North Carolina’s Eastern Region encompasses nearly 7,000 square miles (18,129 sq. kilometers), stretching from the Atlantic Ocean’s Crystal Coast to the outer suburbs of Raleigh.
The region’s population now exceeds 900,000, and it possesses a workforce of more than 400,000. Numerous factors make the 13-county region an excellent location for manufacturers,
distributors and other business operations, including:
- A progressive business climate that fosters the growth and success of businesses;
- A highly productive workforce with a broad range of skills;
- The third largest university in the University of North Carolina system;
- Affordable labor, real estate, utility and living costs;
- A large supply of quality industrial buildings and commercial sites;
- Utility capacities to handle most manufacturing and service operations;
- A central location for superior access to eastern U.S. markets; and
- Sixty-five miles (104.6 kilometers) of white-sand beaches.
The economy of the Eastern Region is undergoing transformation from its traditional base of tobacco and textiles to more knowledge-intensive and technology-rich pursuits. Target
industry-clusters now include advanced manufacturing, marine trades, life sciences, value-added agricultural enterprises, aerospace/defense and tourism. The region’s roster of
prominent corporate names includes BSH Home Appliances, Consolidated Diesel, Moen, Hatteras Yachts, Grady White Boats, Becton Dickinson, DSM Pharmaceuticals, Merck & Co.,
Hospira, Butterball, LLC, Cheesecake Factory, Sarah Lee Bakery Group, Smithfield Foods, Sanderson Farms, Honeywell International, General Electric, Kidde Aerospace and Spirit
AeroSystems.
A large number of civilian and uniform military personnel also work in the region, which is home to the U.S. Marine Corps Base at Camp Lejeune, the U.S. Navy’s Fleet Readiness
Center East and Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. In order to smooth the impact of the significant growth now underway at these installations, regional leaders in 2007 formed a
Military Growth Task Force, which operates as a sub-committee of North Carolina’s Eastern Region. The Task Force unites municipal, county, state and federal officials in forming
and implementing plans to accommodate the addition of an estimated 55,000 military personnel and dependents during the coming five years.
The region’s dedication to workforce innovation supports the vitality of all clusters. Pursuant to a three-year Career Readiness initiative, North Carolina’s Eastern Region is
awarding its second phase of grants for WorkKey®-based Certification and Profiling. The initiative is designed to spur horizontal and vertical integration of worker readiness
programs and services, and arm the region’s large, diligent workforce with the skills and aptitudes demanded by arriving and existing employers.
Founded in 1993, North Carolina’s Eastern Region is a state-supported commission that has earned designation as an Accredited Economic Development Organization (AEDO), the second
of North Carolina’s seven regional development organizations to do so. The organization complements its confidential site selection and business location services with an aggressive
agenda of regional strategic planning, infrastructure development, advocacy and capacity building. Other programs recently launched in the region include:
- Global Innovation Network (GIN) – An international collaborative partnership uniting emerging life sciences regions, GIN was organized by North
Carolina’s Eastern Region. In working together and sharing resources, member regions boost their collective competitive posture. Founding GIN members also include the Jagiellonian
University Center of Innovation in Krakow, Poland, and the Bioaratec Region of Zaragossa, Spain.
- Green Business Certification – North Carolina’s Eastern Region’s Environmental Advisory Council has partnered with chambers of commerce and environmental
groups throughout the region to launch a Green Certification Program for business and industry. The designation acknowledges a business enterprise’s environmentally responsible
policies and practices.
- Inception Micro Angel Fund-East – Working with private investors and the Small Business & Technology Development Center (SBTDC), the Eastern
Region has created an early-stage, patent-capital venture fund designed to stimulate entrepreneurial development.
The region’s long list of accolades includes recent recognition of Greenville, Goldsboro, Jacksonville and Rocky Mount in the Forbes list of Top Ten Small Metros.
North Carolina’s Eastern Region promotes economic development through low-interest loans, a family of grant programs, global marketing, business recruitment, support for Certified
Industrial Sites, research, public relations, training and product development initiatives. In 2008, the organization launched the nation’s first GIS-based regional tourism website,
which was developed in partnership with tourism development authorities (TDAs) and convention and visitors bureaus (CVBs).
North Carolina’s Eastern Region
3802 Highway 58 N.
Kinston, NC 28504
Phone: 800-474-8499
Fax: 252-523-9017
www.nceast.org
