2016 State of the Research Triangle Region
SAVE THE DATE
MAY 19, 2016
Sheraton Imperial Hotel & Conference Center
Durham, NC
7:00 – 7:45 am Registration & Networking
7:45 – 10:00 am Program (Breakfast included)
For more information or to sponsor, please contact Vivian Powell at 919-344-4077 or vpowell@researchtriangle.org.
PRESENTING SPONSORS
United States Senator Richard Burr, United States Senator Thom Tillis, the North Carolina Military Business Center, the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, the North Carolina Military Foundation and the University of North Carolina are pleased to host the Medical, Biomedical & Biodefense: Support to the Warfighter Symposium on June 7 in Raleigh and June 8 in Durham, North Carolina.
Day 1: June 7, 2016
Medical: Support to the Warfighter
North Carolina State University
McKimmon Conference & Training Center
1101 Gorman Street
Raleigh, North Carolina
Day 2: June 8, 2016
Biomedical & Biodefense: Support to the Warfighter
North Carolina Biotechnology Center
Hamner Conference Center
15 TW Alexander Drive
Durham, North Carolina
Chatham Park: The Art of Dreaming Big
“We’re futurist, We’re imagineers. We’re dreamers. And this was a big dream for us, probably the biggest dream you could possibly have. We want to change people’s lives when they live here.”
-- Tim Smith, Co-Owner, Preston Development
Being the best of the best. That’s the objective Tim Smith and Julian “Bubba” Rawl have set for Chatham Park. The two co-owners of Preston Development say they want to do something that “sets a standard for future developers to come.” Their company’s vision for Chatham Park, a 7,000-acre community between Pittsboro and Jordan Lake, includes 22,000 residences and some 22 million square-feet of commerce space: schools, offices, businesses, research facilities, retail and restaurants.
"We have a great responsibility to do what’s right for this part of the region,” says Rawl, whose company has developed many premiere retail and residential properties in the Triangle and beyond. As it comes together over the next four decades, the vision has the potential to shift the region’s social and economic center of gravity. The property is convenient to Chapel Hill, Durham, Raleigh and Research Triangle Park. “And we’re a 25-minute ride to Raleigh-Durham Airport,” Rawl says.
Plans for Chatham Park include five separate villages and over 25 unique home designs. There will be boutique shops, casual and fine dining, public venues and educational facilities. Ample greenspace and outdoor amenities also will characterize the community -- with 600 acres of parkland, three miles of frontage along the Haw River and a network of more than 50 miles of trails.
About 30 percent of Chatham Park will be open space. The new town will serve as a prototype 21st century community, one where people and families can live, work, learn and recreate.
“We’re futurist,” says Smith. “We’re imagineers. We’re dreamers. And this was a big dream for us, probably the biggest dream you could possibly have.”
Chatham Park will be nothing if not state-of-the-art. Houses will be wired to accommodate electric cars, for example. Streetlights will utilize energy-saving LED technology. “Smart” metering systems will enable residents to monitor their electrical and natural gas consumption in real time. “We want to change people’s lives when they live here,” Smith says. “It’s going to change the way subdivisions and communities are developed in the future,” according to Smith.
While the ambitious vision for Chatham Park will take more than a generation to complete, there is already tangible progress on display. On March 15th, UNC Health Care opened a 25,000-square-foot medical office to patients. Nearing completion is the SECU Jim & Betsy Bryan Hospice Home, also part of UNC Health Care. The $4.7 million facility will serve patients at the end of life, as well as their families. The two-acre facility is the work of James Bryan II, a retired UNC physician and advocate for end-of-life dignity. It will employ skilled nurses, nursing assistants, social workers, pastoral and grief counselors, as well as utilize trained volunteers. It will be the first inpatient hospice facility in Chatham County.
Also now evident at Chatham Park is the start of Thales Academy. The private preK-12 school system was founded in 2007 and is growing its presence in the Triangle. Thales, which has partnered with Preston Development at its other campuses, is part of the initial phase of Chatham Park, with a school serving grades K-5 set to welcome students in 2018. The campus will ultimately include a middle school and a high school. With its strong emphasis on “STEM” curricula (science, technology, engineering and math), Thales will be the ideal fit for the tech-oriented companies Chatham Park hopes to attract.
The mixed-use, multi-generational vision for Chatham Park includes the latest in accessible, sustainable designs. “We hope ours is a model the whole world can look at,” Smith says. “We hope to have people coming from all over the world to study what we’ve done and carry this new technology throughout the world.”
Preston Development is already collaborating with forward-thinking companies around the region to identify technologies to weave into Chatham Park’s homes, buildings and neighborhoods. Company officials are closely involved with the Research Triangle Cleantech Cluster (RTCC), for example, a program that unites pioneering companies in the area in forging joint development opportunities and showcasing the Research Triangle Region’s global leadership in clean technologies, in this case on a community-wide scale.
As an RTCC Project Partner, Chatham Park and its designers have access to a wide array of advanced environmental and utility systems and solutions, as well as the RTCC imprimatur as a replicable prototype for a 21st Century cleantech community. “Since this is on the cutting-edge, there’s not a lot of people who have played on this playground,” Smith says.
Chatham Park’s anticipated economic impact is also going to be a game-changer for Chatham County and beyond. The community could generate $154 billion for North Carolina over the coming four decades, according to an economic impact study by North Carolina State University. The project’s impact for the Triangle region could total $140 billion, the study found, with Chatham County alone reaping 61,000 new jobs. Statewide job creation radiating from the project could reach 115,000.
“Chatham Park turned out to have a larger economic impact than I expected,” says Dr. Michael Walden, professor of economics at NC State. “A hundred thousand new jobs to the area is simply mindboggling – and those are permanent jobs.” The Chatham County Economic Development Commission sponsored Walden’s analysis of the project’s economic potential. “The impact is truly impressive,” Walden says.
To learn more about Chatham Park, visit www.chathampark.com or follow @ChathamParkNC.
Cisco Systems: Innovating Globally, Engaging Regionally.
Cisco is leveraging IoT to take on some of the world’s biggest challenges that face society. It has never been a better time for Cisco to lead as the global networking and technology visionary of tomorrow. Research Triangle Park is home to one of the company’s largest hubs of innovation.
From the corporate market to small businesses and home users, there is scarcely a segment of the telecommunications and connectivity sphere that Cisco Systems, Inc., hasn’t touched. The company has defined, re-defined and innovated its way to becoming a global technology giant. And now, it’s never been a better time for Cisco’s technology to solve the world’s greatest challenges.
Founded in 1984 at Stanford University, Cisco was built around a software system originally meant for campus use. That made its products adaptable to a broader market of corporations just as growing business communications needs called for multiple network nodes. Initially operating with a lean team of systems engineers, programmers and sales associates, Cisco pioneered Internet Protocol (IP) based networking technology.
With its current market capitalization of more than $144 billion, Cisco now ranks 55th on the Fortune 500. The San Jose, Cal.-based company does business in over 165 countries and employs more than 74,000 workers.
Despite its phenomenal growth, Cisco’s spirit of innovation endures, with the company celebrating its 10,000th patent in 2013. The company has been a leader in the development of routing, switching and other advanced networking gear to support “The Internet of Things” (IoT) technology that gathers and organizes oceans of data from smartphones, mobile computers, vehicles and machines to help create better products and services through real-time insights on their performance.
Now, Cisco is leveraging IoT to take on some of the world’s biggest challenges that face society. It has never been a better time for Cisco to lead as the global networking and technology visionary of tomorrow. Cisco is securely connecting everything to drive insights that will accelerate digital transformation. Cisco’s technologies are transforming businesses, industries, and countries by making jobs safer through automated technology, making cities smarter through connected technologies, bringing water to areas that lack access to clean water, and even saving lives of endangered species.
Research Triangle Park is home to one of the company’s largest hubs of innovation. Cisco first opened its RTP location in 1995 with 200 employees. More than twenty years later, they have a twelve-building campus, complete with an onsite health center, which employs more than 5500 full time employees. It continues to grow and invest in the RTP community.
Cisco is the #2 employer in RTP and one of the top corporate tax payers in Wake County. Not only does Cisco invest in local economies by providing jobs, it encourages and supports employees’ participation in charitable giving and community involvement. Consistently recognized as a leading corporate citizen, Cisco RTP employees volunteered more than 30,000 hours in 2015.
Cisco’s “Be the Bridge” annual employee giving campaign, for example, illustrates the corporate social responsibility woven through the company. In 2015, the giving campaign supported more than 400 non-profit groups and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) worldwide, resulting in more than $4.5M of employee donations and matching contributions from the Cisco Foundation. Locally, the campaign generated more than $305,000 for local non-profit partners that include the American Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity of Durham, Wake and Orange Counties, Interact, The Food Bank of Eastern North Carolina and Triangle Family Services. The 2016 “Be the Bridge” giving campaign will expand to include more than 2000 non-profit organizations.
Cisco’s centrality in the Research Triangle Region’s corporate landscape and its economic impact are not lost on North Carolina leaders. “Cisco is a premier, Fortune 500 employer that sees the value in what RTP and North Carolina have to offer,” said state Senator Tamara Barringer, who represents Wake County in the North Carolina General Assembly.
Cisco’s commitment to the region can be seen in its annual sponsorship at the State of the Research Triangle Region breakfast. The company’s community engagement also includes technical and leadership support for other state, local and regional business organizations and initiatives.
From local innovator, talent cultivator, and community contributor to a global technology pace-setter with more than 30 years of systems innovation, Cisco remains nimble by capitalizing upon its strengths and partnering with organizations like Research Triangle Regional Partnership to enhance opportunities for leadership both in the region and beyond.
To learn more about Cisco, visit www.cisco.com or follow @Cisco.
Plans to create hundreds of jobs in Wake County over the next few years
RALEIGH, N.C. – May 24, 2016 – Wake County Economic Development (WCED) and the City of Raleigh Office of Economic announced today that WalkMe Inc., a leading software company from Silicon Valley, has established its regional headquarters in Raleigh, with plans to create hundreds of jobs in Wake County over the next few years. The downtown Raleigh location is one of only five corporate locations globally.
WalkMe is a game-changing platform that instantly simplifies the online user experience. WalkMe Inc., founded in 2011, launched the WalkMe guidance and engagement platform in April 2012 with the vision to transform the world’s online user experience into one that was simple, effortless and efficient. Today, WalkMe’s platform is used by over 800 enterprise service providers and SaaS vendors, including many Fortune 500 companies. PayPal, 3M, Adobe, Cisco, Citrix, MasterCard, Pandora and Virgin, among other global companies, are users of the platform.
Raleigh will also serve as the global center of excellence and support for the recently launched WalkMe Apps™ - a new and free way for app developers to create better mobile software, faster. WalkMe Apps is a brand new solution solving some of the toughest challenges that independent mobile app developers face. It enables app developers and startup entrepreneurs to focus their attention on the development of core software while providing them with the necessary user and customer engagement tools - "applets" - to drive premium upgrades, monetization, boost user experience, reduce uninstalls and improve app ratings.
WalkMe Apps is available for free to independent developers to accelerate the release cycle by negating the need to code new features and then re-submit the app to the App Store or Google Play Store.
“Wake County is quickly emerging as the leading tech hub in the southeast,” said WCED Executive Director Adrienne Cole. “Raleigh experienced the fastest growth in IT jobs in the country last year, and WalkMe’s decision to locate in Raleigh will add to this sector’s continued growth.”
Dan Adika, CEO, WalkMe: “We chose to establish our regional headquarters in Raleigh because we identified Wake County as a leading tech hub in the southeast, with a high number of skilled people who can join WalkMe. Raleigh will also serve as our global center of excellence and support for WalkMe Apps. We have big plans for 2016 and beyond, and we have plenty of positions open for smart people who share our passion,” added Adika.
"We are excited to have WalkMe, a cutting edge global software company, choose Raleigh as one of five worldwide corporate locations,” said the City of Raleigh’s innovation and entrepreneurship manager, Derrick Minor. “This further solidifies Raleigh as a leading destination for top talent and innovative companies, and we look forward to having them grow with us into the future."
The decision to locate in Raleigh resulted from months of ongoing collaboration between WalkMe and Wake County Economic Development (WCED), the City of Raleigh Office of Economic Development, Capital Area Workforce Development Board (CAWDB), the NC Community College System, NC State University and the Research Triangle Regional Partnership (RTRP).
About WalkMe Inc.
WalkMe is a game-changing platform that instantly simplifies the online user experience. WalkMe Inc., founded in 2011, launched the WalkMe guidance and engagement platform in April 2012 with the vision to transform the world’s online user experience into one that was simple, effortless and efficient. Today, WalkMe’s platform is used by over 800 enterprise service providers and SaaS vendors, including many Fortune 500 companies. Customers use WalkMe to increase conversion rates, reduce customer service costs, increase self-service adoption, accelerate training and improve customer experience. The company has numerous open positions in its Raleigh office: http://www.walkme.com/careers/.
About Wake County Economic Development (WCED)
Wake County Economic Development (WCED), a program of the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, is the primary economic development organization for Wake County providing economic development support for its 12 municipalities. WCED hosts clients evaluating Wake County for possible facility locations each year and facilitates corporate expansions, resulting in new jobs and capital investment for Raleigh and Wake County. For more information about WCED, visit www.raleigh-wake.org.
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Morgan Servie
mservie@raleighchamber.org
(919) 664.7049
RESEARCH TRIANGLE REGION, N.C. (June 10, 2016) -- The Research Triangle Regional Partnership (RTRP) today announced that its Chief Operating Officer (COO), Lee Anne B. Nance, is leaving the organization on June 30, 2016 to start her own consulting practice. Ms. Nance has served RTRP since 2009, managing the implementation of the region’s strategic growth plan as well as regional marketing and branding activities. Before assuming the role of COO, Ms. Nance served as Executive Vice President and as the founding director of the Research Triangle Cleantech Cluster (RTCC), a program of RTRP.
“It has been an honor to work closely with businesses, educational institutions and government organizations to create economic opportunity and foster the innovation and collaboration that have put us at the top of all those “Best places to live and work” lists,” said Ms. Nance. “I’m excited to continue to work with economic development and corporate clients in my new practice.”
“Lee Anne has done a great job of cultivating economic opportunity and guiding the strategic direction for the Research Triangle Region,” said Gary Joyner, chairman of the RTRP Board of Directors. “Her ability to create collaboration and engagement among high-performing, technology-based companies and her passion for marketing the region have led to innovation and business growth. We’re delighted that we will be one of her first clients.”
About the Research Triangle Regional Partnership
The Research Triangle Regional Partnership (RTRP) leads economic development for the Research Triangle Region of North Carolina. RTRP works to generate competitive advantage and economic growth for member counties and investors. For more information, visit www.researchtriangle.org or follow @TriangleRegion.
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Contact:
Gary Joyner
919-420-1750
Research Triangle Region, N.C. (July 6, 2016) – The Board of Directors of the Research Triangle Regional Partnership (RTRP) has elected John M. Kane as its chair for the coming two years. Kane, chairman and CEO of Kane Realty, previously served as RTRP’s chair-elect. The Board also announced other elections. Keith Burns, an attorney with Nexsen Pruet, LLC, will now serve as the organization’s chair-elect. Tim Giuliani, president & CEO at Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, will assume the role as RTRP secretary, and, Jim Hansen, regional president at PNC Bank, will serve as treasurer.
Kane, who has served on the RTRP board of directors since 2008, is among the region’s most renowned developers of sustainable mixed-use communities, regional malls, neighborhood and community centers, office buildings and health centers. Kane Realty’s signature project, North Hills (known as Raleigh’s Midtown), is a mixed-use, multi-block district that has received numerous awards and accolades for its pedestrian-friendly and sustainable design. Kane also serves on the Duke Health Board, the North Carolina Economic Development Board, the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority Board and as chairman of the Duke Raleigh Hospital Board. He graduated from Wake Forest University with a Bachelor of Science in business administration.
“I’m excited about the opportunities ahead for RTRP, which is an award-winning organization, and for our fast-growing region,” Kane said. “The plans that the RTRP board embarks upon during the next two years will help to create jobs, investment and economic opportunity for the Research Triangle region.”
Kane’s first priority as Chairman of the RTRP board is to complete efforts to reshape RTRP’s structure and focus, while solidifying collaborative ties with member counties, the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, the North Carolina Department of Commerce and other partners and allies. To this end, regional leaders are currently drafting a new strategy that will shape regional economic development objectives for the coming years.
Kane succeeds Gary Joyner, managing partner at Kilpatrick Townsend and Stockton, whose two-year term as RTRP chair ended June 30th. Joyner will continue to serve the organization in the role of immediate past chair.
“The region has benefited greatly from Gary’s leadership during the past two years,” Kane said. “His commitment to the region was vital as we generated significant economic growth while experiencing fundamental changes to North Carolina’s economic development delivery system.”
The Partnership will have its new strategic plan in place by the end of September and expects to have its new leader in place by October 2016.
About The Research Triangle Regional Partnership
The Research Triangle Regional Partnership (RTRP) leads economic development for the Research Triangle Region of North Carolina. RTRP works to generate competitive advantage and economic growth for member counties and investors. For more information, visit www.researchtriangle.org or follow @TriangleRegion.
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For more information, visit www.researchtriangle.org. Contact: Harvey Schmitt, RTRP Consultant 919-334-4074
Franklin County Economic Development Names Duncan Director, Carson Named Existing Industry Coordinator
Franklin County, N.C. - September 30, 2016 – Franklin County Economic Development Commission (EDC) has promoted Richie Duncan to director and tapped veteran economic developer Bo Carson to serve as existing industry coordinator. Duncan, who has led the 
existing industry program in Franklin County for the past ten years, carries her business development experience and partner coordination into her new economic development role. The goal is a seamless transition to director allowing Ms. Duncan to continue to serve the industries throughout the county.
"Richie has the ability to bridge her knowledge of existing industry retention and business development in this new role," says Angela Harris, Franklin County manager. "She will lead the county’s economic development office from the foundation set when retired Developer Ronnie Goswick was present, to promote economic growth for a county poised to grow."
Duncan assumed her new role July 1; Carson became Existing Industry Coordinator July 18.
Carson, who has served as Vice President of Business Development for the Research Triangle Regional Partnership for nearly 18 years, joins the economic development office to provide strategic coordination for industry engagement.
"Bo provides the county a regional vision along with the contacts in the field that can assist our diverse industry base," says Franklin County EDC Director Richie Duncan. "His previous business development knowledge provides the county with expertise in marketing, data analytics and collaboration. We’re delighted he has joined our team."
About Franklin County Economic Development
The Franklin County Economic Development Commission works to connect innovative, growing companies with the people, resources, properties and support they need to grow and thrive in our community. www.franklinedc.com
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Contact:
Franklin County Economic Development
Richie Duncan, Director, rduncan@franklincountync.us
Bo Carson, Existing Industry Coordinator, bcarson@franklincountync.us
(919) 554-1863
October 11, 2016 -- The Research Triangle Regional Partnership (RTRP) today announced that has retained The Nautical Group to expand its search for a new executive director. Reporting to the RTRP Board of Directors, the executive director will be responsible for supporting and managing all activities and affairs of the RTRP.
Under the guidance of the RTRP board of directors, a committee has been actively reviewing candidate profiles for the RTRP executive director position.
“At this time we are expanding our search efforts to ensure we identify the most highly qualified candidates that can be considered to lead the RTRP organization,” said Harvey Schmitt, consultant and former President of the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce. “We are pleased to enlist the executive search services of The Nautical Group to advance our recruitment efforts in a timely manner.”
The incoming RTRP executive director will be required to work with the Economic Developers Advisory Committee (EDAC) and the RTRP Board of Directors to develop a vision and execute the strategic business plan to guide the organization.
With the retirement of RTRP CEO Charles Hayes in June 2016, the RTRP engaged Harvey Schmitt, former president of the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the Partnership’s fiscal, staffing and operational needs as part of a re-organization strategy to meet the future interests of its members and investors in the region, which continues to see strong growth.
RTRP Executive Director Job Description
About the Research Triangle Regional Partnership
The Research Triangle Regional Partnership (RTRP) leads economic development for the Research Triangle Region of North Carolina. RTRP works to generate competitive advantage and economic growth for member counties and investors. For more information, visit www.researchtriangle.org or follow @TriangleRegion.
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For more information, visit www.researchtriangle.org
Contact:
Harvey Schmitt, RTRP Consultant
919-840-7372
The Research Triangle Regional Partnership (RTRP) today announced the appointment of Ryan Combs as its executive director, effective February 20, 2017. Mr. Combs joins RTRP from the North Carolina Department of Public Safety where he served as its legislative director for the past four years. Mr. Combs will report to the executive committee of the RTRP Board of Directors.
As executive director of RTRP, Mr. Combs will be responsible for managing all of the organization’s activities and affairs and working with economic development organizations in each of the RTRP’s member counties to identify and leverage common opportunities for marketing the competitive advantages of the region. Mr. Combs will also work with the RTRP Board of Directors to execute the strategic business plan created by the organization’s volunteer and professional leadership during the past six months.
Mr. Combs previously served for eight years on United States Senator Richard Burr’s staff and worked at The White House as a Staff Assistant in the Executive Office of the President. He is a Raleigh native and a graduate of Broughton High School and North Carolina State University.
“Ryan possesses the strong communications skills, leadership and confidence that RTRP requires to effectively convey the strengths of the region to potential investors in the market,” said John Kane, CEO of Kane Realty and RTRP Board Chairman. “Ryan’s combination of hands-on skills and strategic thinking, which he has honed through service to leaders in our State and our nation’s highest office, uniquely equip him with fresh perspective that he will bring to RTRP, its members and the Triangle region. I and the RTRP Board are very excited to begin working with Ryan.”
Harvey Schmitt, formerly President of the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, has been serving as a consultant to RTRP during the executive search period. He will continue to provide interim consulting services as directed by Mr. Combs that include support to the RTRP’s annual State of the Region Conference which is set for May 11, 2017 at Meymandi Hall in Raleigh.
About the Research Triangle Regional Partnership
The Research Triangle Regional Partnership (RTRP) is an 11 county economic development alliance focused on marketing the competitive advantages of the Research Triangle Region to generate economic growth. For more information, visit www.researchtriangle.org or follow @TriangleRegion.
