A supersonic jet factory.
A Toyota vehicle battery plant.
New area business expansions announced just about every week now.
When it comes to central North Carolina – and the state as a whole for that matter – there’s a lot of economic development happening everywhere you turn.
One economic development program, Carolina Core, is seeking to help make more of that growth happen – especially within a large corridor in central North Carolina that boasts a large number of assets such as universities, megasites, major highway connections, aviation access and more.
On Tuesday, Sept. 13, the first-ever Carolina Core Real Estate Summit was held at the Wicker Civic and Conference Center in Sanford, North Carolina. The summit included a wide variety of people involved with development.
Carolina Core is looking for more ways to draw new business to North Carolina and to the “Core” region. The summit was, among other things, held to help get all the players on the same page. Over 650 people attended the event – including commercial and residential real estate professionals, business leaders, elected officials, economic developers and builders.
Guilford County is in the Core and the county stands to benefit in major ways if the Carolina Core branding is a success and it acquires the same type of allure as, say, Research Triangle Park.
Buses were chartered to take Guilford County attendees to the summit in Sanford. One bus left from Greensboro and one from High Point.
The summit came about after Loren Hill, the Carolina Core regional economic development director of the Piedmont Triad Partnership, spoke to the Governmental Affairs Committee of the Greensboro REALTORS back in January in order to provide the group an overview of the Carolina Core.
Not long after that, Greensboro Regional REALTORS Association CEO Mike Barr proposed the idea of a Carolina Core Real Estate Summit to Hill, who immediately liked the idea and said he’d completely support the effort.
Zan Monroe, who’s the association executive of the Longleaf Pine REALTORS, Inc., which serves Fayetteville and Sanford, got in on the conversations and things were off and running.
One event organizer called it an “unprecedented gathering,” because it was hosted by 13 statewide associations and organizations.
On LinkedIn, Jon Lowder of TREBIC posted: “The Realtors associations from the region that comprises the NC Carolina Core pulled together a strong event in Sanford yesterday. The overarching message was regional collaboration is key to economic development AND to developing the infrastructure to support it.”
Kelly Marks, a realtor in Greensboro, posted on social media: “Terrific program today in Sanford for presentation on the Carolina Core and the successes through Regionalism, cooperation, collaboration, and branding! Thank you to the panel including Mike Fox, Darrell Frye, Chris Chung, Penny Whiteheart, Robbie Perkins, and others. Loren Hill of the Piedmont Partnership has a great group that is doing a fantastic job. The economic wins approach 15 Billion in investments from Toyota, Wolfspeed, and Vinfast. A win for one is a win for all! Love the slogan and ‘More in the Core.’ Thank you to NC Realtors and the other Realtor Boards around the Region who participated to make this event a success, and a special thank you to Mike Barr and Zan Monroe for suggesting this type of economic event.”
From the podium during the event, the emcees – as well as on the back page of the agenda – informed attendees that Hill is the “ambassador” for the Carolina Core brand, and that those who have ideas or want to participate should contact Hill.
Market President of NAI Piedmont Triad and former mayor of Greensboro Robbie Perkins (pictured above) gave the closing remarks at the event that was considered highly successful by the participants.
I will attempt to contact the principals of this Summit and explain the corrupt governments in Guilford. A 30%+ increase in property taxes. Billions in Bonds approved by a majority of 15,000-odd voters, marching in lockstep to oblivion. An every declining number of City & County police, making the area more unsafe every day; and so forth.
Locating any business here is a hassle, to be agitated by numerous regulations, many other reasons to avoid this county. For example, see new mega size companies now locating in Randolph, Rockingham, and Chatham Counties.
All near GSO or RDU.
You are right, I am retired, and really I don’t have a lot to do.
You are point on in your complaints about the taxes and bonds. It seems like GC is cutting it’s nose off the spite it’s face. Big business needs people here to fill all these jobs they are investing in bringing here but the cost of living was our greatest strength. Maybe they have counted their chickens too many times before they hatched.
You are right. Don’t hatchet your counts before they chicken.
Let’s all get excited Especially since Boom will be a bust and now Amazon has canceled their plans for our liberal city. Nothing like counting your eggs before the chicken Eh Chris.
One company has a hiccup and Rebel wants to toss in the towel. Good thing we have better leadership on hand than Rebel.
But as always, i love you are thinking of me!
Boom and Amazon are both more than a hiccup. If you take time to read anything about Booms plans there is no real traveler market for what they are proposing and Amazon was expanding too fast based on the Covid pandemic. As far as the battery plant it’s not even in Guilford County so no tax revenue the jobs we get may over a long time pay for the water and sewer line Installion. On the other hand the damage done by clearing the 1600 acres of all the green space and adding asphalt and building which are giant heat sinks that add to global warming not to mention the removal of the trees takes away the earth’s ability to get rid of gases that clog our atmosphere. It takes a large amount of water and energy to produce the batteries
Energy consumption equals fossil fuels and more greenhouse gases. Then you have all the waste water just a few miles from Lake Jordan a number 1 water shed. I’ll stop for now don’t want to be over stimulating for your liberal pea sized brain
Dude we have three amazons and Toyota specifically wanted Greensboro to be apart of the site that’s why it’s the GSO-Randolph battery plant. The GA wouldn’t allocate the money to Guilford county( because they’re racists) so they put it as close. We in Greensboro don’t care about city growth we want to push our way to the county line that boarders us hence distribution centers in all corners or major projects you think we want this stuff in gso. But we don’t have anyplace to put it. That wouldn’t compromise housing. We playing the long game but you can’t believe your being outsmarted by skip alston and the black people in gso.
I don’t think skip and the county commissioners had any part in the battery plant. Skips not that smart Karma will take care of him one day As far as black people in Greensboro I wish them no ill will
But….
Come on Big City… If you wish to talk about Skip then fine. However, why bring race into the equation? They are probably more whites that back Skip than blacks or close to it. Leave the masses out and talk about the individuals. All Blacks are not liberals or Skip supporters. I hope you fill me.