(The Center Square) – North Carolina officials will hold a series of public hearings starting next week to get input on “how to build a more prosperous North Carolina,” the state’s Commerce Department secretary said.
The state is working on a 2026 Strategic Economic Development Plan, a roadmap for continued economic growth using existing resources, Secretary Lee Lilley told The Center Square.
The plan will help North Carolina build on recent economic achievements, Lilley said. Among the large projects the state has landed this year are the $4.7 billion jet airplane factory in Greensboro and a $10 billion Amazon data center in Richmond County.
Smaller planned projects include an $80.5 million factory by a China-headquartered paper products manufacturer, Kingsun Eco-pack Co. in Graham County, which has a population of just 8,000.
North Carolina was named the top state in the country for business in a recent ranking by CNBC. It was third time in four years that the state has achieved that top ranking.
“There are other measures where we know we have room to grow,” Lilley said. “Moreover, you can’t rest on your laurels. It’s a very competitive economy within the United States and it’s a global economy. To remain competitive we want to make sure we have identified those places for growth and for need. In a world of limited resources, how do we best apply those to maximum benefit to our economy.”
An aging workforce is one issue, Lilley said. Displacement of workers due to technology such as artificial intelligence is another.
When recruiting new companies, many factors are important, including infrastructure such as water and power.
Perhaps the most important factor to prospects is the available workforce, Lilly said.
“Time and time again when a company wants to come to North Carolina or expand to North Carolina, they ask the question, ‘Where do I find talent?’” Lilly said.
The sessions begin Wednesday in Durham at 10 a.m. and continue Thursday at 3 p.m. in Kernersville.
After the Labor Day break, sessions are in Charlotte on Sept. 8 at 3 p.m.; in Pembroke on Sept. 12 at 10 a.m.; in Sylva on Sept. 18 at 3 p.m.; in Lenoir on Sept. 19 at 10 a.m.; in Edenton on Sept. 23 at 10 a.m.; and in Jacksonville on Sept. 24 at 10 a.m.
A virtual meeting at 10 a.m. on Sept. 30 wraps the tour.
