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NC Chamber Focused on Growing Economy through Transportation

| Infrastructure

North Carolina Vision 2030 identifies four key economic areas that are critical to the future of our state and the prosperity of our citizens. One of these pillars is Infrastructure and Growth Leadership. Physical infrastructure, as you know, includes statewide transportation, water and sewer, energy and broadband. We talk less often, though, about growth leadership, and how it is necessary to meet future demands required for good jobs and a secure future. North Carolina is growing and is expected to add 3 million people to its population by 2030. It is essential that North Carolina is proactive in planning for this population influx to ensure high standards of safety, quality of life and economic activity.

Currently, North Carolina is heading towards a transportation crisis with declining sustainability, growing population, aging roads and bridges and well-documented transportation needs. The NC Chamber has made growth leadership for transportation a top priority on the 2015 JOBS Agenda. Providing a solvent, stable transportation system will not only prepare the state for growth, but it will also stimulate statewide economic activity. The North Carolina business community widely recognizes the inextricable link between transportation and business. Transportation has vast financial impacts on our state’s companies, small and large – from their ability to manage inventory and cash flow, to business and location modeling, to supply chain performance. For example, annually, $364 billion in goods are shipped from sites in North Carolina and another $337 billion in goods are shipped to sites in North Carolina.

Ultimately, if North Carolina wants to remain competitive, we need to get moving towards a future-focused strategy. Infrastructure investment creates jobs and the economic impact would be significant in North Carolina. This week, the NC Chamber met with its Infrastructure Committee and the Coalition for a Prosperous Future to discuss efforts to push comprehensive solutions around this issue. To learn more about this issue and how you can become involved in these efforts, visit our website or contact Jake Cashion.

Gary J. Salamido
Vice President, Government Affairs
North Carolina Chamber


Save the date for the North Carolina Chamber’s Transportation and Infrastructure Summit in Greensboro, N.C. on April 9, 2015. If your organization is interested in sponsoring the event or purchasing a table, contact Sandy Harrell.