Economic Development April Recap New & Expanding Companies:

Angler Environmental, a design-build firm that specializes in ponds, streams, and other water resources, is opening a new office in Garner. Angler has already grown its office to six people with plans to add more in the future.

Branch Banking & Trust Co., a financial services company, is building a data center in Zebulon at the intersection of North Arendell Avenue and Green Pace Road. BB&T's data center will consist mostly of computers that will serve as a backup to BB&T's control center in Wilson, NC, in case of a natural disaster. The company is investing $89 million and constructing a 150,000-square-foot building that is expected to be completed by the end of 2015. BB&T will employ  20 to 30 associates at the new facility. 

Bryant International Law & Tax Group | Raleigh | Law | New

Bryant International Law & Tax Group, a law and tax firm, has opened in Raleigh and will have five employees. The law firm will focus on international businesses, including tax structuring, drafting, and revising intercompany agreements, strategic transfer pricing, subpart F reviews, international contracting VAT management, and repatriation.

Cushman & Wakefield/Thalhimer, a commercial real estate firm, is expanding and relocating to a 9,800-square-foot space at the Crabtree Overlook office building off Lead Mine Road in Raleigh. Cushman & Wakefield/Thalhimer established its first office in the Triangle in 2011 and has nearly 30 real estate brokers and staff members.

Novozymes, a biotechnology company, is building a new bioagriculture research and development facility in Cary. The company plans to create 100 new jobs and invest more than $36 million over the next three years at the facility. The planned facility will specifically support Novozymes bioagriculture business. Scientists at the site will research and develop beneficial microorganisms found in the soil. The resulting technology will focus on improved yield, fertility, and pest control for growers. Salaries will vary by job function, but the average annual wage for the new jobs will be $70,000 plus benefits. 

Red Hat, Inc., an open-source software company, is hiring for 50 positions in its corporate headquarters office in downtown Raleigh. Red Hat posted $1.53 billion in revenue for its last fiscal year, and the company has more than 900 employees in Raleigh.

Rex Healthcare, a not-for-profit health care system, is beginning construction of its new eight-story heart tower on its west Raleigh campus this fall. The project, which includes the 200,000-square-foot tower and a parking deck, is expected to cost more than $200 million and will be Rex's largest capital project in its history. The tower will be home to Rex's cardiology practice North Carolina Heart & Vascular, which was created by the merging of Wake Heart & Vascular and Rex Heart & Vascular.

New and Expanding Announcements by Cluster: 

Since the beginning of 2014, Wake County has had 32 new and expanding announcements. Of those announcements, 20 (63 percent) are in Wake County Economic Development's cluster industries.  

Recent News and Events:     

Wake County Economic Development participates in Tech Career Fair

Wake County Economic Development, through the Work in the Triangle talent attraction initiative, partnered with the North Carolina Technology Association and the Council for Entrepreneurial Development to sponsor the Come Tech Out the Triangle career fair on April 9. More than 350 job seekers attended the event at North Carolina State University's McKimmon Center. The career fair featured 21 of the area's top employers, including Bandwidth, Bronto, LexisNexis, SciQuest, and more. There were more than 2,000 open positions among all of the companies engaged. Throughout the day, Work in the Triangle promoted job openings from participating employers via its Twitter account (@WorkTriangleNC), providing an opportunity for professionals who could not physically attend the career fair to gain awareness of the opportunities available in the Triangle.

Wake County Hosts Venture Capital and Strategic Corporate Partnership Event

Wake County Economic Development, along with Schneider Electric, HQ Raleigh, SJF Ventures, and the Research Triangle Cleantech Cluster, hosted a panel of experts on securing venture capital investment and strategic corporate partnerships on April 30. The panelists for the event were Scott Henneberry, vice president of smart grid strategy at Schneider Electric, Julien Creuzé, senior associate with Aster Capital, and Dave Kirkpatrick, managing director of SJF Ventures. The event brought together cleantech entrepreneurs, funders, university assets, and startups to network and get an update on the capital markets and investment trends.  

Jennifer Bosser Receives 40 under 40 Award

Jennifer Bosser, assistant executive director of Wake County Economic Development, has been honored as one of the Triangle Business Journal's 40 under 40 award recipients. Judges from the TBJ and the local business community reviewed nearly 200 qualified nominations to come up with the final list of 40 winners for 2014. Among her roles with Wake County Economic Development, Bosser has spearheaded the Chamber's talent attraction initiative, "Work in the Triangle, Smarter from any Angle," and has led the program to many successes----including national and international awards. Bosser and the other 39 winners will be honored at an awards luncheon June 12 at Prestonwood Country Club in Cary. Last year, Bosser was named one of Development Counsellors International's 40 under 40 rising stars of economic development.   

RDU Continues to Impact Economic Development with Terminal 1 Completion

The $68 million upgrade to Raleigh-Durham International Airport's Terminal 1 is complete. The terminal, which opened in 1982, is home to Southwest and AirTran airlines. The Terminal 1 project is one of several ways RDU is helping to further the economic development initiatives of Wake County and the region. Each year RDU has an $8 billion impact on the region, and 9.2 million passengers pass through the airport. The new terminal features a more open layout, more natural lighting, power outlets at gates, easier navigation, pre-security concessions, new shops, covered curbsides, and behind the scenes improvements to security. This renovation is a part of a continued push to make RDU one of the premier airports in the country. In addition to the T1 renovation, RDU is working on adding more non-stop flights to places like Seattle, Austin, San Diego, and Kansas City.  

Recent Rankings:  

 For a full list of rankings, please download the Raleigh/Wake County Rankings Flyer.

• #1 Best City for Raising a Family (Raleigh, NC) Forbes
• #1 Fastest Growing Metro from 2000-2013 (Raleigh-Cary, NC) The Atlantic Cities
• #4 Best Big City for Jobs in 2014 (Raleigh-Cary, NC) Forbes
• #4 Most Cost-Attractive Mid-Sized City for Business (Raleigh, NC) KPMG
• #6 Most Affordable Housing Market for 2014 (Raleigh, NC) Zip Realty
• #7 Best City for Recent College Graduates (Raleigh, NC) Nerd Wallet
• #8 City for Asthma Sufferers (Raleigh, NC) Nerd Wallet
• #10 Most Optimistic Community (Raleigh-Cary, NC) Gallup 
• #10 City Gaining the Most College Graduates (Raleigh, NC) Forbes
• #10 Best Metro for Small Business (Raleigh-Cary, NC) Bizjournals.com 

Year-to-date Metrics:

Since Jan. 1, 2014, Wake County Economic Development has had 24 new projects and 14 site visits. Wake County has had 34 announcements of companies moving or expanding to the area, creating 1,115 jobs and investing more than $340 million.

Wake County Labor Market Statistics: