Topics Related to Business

Southern Business & Development, a leading publication covering and promoting economic development in the American South, announced that North Carolina has been named the “2012 State of the Year.”  North Carolina is being honored as State of the Year based on its performance in 2011.  North Carolina also received this accolade in 2005 and 2006.
-- The N.C. Department of Commerce announced today that five new communities have been chosen to participate in the Office of Urban Development’s 2012 Small Town Main Street program. Cherryville, Elizabethtown, Richlands, Saluda and Spencer were selected through a competitive application process that included ten communities from across the state. Designation of these five new towns brings the total number of the state’s Small Town Main Street communities to 44.
The North Carolina Utilities Commission announced today its approval of the proposed merger between Duke Energy Corporation and Progress Energy, Inc. The combined company will serve approximately 3 million customers in North Carolina.
Gov. Bev Perdue today announced North Carolina jumped to 4th place in the 2011 Governor’s Cup Site Selection magazine.  Last year, North Carolina finished 6th.  The Governor’s Cup is awarded annually based on the number of new and expanded corporate facilities as tracked by Conway Data Inc.’s New Plant Database.  North Carolina was ranked the number one state in the South Atlantic Region.
Gov. Bev Perdue today joined executives from LF USA to announce that the multinational consumer goods export and logistics group has opened an office in Greensboro. LF USA is a subsidiary of Hong Kong-headquartered Li & Fung Limited.
 
With a total of 30,000 square feet, the LF USA office will house key functions including accounting and finance, treasury management, transaction services, logistics and customs compliance. The office is located at 4620 Grandover Parkway.
Gov. Bev Perdue today announced that Unilever, one of the world’s largest consumer products companies, will expand its manufacturing facility in Hoke County with the creation of 65 jobs and an investment of $35 million during the next three years in Raeford.  The project was made possible in part by a $195,000 grant from the One North Carolina Fund.
RALEIGH  --  Gov. Bev Perdue today announced that Apple has selected North Carolina as the location for a new data center.  The company is expected to invest more than $1 billion in the project over nine years.
“North Carolina continues to be a prime location for growing and expanding global technology companies,” said Perdue.  “We welcome Apple to North Carolina and look forward to working with the company as it begins providing a significant economic boost to local communities and the state.”
Gov. Bev. Perdue and the North Carolina Military Business Center (NCMBC) today announced that Department of Defense spending in North Carolina grew by 22 percent and exceeded $3.6 billion in federal fiscal year 2008 – an increase of $657 million from 2007 data.
Gov. Bev Perdue today announced that Teupen, a global leader in the design and manufacture of track-mounted aerial work platforms, will open its U.S. headquarters, services and spare parts operations in Mecklenburg County.  The company has leased a 10,000-square-foot industrial building in Charlotte and is creating 10 jobs immediately, while planning to expand further in the next two years.   
Gov. Bev Perdue today announced that Biotage LLC, a Swedish company that develops and manufactures instruments and consumables for pharmaceutical research, will relocate its United States headquarters to Charlotte.  The company plans to invest in facility upgrades and create 21 new jobs in Mecklenburg County.
“North Carolina is known globally as a strategic location for tapping into the North American market,” Perdue said.  “Our top-rated business climate and highly skilled workforce continue to attract global companies looking to invest and expand.”