Issue link: http://businessnc.epubxp.com/i/756318
15 N O R T H C A R O L I N A E C O N O M I C D E V E L O P M E N T G U I D E HOW DOES THE PARTNERSHIP HELP MANUFACTURERS? A key function of the EDPNC is export assistance. Some companies have products that are selling very well here in North Carolina or in the United States, and they may be looking to expand into Canada or Mexico, oftentimes further afi eld. Our goal is to help these companies fi gure out whether, where and how they can enter new markets overseas. These are small or midsized companies that don't have a global sales team or global distribution network — smaller fi rms that are selling a pallet-load today but want to expand that to a container-full down the road. If those companies are successful selling more of their goods overseas, that money is by and large going to fl ow back to the companies here, and it's money they can invest in further expanding their operations. M I L L E N N I A L S R E C E N T L Y S U R PA S S E D B A B Y B OO M E R S A S A M E R I C A ' S L A R G E S T G E N E R AT I O N . H O W I S N O R T H C A R O L I N A P O S I T I O N I N G I T S E L F A S A P L A C E YO U N G E R G E N E R AT I O N S WA N T TO W O R K A N D L I V E ? A lot of places are trying to fi gure out how to attract their fair share of this population, because there's some credence to the idea that employers will follow the workforce rather than the workforce following the employers. I think the eff ort to build a place that's attractive to this generation tends to be led more by people in metro areas or at the county level. Charlotte's had a lot of great success building out the LYNX light rail line, and the new extension from downtown up to UNC Charlotte's campus (expected to open in fall 2017) is a great example of that. North Carolina is very fortunate to have both beaches and mountains, which are in close proximity to our metro areas. That alone is enough to compel people to put North Carolina on the list of places they'd like to move.