North Carolina Receives Site Selection's "Top Competitive State" Award | Eastern NC Now

    News Release:

Rankings highlight the importance of job creation programs like NC Competes

    Raleigh, N.C.     Governor Pat McCrory announced today that North Carolina jumped to first place among all states in Site Selection magazine's 2014 'Top Competitive States' Award. The ranking provides further proof that the state must continue to support job creation programs like NC Competes.

    "It's great to see North Carolina recognized for our outstanding business climate, but we know that we can't rest on our accomplishments," said Governor McCrory. "We need a long-term solution to promote job creation in order to maintain this ranking."

    The Competitiveness Award, one of the publication's economic development performance measurements, is awarded annually based on data tracked in Conway Data Inc.'s New Plant Database. According to the magazine's tracking system, North Carolina's 2014 project performance was strong.

    North Carolina ranked sixth in the total number of facility projects, fourth in total projects per capita. It's important to note that many of these projects were made possible in part by performance-based job creation programs included in the NC Competes package.

    Project performance is a major component of the award's scoring system, which is based on a 10-part index of investment criteria. States are awarded points according to their performance in each of these categories. North Carolina scored 409 points on the magazine's scale.

    In the rankings, North Carolina is followed by Louisiana (408.5 points), Texas (406), South Carolina (405.5) and Tennessee (404).

    "In today's competitive world, companies are looking for every business advantage they can find," said North Carolina Commerce Secretary John E. Skvarla, III. "That means every location seeking to attract companies must work even harder to create the conditions necessary for businesses to be successful."

    Conway Data's New Plant Database focuses on new corporate location projects with significant impact. New facilities and expansions included in the analysis must meet at least one of three criteria: involve a capital investment of at least $1 million, create at least 20 new jobs, or add at least 20,000 square feet of new floor area.

    The 2014 'Top Competitive States' rankings and scoring criteria can be seen at http://www.siteselection.com/issues/2015/may/top-competitive-states.


    Contact: Crystal Feldman
       govpress@nc.gov