News from Piedmont Triad Partnership

Message from

The President:

The Piedmont Triad region is definitely on the right track (and highway and runway). This fall, we've received a pledge from the state to complete several highway projects around the Triad, as well as the inauguration of new dual-stack rail to Greensboro from the Port of Virginia at Norfolk.

Last month, I attended the National Business Aviation Association conference with several other regional representatives. We met with several businesses to promote the region and highlight the recent expansion of HondaJet. We took the opportunity to outline the PTP's focus on integrated education programs that will create a workforce ready for jobs in aviation.

All of this news enhances the Triad's reputation as a leading hub for logistics and distribution-an asset that increases the attractiveness of the region for a wide range of businesses. In our role as a leadership organization, the PTP will continue to promote projects that highlight and enhance this competitive advantage.

In many cases, relocation prospects tell us they want to be in North Carolina. We are lucky to live in a region with such a bounty of lifestyle and education choices; however, it takes regional concerted efforts, including the business leadership, education institutions, and economic development agencies to foster an encouraging business climate that will close the deal.

Growing Piedmont Triad

Companies

Follow us on these social media sites!

November 2011

Focus on the Future:
TriSTEM

An important way that PTP's leadership can influence the future of the Piedmont Triad
is by making sure that future generations are prepared for the new world economy. The National Science Foundation estimates that 80% of the jobs created in the next decade will require some form of skill in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Unfortunately, countries across Asia and Europe are outperforming U.S. graduates in STEM degrees. This deficit, as well as challenges filling STEM jobs right here in the Triad, led the PTP to sponsor TriSTEM.

TriSTEM, with leadership from Ed Kitchen of the Joseph M. Bryan Foundation and Doug Edgeton with Wake Forest Medical Center, is a non-profit organization whose mission is to collaborate among business leaders and educators to excite and engage our K-12 students about STEM subjects. TriSTEM will focus on educational partnerships that apply the unique resources of the Triad to develop a highly competitive, skilled, and motivated workforce.

Currently in its development phase, TriSTEM is surveying regional businesses and articulating goals that will combine private sector resources with educational curriculum. In one survey, local CEOs report that 87% believe having a supply of STEM-trained workers is critically important. We want our kids to excel in STEM subjects so they will enjoy higher-paying careers, and keep the region globally competitive as the economy evolves.

Ed and Doug recently published Op-Ed articles on TriSTEM which appeared in the Winston-Salem Journal and News & Record.

Piedmont Triad's Aviation Sector Ready for Take-Off

Two of our region's biggest aviation employers announced expansions in the past two months. On October 10^th, Honda Aircraft Co. announced expansion plans that will bring more than 400 new jobs. On November 7^th, TIMCO opened a new facility in Davidson County that will eventually employ 500.

The Business Journal quoted a Honda official, "Honda Aircraft's MRO facility, which will cost an estimated $20 million for construction alone, will be part of a network of service centers in the North America and Europe to offer service and repairs to HondaJet owners. The balance of the investment, roughly $60 million, includes site preparation, equipment and other items."

PTP president and CEO David Powell weighed in, "Honda's decision to expand its operations in Greensboro is significant not only for the hundreds of jobs produced, but because it is a strong testament of the region's reputation as a growing hub in the aviation industry. We expect to continue to build on our assets in aviation to move the regional economy forward."

In Walburg, Davidson County, TIMCO upfitted a facility formerly used by Tyco to create a modern 120,000-square-foot manufacturing facility for airplane seats. At the opening, Governor Beverly Perdue spoke on the importance of the aviation focus, "We must out-innovate and out-manufacture for our state to be competitive. The Triad region is a key player, it's got more than 1,800 jobs already in that [aviation] cluster right here in the Piedmont," she said.

The aviation industry is a critical business sector and a key focus of the region's economic development strategy. PTP sponsors collaboration among public and private organizations as well as the education community to ensure a bright future in aviation jobs for the region. The most recent moves by Honda and TIMCO support this shared vision of the future.

Quick Hits

In addition to the NBAA conference, the PTP has hosted or attended other events this past quarter:

In late August, we sponsored an international Nanotechnology conference in Greensbor- we also connected some national and internation media to the event to rasie awareness of our region's assets for nano and emerging technologies. Based on this event, two recent articles feature the region, and we expect more in the near future. Check our the links in nanotechweb.org and in Industry Week on the work at a local Yadkinville company, Nano TechLabs.
In October, PTP was at the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals conference in Philly to tout the logistics, manufacturing and supply chain advantages of our region, and also at the Speed News Business and Regional aviation conference to network with decision makers in the is aviation market. We will continue to communicate with contacts and prospects in these two important industry sectors.

The Port of Virginia at Norfolk recently announced the expansion of a new double-stack rail service that expands The Port of Virginia's reach into central North Carolina, "an important and growing Southeastern market." The rail project will be inaugurated in mid-October, port and railroad officials confirmed recently.

Jerry A. Bridges, the VPA's executive director was quoted, "Many North Carolina-based cargo owners have expressed a very genuine interest in this service because of the economics of bringing their cargo through our port and into this market by rail. This service diversifies and enhances our reach into what we see as an area with a lot of potential."

It's reported that the new rail capacity will serve Greensboro with a focus on the textile, furniture, retail, chemical and agriculture industries. The service is already supported by two ocean carriers that have committed to its use and it is generating interest from other carriers as well.