Mike Fox, President & CEO, Piedmont Triad Partnership

Invest: sat down with Mike Fox, president and CEO of the Piedmont Triad Partnership, to discuss regional collaboration, advanced manufacturing, infrastructure, workforce development, and the Carolina Core’s growth. “Everyone is discovering the secret that we have known for a while. This is a great place to live, work, and play,” Fox said.

What role does the Piedmont Triad Partnership play in the region?

We are a nonprofit and the regional voice for business in central North Carolina, an area we have branded the Carolina Core. It includes everything between Charlotte and Raleigh, essentially. Our board and investors include many of the area’s significant business leaders, along with presidents of large national companies operating here.

We focus on communicating the region’s economic development opportunities and providing a unifying voice on workforce and infrastructure improvements. We work with local chambers of commerce, elected officials, and state leaders on projects considering the Carolina Core.

The region has had several major wins. They began a few years ago with the Toyota battery plant announcement and continued with large employers such as Siemens Manufacturing and Amtrak railcar production in Lexington. Most recently, JetZero announced its project at Piedmont Triad International Airport, representing the largest job announcement in state history.

What is behind the Carolina Core’s competitive momentum?

Manufacturing has historically supported this region, although about 40 years ago it was also a North Carolina banking center with Wachovia, North Carolina National Bank, and other institutions. Large banks still have significant operations here, even though many headquarters moved to Charlotte.

Our traditional industries were textiles, tobacco, and furniture. In the late 1990s, employment in all three declined significantly as jobs moved overseas to places with lower labor costs and less stringent environmental regulations and worker protections. The region recognized that it had to reinvent itself and decided to do so collectively.

When a CEO evaluates a location, city boundaries and county lines are not the deciding factors. The company needs a strong site, the right workforce, and infrastructure such as roads, rail, bridges, electricity, water, and sewer. That led us to view a win for one community as a win for the entire region.

The Toyota battery site is a good example. It was assembled in Randolph County, about 20 miles south of Greensboro and roughly 15 miles east of High Point. Everyone agreed it was the right place for large-scale manufacturing. Greensboro extended water and sewer approximately 20 miles into another county, even though the project’s property tax base would not necessarily go to Greensboro. The broader benefits include office space leased by Toyota in Greensboro and employment opportunities for residents across the region. Some people may commute one or two hours for those jobs.

That is why we do not evaluate a project only by the jurisdiction receiving the tax base. A major employer creates opportunities for workers, suppliers, offices, and service providers throughout the Carolina Core. Residents of Greensboro, High Point, Randolph County, and communities farther away can all participate. The project’s physical address is only one part of its regional impact.

The commitment of elected officials, economic development professionals, colleges, and universities has been instrumental. Working together allows us to prepare sites, infrastructure, and workers, and to say yes when a company wants to locate here.

How are infrastructure and workforce systems keeping pace?

We have a strong public-private partnership. Local communities and the state continue investing in basic infrastructure. Five interstates cross the area, major rail lines serve it, and Piedmont Triad International Airport is a major asset. Local governments are also addressing water, sewer, and housing so employees can find adequate and affordable places to live.

Our educational institutions are committed to preparing the workers employers need. Community colleges cooperate across the region, and we have strong public and private institutions. Those include the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, North Carolina A&T, Wake Forest University, High Point University, and Elon University.

Private developers are continuously identifying the next site. There has been recent activity around multiple properties of 1,000 acres or more in Davidson County along I-85. Local and state governments have supported the infrastructure those sites need. Duke Energy and Piedmont Natural Gas are also important partners in ensuring sufficient energy capacity.

Site readiness requires all of those pieces to arrive together. A company may like a location, but it still needs roads, rail, utilities, power, housing, and workers. Public agencies prepare the basic systems, private developers assemble and improve sites, utilities provide capacity, and educational institutions align training with employer needs. That coordination allows the region to respond quickly rather than beginning from scratch when a project appears.

How do communities of different sizes share in the growth?

The region’s variety is a significant advantage. People can choose vibrant urban downtowns, in-town neighborhoods, suburbs, or smaller communities. Within a 15- to 40-minute drive, someone can live on 40 acres and keep a horse while maintaining access to jobs near the cities and interstates.

Quality of life is another advantage. We have hiking and biking trails, rivers for kayaking and canoeing, Hanging Rock State Park, the North Carolina Zoo, children’s museums, and performing arts centers. The Greensboro Coliseum hosts major events. Winston-Salem has a professional tennis tournament, and Sedgefield hosts a professional golf tournament that has been known as the Wyndham Golf Tournament. It will transition to Raymond James in 2028 and remain one of the major PGA tournaments, attracting top golfers.

Advanced manufacturing and aviation employers also create strong jobs throughout the region. People can live in smaller towns while working at facilities closer to urban centers. Good roads and regional connectivity allow the benefits of major projects to extend beyond the jurisdiction where the facility is physically located.

Which established companies demonstrate the region’s transformation?

Volvo Trucks is a remarkable example. Its North American headquarters is here; it employs roughly 4,000 people, and approximately 1,800 of them are engineers. The company conducts its research and design in the Carolina Core.

Kontoor is also headquartered here. It owns the Wrangler brand and recently acquired Norway’s Helly Hansen. Old Dominion Trucking, one of the country’s largest trucking and logistics companies, has a major presence, and John Deere operates a large facility in the region.

These companies reflect our transition from textiles, tobacco, and furniture to advanced manufacturing. That transition requires a different skill set, and our community colleges, secondary schools, and higher education institutions have adapted to make sure employers can find qualified workers.

The change is not simply from one list of industries to another. Facilities such as Volvo’s headquarters and research operations require engineers and other highly trained employees, while new aviation and advanced manufacturing projects create additional technical roles. The region’s education system has had to evolve alongside employers so the workforce can support production, research, design, and the next generation of industrial investment.

What are the partnership’s priorities over the next two to three years?

We need to continue the momentum that we have. Despite the major announcements, the Carolina Core remains open for business. We have excellent sites and remain committed to recruiting additional companies, along with suppliers that want to locate near recently announced employers.

Workforce development is another priority because the availability of employees is always among a company’s Top 3 location questions. We must be able to tell employers that the people they need will be here. We also have to keep infrastructure aligned with the growth and success we have experienced.

Everyone is discovering the secret that we have known for a while. This is a great place to live, work, and play, and our job is to make sure the region is prepared for the next round of opportunity.