North Carolina 2014 Economic Development Guide

2014

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HIGHWOODS PROPERTIES INC. RODGERS BUILDERS INC. / JEFF CLARE MetLife's U.S. retail business in Ballantyne Corporate Park in Charlotte, left, and its Global Technology and Operations division in Cary will split the 2,600 jobs it's moving to the state. A year after Credit Suisse's arrival, Boston-based Fidelity Investments Inc. opened a $100 million regional operations hub at RTP About 3,000 people work there . now. Soon after, Frankfurt, Germany-based Deutsche Bank AG set up a software-development and services center in Cary through its DB Global Technology unit. The company continues to grow, announcing in June 2013 a $13.5 million expansion that will add 431 positions to the 250 it already employs. As it is for Credit Suisse, the workforce in North Carolina is important to Chiquita. "We needed a place that had good talent and could also attract good talent," Holland says. A large number of unemployed but experienced financial-services workers were added to Charlotte's talent pool after the banking meltdown of 2008. More than half of the 320 workers at Chiquita's headquarters were waiting in Charlotte. "We've hired people out of the financial industry but also other industries here." These new employees manage communications, human resources and technology. Just as Captain was eager to support the Triangle's business-development efforts, so were Charlotte executives. "We have a lot of companies interested in making the Charlotte USA pie grow bigger," Swenson says. That doesn't mean executives sweep problems under the rug. "Our hope is that the company wouldn't sugarcoat the experiences that they've had. Where there's a challenge, that should be put on the table." Chiquita's Holland told MetLife representatives that "everything has been pretty spot on." The biggest surprise was higher-than-expected housing costs. In mid-2013, the median home price in the Cincinnati-Middletown metropolitan statistical area was $143,800, according to the National Association of Realtors. That MEETING INDUSTRY DEMAND FOR 50 YEARS Through nationally recognized credentials, high-quality training and convenient course schedules, North Carolina's community colleges are leaders in educating and training the state's workforce. www.nccommunitycolleges.edu

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