Roughly 500 people attended the event, which featured speakers including Fayetteville Mayor Mitch Colvin, U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, U.S. Rep. David Rouzer, and local leaders from healthcare and higher education.
Colvin touted economic investment in the Fayetteville area and the creation of thousands of new jobs. He also pointed to upcoming changes at Fayetteville Regional Airport, which is slated to soon allow international flights.
Leaders from Methodist University and Cape Fear Valley Health spoke about the hundreds of millions of dollars in economic impact generated by their residency program and the expected impact of the new medical school that will soon open as part of their partnership.
Cumberland County Commissioner Chairman Kirk deViere said this is a pivotal moment for the county, and that big decisions need to be made now to ensure success in the future.
"We can't believe that everything's rosy," deViere said. "We've got some real issues that we've got to face here, and we haven't done some things over the years that we need to do."
He cited falling behind neighboring counties in key areas such as education, public safety, and median household income, though he also highlighted major investments underway.
The county has committed more than half a billion dollars to education and another quarter of a billion toward ensuring access to clean, safe drinking water. He said he often hears from business leaders about what they would need to bring more business to Cumberland County, and those conversations help inform some of the decisions that are made in the county.
"When I'm talking to that CEO offline or that vice president of that company, they're saying, 'So tell me about those schools. Is my wife going to feel safe? Is my husband going to feel safe? Can I find the workers?'" DeViere said.
One of Cumberland County's biggest strengths, he added, is the presence of Fort Bragg with tens of thousands of active duty and retired military.
WATCH: City leaders meet for youth symposium in Fayetteville
City leaders meet for youth symposium in Fayetteville
"If we capture them here, that's a contained workforce that makes us different than anybody else in this state, and quite frankly, in this region," deViere said. "I think we've got to harness that and we've got to speak to that. That's what businesses are looking for."
DeViere said continued investment is needed in public safety, infrastructure, and healthcare to continue to make the region more competitive.
The State of the Community event was organized by the Greater Fayetteville Chamber.