It’s only been a few months since we did our round-up of the latest praise and accolades for the Research Triangle region and the state of North Carolina. Well it should hardly be a surprise that we already have more “great reviews” to report on. And this time, there’s plenty to be shared statewide. So without further ado:
At the beginning of May, Site Selection magazine put out it’s rankings for Top Competitive States. North Carolina appears at #5, based on measurements that focus largely on capital investment in company facilities, along with job creation and tax climate. This ranking forms one component of Site Selection’s annual report on Top U.S. Business Climates. For 2011, North Carolina was recognized as having the #3 Business Climate.
And Site Selection isn’t the only publication that thinks so! Read more »
Research Triangle Park is home to over 38,000 full-time employees in over 170 diverse companies. Most people are aware of its regional importance for research and development and its importance to North Carolina. One thing people may not be as aware of is the flourishing wildlife within the Park. In addition to the 38,000 employees, hundreds of plants and animals call the 7,000 acre campus home and coexist within RTP.
Male Bluebird in RTP
The Research Triangle Park is home to over 40 bluebird boxes, 8 duck boxes, 4 bat boxes, 2 purple martin houses, and this does not include the various boxes other companies have on their private campuses. The boxes can be found all over the park off pedestrian trails we they are easily accessible. These houses provide homes for the unique and important species within the Park. The wildlife box program has been active within the Park since 2005 and has helped shelter hundreds of birds and mammals since then. Other than the wildlife box program there is also a butterfly garden within the Park at the RTP headquarters, a tree ID trail off of Davis drive, and an ongoing Park wildlife inventory.
Male and Female Bluebird
The main emphasis throughout the wildlife programs at this time of year is on wildlife boxes, notably the bluebird boxes. Currently there are 40 bluebird boxes throughout the Park which are all available for adoption by RTP employees. Employees adopt a Bluebird box (es) and monitor the boxes over the breeding season, from late March to August. All of the data collected on nesting and reproductive habits is then collected and sent to NestWatch through Cornell University. Cornell uses this data to look at reproductive success and species movement and work to develop better wildlife management for the birds.
Eastern bluebirds experienced a sharp decline in populations from the 1920s to 1970s due to pesticides and other manmade disturbances. Since then bluebird box programs across the nation have worked amazingly well to bring back populations. The story of the bluebird’s re-establishment is such an interesting success story, not only for the bird’s recovery, but also for the fact that it was primarily citizens who have worked to bring the birds back and not a specific agency or organization. Read more »
It’s no secret that the Research Triangle region is a great place to live and do business. Folks in RTP and the surrounding area know that first-hand. But when it comes to spreading the word, we’re also fortunate to be frequently recognized by some major publications.
We try to keep track of these accolades, as you’ll see in the scrolling news crawl at the top of this post. Here are details on some of the recent “great reviews” the region has been getting:
Perhaps the most exciting honor to share is Raleigh’s #1 ranking as America’s Best Cityby Bloomberg Businessweek (September 2011). Read more »
Ahh, English proverbs. Popularly defined as short expressions of popular wisdom that are more widely used to articulate an attitude toward a situation.
Ability can take you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there.
The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.
It was at the N.C. Biotechnology Center yesterday, listening to Ireland’s Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation that inspired me to think even further about the collaborative culture of the Research Triangle Region. Minister Burton characterized Ireland’s trade mission to North Carolina in this wise, poetic way:
If you come together, both with an apple, you will have an apple. But, if you come each with something different, then, you really have something to share.
Joining the Minister on the Enterprise Ireland-supported mission were representatives from 60 Irish companies and universities. Highlighting their two-day North Carolina itinerary was a visit to the Research Triangle Park (RTP), characterized by the delegation as one of the world’s top and most vibrant biotech innovation hubs. Throughout the day, representatives from the Triangle’s top universities engaged in discussions themed around turning world-class research into economic opportunities.
Ireland's Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation visits RTP
While visiting the RTP Headquarters, the Minister also met with leaders from the UCD/RTI Applied Research Center (ARC). ARC is a joint venture between applied research leader, Research Triangle International (RTI) and Ireland’s largest research university, University College Dublin (UCD). Together, the institutes are driving initiatives whose efforts will help address significant global challenges such as health and aging, social and economic well-being, and the environment.
“North Carolina has an exceptional record of creating practical economic opportunities from world-class research,” said Gerry Murphy, Director for North America at Enterprise Ireland. “Your strategy to invest in research, attract the best scientific brains and smartest business operators, and link them with capital represents the gold-standard blueprint for a 21st century knowledge economy. Given the similar ambitions of North Carolina and Ireland in driving the knowledge economy, we see significant scope for ongoing collaboration.”
Some of the most profound discoveries have been influenced by scientists and researchers working in RTP. It is through collaboration and partnership that the spirit of discovery and innovation continues to flourish.
Opportunity is waiting, you need but to open the door.
Perhaps it’s my addiction to twitter. Or the app I downloaded last year that sends alerts for dangerous weather events both locally and globally. But it has just felt of late a little bit like the sky was falling. Or that I should be building an ark, stocking up on water. Something.
From the recent devastating floods impacting the Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri River Valleys, to the earthquakes and subsequent tsunamis in Japan, to high temperatures that are drying up already dry land causing unprecedented drought, these weather events have ruined crops, devastated farmers and have spread famine to already poor parts of the world.
A recent tweet raised to my attention for more serious consideration: “Drought has caused a children’s famine. Creates lost generation.”
Which led me to the questions: How much arable land is available on earth? And can we feed the world’s population?
Agriculture is big business in North Carolina, bringing in $70.1 billion to the state annually – that’s 18% of N.C.’s income. More than 4,000 North Carolinians work in over 70 ag-tech companies, which include RTP-based BASF Group, Bayer CropScience, Monsanto Company, and Syngenta. And soon, the landscape will grow with the exciting announcements made this week!
With the N.C. Biotechnology Center as its backdrop, a non-profit organization working to strengthen biotech initiatives in the state, two major announcements were made:
Announced Tuesday, the Alexandria AG-Tech Center is a $13.5 million, 50,000-square-foot agricultural research center near the Research Triangle Park that would include 18,000 square feet of greenhouse space.
The center will provide individual greenhouse modules and support areas along with shared amenities, according to Alexandria. Each greenhouse will have separate environmental controls, planting and support spaces. Completion is expected Summer 2012. Read more »
Google announced Tuesday in a special press conference at Johnny T-Shirt in Chapel Hill that in 2009 it generated $780 million for North Carolina businesses, website publishers, and non-profits. In total, the Internet giant generated $54 billion in economic activity across the US last year alone. These figures were unveiled at a series of launch events held across the country, and Chapel Hill was lucky enough to host one. Google sees a great opportunity in partnering with companies—large and small—based in North Carolina, said representatives.
“Google is best known as a search engine, but we’re also an engine of economic growth for businesses in North Carolina,” Google Vice President for Global Agency and Industry Development Penry Price said. “Google isn’t just a California company – we’re also a North Carolina company, generating hundreds of millions of dollars of economic growth every year for local businesses and entrepreneurs.”
So how, you might ask, does searching things on Google translate into revenue for North Carolina businesses? When you enter a search on google.com, there are two columns of results: the left-hand side we are all familiar with (the “natural search results,” as Price described them), and the right-hand side of sponsored links and platforms. Sometimes they appear above the natural results, as well. These are advertisers that compete in auctions for the space, and be it known that these slots are not cheap. However, Google grants favor to relevant small and local businesses, like Johnny T-Shirt, in order to help them promote themselves and grow their market.
Hence why small businesses love Google and love Google Ads. “For every dollar an advertiser spends on Google Ads, they make two dollars back in revenue,” Price said. Over the past half decade, companies from around the country have been taken under the wing of programs like Google Ad Sense and Google Ad Works. He said Johnny T-Shirt was selected as a prototype ad client in 2004 because they excelled in both product and service, and the amount of online traffic they were receiving was distinctly noteworthy. Google called up the store’s retail manager Heather Frazier to help them meet their rising demand.
“Google has enabled us to reach customers far beyond Chapel Hill,” Frazier said. “It is an important part of our marketing strategy.” Johnny T-Shirt’s online sales recently surpassed in-store sales for the first time.
This story is not uncommon for locally-owned North Carolina businesses, the majority of which are considered ‘small’ and ‘entrepreneurial’. “Sixty percent of people employed in North Carolina are employed in businesses with less than 100 employees,” said N.C. Representative Verla Insko (D-Orange), who was among the North Carolina state and municipal representatives in attendance Tuesday. Others included Chapel Hill Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt, N.C. Department of Commerce Small Business Commissioner Scott Daugherty, and N.C. Senator Ellie Kinnaird (D-Orange).
“Google is ubiquitous,” Kinnaird said. “It’s a verb now. People use it for everything in their daily life. So, we’re proud to welcome ‘Google Nation’ to North Carolina.”
Kleinschmidt said Chapel Hill has an unfair reputation for being anti-business. What the town does stand for, he said, is good corporate citizenship, and the goals and grants Google announced are “true Chapel Hill values”. Last year, Google gave out 70 grants to state start-ups and donated more than $1 million to non-profit organizations and charities by offering free advertising.
The announcements were met with gracious applause. State leaders seem to agree that partnering with Google could create new jobs—and even new businesses—for North Carolina, and for Chapel Hill.
But still, why choose Chapel Hill for the big unveiling? Price had an answer: “We looked at the way business is growing in North Carolina.” He said they wanted a fair representation of the face and future of all the types of US cities Google works with, and Chapel Hill fit that bill.
The North Carolina GlaxoSmithKline Foundation announced that it has awarded $25,000 grants to nine nonprofits this year, around the state to support activities that establish or expand programs that further science, education and health in local communities.
Today’s announcement brings 59 nonprofits under the North Carolina GlaxoSmithKline Foundation Ribbon of Hope program since 2008. The GlaxoSmithKline Ribbon of Hope provides one-time $25,000 grants that establish or expand local programs in the areas of health, science and education.
The program’s goal is to have a positive impact on the lives of North Carolina’s citizens in each of the state’s 100 counties. The Foundation, chartered in 1986, began awarding grants in 1987. To date the Foundation has paid out $37.4 million in grants with another $0.6 million to be paid in multi-year grants. The Foundation typically supports programs in North Carolina that help to meet the educational needs of today’s society and of future generations.
It’s only been a few months since we did our round-up of the latest praise and accolades for the Research Triangle region and the state of North Carolina. Well it should hardly be a surprise that we already have more “great reviews” to report on. And this time, there’s plenty to be shared statewide. So without further ado:
