EDPNC celebrates 10 years as it works to attract further businesses to the state
NORTH CAROLINA (WTVD) -- On a personal level, Lisa Bamford was excited when Sciencix chose to relocate its headquarters from Minnesota to the Triangle in 2019.
"I'm Raleigh born and bred," said Bamford, the company's Director of Global Marketing and Business Development.
Initially, the area was attractive to accessibility to RDU, the nearby port system in Wilmington, and the existing hub of laboratories and biotech companies in the Triangle. However, it's what they did not anticipate which has played a key role in its rapid growth.
"I felt like I had tapped into the best secret in North Carolina," said Bamford, referring to the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina.
The EDPNC is a public-private economic development nonprofit, which plays a role in both supporting existing businesses and enticing outside enterprises to open in the state.
"We were able to tap into markets and double our business in some cases there when we could have never done that without the support that we were able to receive," said Bamford.
That's included valuable financial backing and access to networking opportunities.
"We immediately began to use the funds available to us to help us go to trade shows overseas. They'll help support the booth costs, which are very expensive," Bamford explained.
Past the individual events, Bamford noted the long-term support.
"As a small business, you don't have millions of dollars to pour into marketing and your website becomes your calling card. If you don't have a good website, forget about it. We were able to use step-grant funds for extensive website optimization. But not only that, they offer introductions to overseas affiliates that can then connect you with distributors," said Bamford.
Sciencix, which does work in more than 100 countries, was recognized at an event at the White House last year, where they were named the 2023 Small Business Exporter of the Year.
"We get the great privilege at the EDPNC of being salespeople for North Carolina. Our product is the state as a business location, and that product includes everything from the quality of our workforce to our logistics and transportation infrastructure," explained Christopher Chung, the CEO of EDPNC.
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Since its formation in 2014, the EDPNC has helped secure more than $67 billion in economic investment, attracting businesses that have created nearly 200,000 jobs in North Carolina.
"Everything from where is the facility going to be to local permitting, where are we going to get talent? How are we going to actually ramp up and those kinds of agencies (like the EDPNC), anything they can do to smooth that, it just makes the company feel better about being here," said Jed Routh, Vice President of Markets and Products at Kempower.
The Finland-based company specializes in EV charging and has seen its staff ramp from 10 to 100 employees, with goals for further growth. Last week, Governor Roy Cooper held an event inside its Durham facility, highlighting both its work and the effects of the green economy.
"We want to specifically recruit clean energy companies, and we want to be part of the entire supply chain of electric vehicles. I think it's important that the EDPNC and (Department of) Commerce work closely with local governments to make sure that we are making ourselves inviting," said Cooper.
"We get to go out there everyday and market and sell to companies that are thinking about where their next growth is going to happen. And of course, we want that to happen right here in North Carolina," added Chung.
He highlighted the importance of the local talent pool, the impact of investments into the community college system and the NC Biotechnology Center, as well as the state's broader business environment, including regulations, incentives, and tax rates.
"Success absolutely begets success. Part of it is, of course, it helps continue to build an economy that can help all of the citizens of North Carolina gain the kinds of jobs and opportunities that they look for. Any time a big-name company lands in North Carolina and announces hundreds, let alone thousands of jobs, what that does is it tells other companies in their industry that something good is happening in North Carolina," said Chung.
Routh agrees.
"It builds upon itself. Certainly, there's that cultural part of, hey, we're a company that has to locate here, other companies have done it. The other thing, though, is you wind up with a local supply base, a supply chain base, and then other people who have done it and gotten the talent that you can rely on," said Routh.
He said the company while the company was looking specifically on the East Coast due to the time zone, the particulars that North Carolina offered set it apart.
"There was a large, long process to narrow down states. North Carolina came in because it's a great environment for business. A lot of local talent. And when you narrow it down to the Research Triangle area, Durham in particular, (it has) great university support, great support from local government and then all kinds of agencies (like the EDPNC) that came in and said, 'we want to help you integrate yourself into this area.' It was a good match and we're super happy being here," Routh said.
