North Carolina Is Business Facilities’ 2020 State Of The Year

North Carolina has been named Business Facilities’ 2020 State of the Year, earning the magazine’s top honor for the first time.

North Carolina has been named Business Facilities’ 2020 State of the Year, the first time NC has earned BF’s top honor, which has been bestowed annually by the magazine since 2007.

North Carolina 2020 State of the Year
(Image: Getty Images)

“North Carolina has been a rising star on our radar for several years,” BF Editor in Chief Jack Rogers said. “The successful execution of a regional economic development strategy targeting a diverse group of growth sectors in North Carolina is reflected in the proliferation of top-ten results for NC in our state rankings.”

In BF’s 2020 State Rankings Report, NC was ranked among the top 10 states in rankings categories including Best Business Climate, Workforce Development, Manufacturing Employment, Foreign Direct Investment, Biotechnology, Installed Solar Power, Unmanned Aerial Systems and Fastest-Growing States (Population).

“North Carolina is leveraging its advantages—including a prime logistics location, a steadily expanding skilled workforce and impressive higher education resources—to seal the deal on one big project after another,” Rogers said.

“The Tar Heel State has put down a marker that it’s ready to compete for a leadership position in the emerging growth sectors of the 21st century,” he added.

North Carolina’s largest recent projects (by capital investment) included Centene’s $1-billion regional headquarters in Charlotte, a project that will bring more than 3,200 new jobs to NC; aircraft engine maker Pratt & Whitney’s new $650-million manufacturing plant in Buncombe County; and pharma giant Merck’s $650-million vaccine-producing plant in Durham.

Business Facilities is a national publication that has been the leading location source for corporate site selectors and economic development professionals for more than 50 years.

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