Greater Raleigh Chamber Blog

We frequently hear about the growth we are experiencing in Wake County. Our county is growing by 64 people a day. But did you know that, of those 64 people, 11 are coming from foreign countries?

The impact of foreign direct investment on the Triangle cannot be understated. In just the last two years, foreign-owned firms created 4,167 new jobs and $393 million of investment in the Research Triangle. Those numbers increase to 17,000 new jobs and $5 billion of investment when you look at the last decade.

Knowing this, foreign direct investment is one of our key focuses. For the second year, we hosted The State of Foreign Direct Investment to learn how global connectivity encourages economic growth and makes us more competitive.

“Mid-sized firms that trade tend to be more competitive,” said Marek Gootman, a fellow and director of strategic partnerships and global initiatives at the Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program.

Gootman was the keynote speaker of our event. He discussed the importance of regions in FDI.

“Regions have a central role in going global,” said Gootman. “Metros must integrate trade and FDI into mainstream economic development.”

Gootman moderated a panel discussion focusing on the future of FDI, including how local companies are positioning themselves globally to compete and grow on a global scale.

“We’ve been here for more than 20 years,” said Ron Kehler, vice president of global professional and specialty solutions with BASF. “Landing here was primarily related to research and development and the connections to the research universities here. The biotech area is very attractive here.”

Charles Vaillant, chief technology officer with MANN+HUMMEL, talked about the importance of collaboration in our area.

“The level of collaboration that is happening here today has not happened before,” he said.

Bob Messier, senior vice president of marketing and customer engagement with SAS Institute, discussed talent recruitment.

“Wherever people are coming from when they come here, they still need to feel connected to their culture,” he said.

Wake County Economic Development Executive Director Michael Haley closed the discussion with some key takeaways, including how any market has to take advantage of the assets it has.

“The international marketplace is here to stay for this region,” he said.

We want to thank all of our speakers for sharing their knowledge and perspectives with us. To learn more about the discussion from the event, please check out our official Twitter hashtag, #FDIForum19.

We also want to thank our platinum sponsor, Bank of America, and our silver sponsor, Triangle Business Journal, for their support to make this event possible.
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Please also join us on Aug. 9 at the Raleigh Convention Center for our Diversity, Equity & Inclusivity Conference 2019. Last year, this conference trended nationally on Twitter and we want to build on the momentum and conversation. You will learn tangible ways to advance DEI solutions in the workforce, workplace, and marketplace.

We’ve all likely done these drives at some point. Raleigh to D.C. Raleigh to Charlotte. For each, we know we’ll spend hours in the car.

Now imagine being able to get to D.C. in less than 30 minutes. Charlotte too.

That’s if a mid-Atlantic or southeast regional hyperloop would become a reality.

“When hours become minutes, it changes everything,” said Ryan Kelly, head of marketing and communications with Virgin Hyperloop One. “It impacts where you can live, where you can work.”

Hyperloop would transport people in a cargo pod through an electromagnetic propulsion system at speeds over 600 MPH for longer corridors. Within the Triangle, the pods could achieve speeds over 300 MPH between Raleigh and Durham.

Kelly spoke to the regional business community about the potential for hyperloop at the annual RTA Transportation Breakfast.

“The pod itself propels and then levitates off of a track,” he said. “We control the weather inside the tube so there is no turbulence.”

Kelly said the technology should not feel like science fiction.

“We are way behind on this,” he said. “No one in this room is going to say that investing in the train or the plane was a terrible idea.”

Kelly said it also would be a technology for everyone.

“We want this to be a mass transportation solution, so we want it to be priced appropriately,” he said.
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Joe Milazzo II, executive director of the Regional Transportation Alliance, discussed Hyperloop in his Thursday Thoughts at 3 blog:

“Hyperloop … would be transformational,” he wrote. “The ability to consistently get from Raleigh to another southeastern or mid-Atlantic region in under 30 minutes will completely change the way we think about metropolitan areas and, to some extent, the economic benefits of agglomeration.”

We want to thank Kelly and all of our speakers for sharing their insights on an exciting, new technology and its prospects for our region. The conversation generated a tremendous amount of interest and news coverage, including The News & Observer, Triangle Business Journal, WRAL, and WRAL TechWire. Nationally, TechCrunch, Cheddar, Gizmodo, Engadget, and TechSpot covered the conversation.

Our official event hashtag on Twitter, #RTABFAST19, was the top trending topic that morning in Raleigh and Greensboro and was the second most trending topic in Charlotte.

Please also mark your calendars for Jan. 17 and The State of Mobility 2020 – RTA 18th Annual Meeting. Hundreds of state and regional leaders will gather to hear the business community’s perspectives on transportation trends and progress in the Triangle. That event will be from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. at the Embassy Suites Raleigh-Durham/Research Triangle. We look forward to seeing you there!

By Spencer Lazzari
​VP of Operations
Proforma BrandCentric Solutions

The Young Professionals Network is an opportunity to meet people from all different kinds of industries. Recently, we’ve heard from several team members of CALYX Engineers and Consultants about their impressions of YPN events. We were delighted to hear what YPN has meant to them. Check it out below.

“YPN has offered a new and diverse avenue to meet and network with business professionals that are typically not in the network for engineers. The wide variety of programing and speakers at YPN events is also a refreshing change to the normal engineering seminars and conferences. Seeing and hearing lessons learned from some of Raleigh’s best business successes has allowed me to view my own engineering career and development in a new light.” – Chris Johnson, PE, Building Structures Project Manager 

“I’ve enjoyed the three YPN events I have attended thus far. My daily routine keeps me hunkered down in my cubicle while I’m busy designing. As I grow professionally, I find myself engaging in more interaction with others. The YPN events are giving me some great no-pressure opportunities to practice my networking skills. I felt a little uncomfortable approaching people at the first event because it was a different environment than I have grown accustomed to. By my third event, I felt completely at ease walking up to random people and introducing myself. I realized I had a lot more in common with the other professionals than I expected. The presentations at the events are filled with useful information that helps me be informed with current business trends. I look forward to attending again in the future.” – Caleb Robinson, Land Development Designer

“As a project manager for CALYX, I attend a fair amount of social events for work. By attending the YPN Conference and breakout sessions at the Convention Center, I have learned to use those events more efficiently to create and develop networking opportunities. I also enjoyed the real estate YPN event as I was in the process of buying a new house. Needless to say, both YPN events I’ve attended so far have been very relevant and useful to me.” – Dan Hesington, PE, Building Structures Project Manager
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As you can see, Raleigh YPN has value for all. No matter your position, be sure to register and attend our upcoming YPN programs!