The good news is that we live in one of the 10 regions, specifically the I-77, I-40, I-85 corridor that stretches from Charlotte to Raleigh.
Think for a minute about why this is undoubtedly true. In this region we have major banks, Fortune 500 headquarters, manufacturing, international airports, biotech, drug companies, major research hospitals, and a reasonable business climate. We also can boast great universities in Duke, Wake Forest, UNC-Chapel Hill, NC State, Davidson and the emerging UNCC. Whether it is research, medical schools, engineering, or whatever discipline, there are top-notch professors and facilities. North Carolina also supports one of the most robust community college systems in the country to effectively train the workers for our industries. We also benefit from a temperate climate and our location in the center of the east coast.
So as we face down the negativity and difficulties of today, I challenge you also to focus on the positives as well. We are very blessed to live where jobs will come back sooner, people and companies want to locate, and the world will be looking for goods, services and ideas for many years to come. Welcome to the Mega-Region.
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