Greater Raleigh Chamber Blog

High levels of in-migration. One of country's most educated labor forces (47 percent with a college degree). Business costs 12 percent below the national average. An employment forecast rated among the top 10 in the country.

These are some of the reasons why Forbes recently ranked Raleigh as the No. 2 "Best Place for Business and Careers" in the country for 2017.

Taking a top spot on the list is nothing new to Raleigh. Forbes called the city its "most consistent performer" in the annual survey, finishing in the top three each of the past 15 years.  Last year Raleigh grabbed the No. 3 spot in the report.

The article devotes an entire paragraph to news of Indian software firm Infosys' decision to locate one of its four new U.S. technology and innovation hubs here. Infosys will bring 2,000 jobs to the area by 2021, with the first 500 employees hired by the end of the year. Salaries will average $71,000, delivering a total payroll impact of more than $130 million each year to the community, once all positions are filled. The company plans to invest $8.73 million in Wake County as part of a project estimated to contribute $2.9 billion to North Carolina’s economy.

Infosys leaders emphasized four factors that helped them make their decision to set up shop in Raleigh: a talented workforce, diverse economy, vibrant startup community, and top-tier universities and community colleges. 

The Forbes report took into account information from Moody's Analytics, Sperling's Best Places, the U.S. Census Bureau, a profile developed by Cushman & Wakefield Strategic Consulting, and the Movement Advancement Project. Portland, Ore., with a population of 2.4 million, a strong economic outlook, and a talent surge, claimed the top spot this year. 

Read the full Forbes report here. Keep up-to-date on the latest rankings for Raleigh and Wake County here.

By Hannah Madison Smith
Leadership Raleigh 35
Portfolio Management Analyst
Branch Banking & Trust Co.




After my first day of Leadership Raleigh, which focused on the area's quality of life, I felt totally content and confident about my decision to live and work here. There are a couple of main highlights from the day that I will elaborate on in this post.

First, our Leadership Raleigh group had the opportunity to listen to a panel discussion with Smedes York and John Kane. It was interesting to hear about the development opportunities currently underway downtown and planned for the future. In addition, our group got great insight on affordable housing and transportation issues in Raleigh and the Triangle area.

We also heard from Steve Malik from NCFC on Raleigh’s Major League Soccer expansion opportunity and MLS bid. He spoke about the plans to build a stadium right outside downtown Raleigh near Peace Street and Seaboard Station. Soccer is a sport that brings the community together and creates a fun atmosphere, so I am excited for Raleigh to potentially acquire a major league professional sports franchise! It would be beneficial from both an economic and quality of life perspective.

Another favorite part of the day was a presentation about the future of Dorothea Dix Park, which is composed of over 300 acres of undeveloped land! I was truly impressed after hearing about the extensive planning process the Executive Board and Advisory Committee are undertaking in order to ensure that the park is a community asset and provides value to all. I am hopeful I can volunteer in some way as this effort is completed. 

Leadership Raleigh 35 and 36 are underway! Follow along as they learn about the area's economic development, education, law enforcement, media, and more in this series of blog posts. Learn more about Leadership Raleigh here.

By Joe Milazzo II, PE
Executive Director
Regional Transportation Alliance




The Research Triangle region is actively engaged in the national competition to win Amazon's new "HQ2," as this new microsite demonstrates.

While no region in North America has a "lock" on winning an economic development opportunity of $5 billion and 50,000 jobs, in reality, Raleigh, Durham, and the entire Research Triangle region have been winning the competition for top jobs for decades.

This week's business news clips provide a great demonstration of our market’s success, and a clue or two as to why.

A Bloomberg article this week noted that Raleigh and Durham were both in the top 7 nationally in the Bloomberg "Brain Concentration Index." This index compares metro areas with at least 100,000 people, and assesses them on several factors, including: concentration of full-time STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) workforce, advanced degrees or science and engineering undergraduate degrees, and net business formation.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Census Bureau, focusing solely on the attainment of bachelor's degrees, noted that both Raleigh-Cary and Durham-Chapel Hill were in the top 5 nationally in college attainment. 

Why does our market consistently succeed? The reality is that our strengths continuously reinforce themselves: our educational prowess attracts both people with high degree attainment and jobs that require advanced education.

In addition, you get the best of all worlds here: East Coast location without eastern seaboard hassles, metropolitan amenities and 18-hour city convenience without large urban headaches.

From a mobility standpoint, our market has clearly, and uniquely, hit what I might call the “sweet spot of dispersal and agglomeration.” We are spread out enough to keep severe traffic at bay, but still close enough—​ and increasingly connected enough—for us to take advantage of our collective strengths.

Those strengths begin with our three tier one research universities, and they grow - and we go - from there.

Do I think we will win Amazon? I think we have a great opportunity. Our region does not need to land HQ2 to be successful—we already are successful, and will continue to be—but an HQ2 investment from Amazon here would make our market even better, faster.

We wish Amazon well, wherever they choose to invest.

Joe Milazzo II, PE, is executive director of the Regional Transportation Alliance, the voice of the regional business community on transportation. Learn more about how RTA leverages the strength of more than 100 leading member companies and 23 member chambers of commerce working in concert with regional partners to advance transportation solutions that grow our economy.