Issue link: http://businessnc.epubxp.com/i/611454
46 North Carolina Economic Development Guide such as Glenwood South and Midtown, are thick with restaurants, high-rise condos and retail shops. "I love the way downtown Raleigh has changed in the last few years with all the options for dining," says Gharsallah, who rents an apartment in a seven-story downtown building. She frequents Lucettegrace, a Salisbury Street patisserie whose croissants are in the same league as those she remembers in France. "I also enjoy long walks downtown in the evening. I feel quite safe in downtown Raleigh." Landy enjoys the region's outdoor recreation. In 2014, Men's Health magazine ranked Raleigh No. 16 on its list of fi ttest American cities. "Every year I run a half marathon," he says. Not long after completing Raleigh's 2015 Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon, he began training for the Bull City Race in Durham scheduled for later that year. The Triangle has yet to make the technology industry's A-list, because it hasn't hosted the software and social media IPOs that fuel growth in Boston, Seattle and Silicon Valley. Holliday believes politics has something to do with it. "Those places lean to the left. There's a big cultural undercurrent playing out with tech right now." Still, the Research Triangle maintains a reputation as a progressive Southern destination. And its four- season climate, for example, is a welcome change for many. "It can get cold as hell here," says North Carolina native Holliday, referring to New York, where he launched his career. "And you have to schlep everywhere. When you go to Raleigh, there are parking places everywhere. The weather is nice, and people smile and say 'thank you.'" Hayes and his colleagues are looking to the Research Triangle's future. A big part of it will include the developing clean-tech industry, whose inventions make the best use of limited resources such as power and water. Research Triangle Cleantech Cluster, a Research Triangle Partnership initiative started in 2012, published a 2013 study that found almost 170 clean-tech companies in the region, including Germany-based Siemens AG's power-distribution and transmission subsidiary. There's more on the horizon. "Some of our largest IT names are busy harnessing the sea of data now being gathered by smartphones, mobile computers, vehicles and machines," Hayes says. IBM and Cisco have embarked on strategies for "The Internet of Things," creating expertise to build better products and services through a real-time understanding of their performance. Cisco estimates it will be a $19 trillion global business opportunity over the coming decade, and IBM is creating a $3 billion division to focus on it. "The presence of both companies in our region means we can expect to be a global player in this rapidly unfolding new world," he says. "That's exciting." Visit WSbusinessinc.com or call 336-723-8955 to learn more about WSBI, including a featured site where your business can grow. HEALTHCARE AND LIFE SCIENCES 20,000 1.1 + 26 million square feet of world-class facilities academic departments and entities WAKE FOREST INNOVATION QUARTER * 23.5% JOB GROWTH IN NC SINCE 2001 IS THE BEST OF THE 10 LARGEST BIOSCIENCE STATES *based on a January 2013 report by the Battle Technology Partnership Practice. W I N S T O N - S A L E M • F O R S Y T H C O U N T Y Winston-Salem and Forsyth County have a Healthcare and Life Science workforce of over ACRE RESEARCH PARK LOCATED IN DOWNTOWN WINSTON-SALEM 240