COMMERCE NAMES TECHNOLOGY, LIFE SCIENCES DEVELOPERS
FOR INTERNATIONAL TRADE;
EASTERN REGION BUSINESS SPECIALIST

RALEIGH – N.C. Department of Commerce Secretary Jim Fain today announced three new appointments: Jim Roberts, Technology Business Development Manager; Joe Conaty, Life Sciences Business Development Manager; and Jason Semple, Existing Industry Specialist for the state’s Eastern region.  Roberts and Conaty will work out of Raleigh, in the International Trade Division.  Semple will work out of Commerce’s Eastern Regional Office in Greenville.

“We are pleased to have these experienced and committed business developers join the Department of Commerce,” Fain said.  “They will build on North Carolina’s economic development successes here and in the global market, especially in the growing technology and life sciences sectors that provide our citizens with well-paying, sustainable jobs.”

As Technology Business Development Manager for International Trade, Roberts will assist North Carolina companies in the technology sector, which includes information technology, nanotechnology and environmental technology, to export products and services overseas.  That assistance includes market research and international marketing plans. Roberts, of Chapel Hill, worked most recently as executive director of the Blue Ridge Entrepreneurial Council and Blue Ridge Investors Network.  His extensive background includes technology entrepreneurship, business plan preparation, mentoring and networking.  Roberts has a B.A. in advertising from the University of Florida.

As Life Sciences Business Development Manager for International Trade, Conaty will advise biotechnology and other life sciences companies in the state on a range of regulatory issues.  In particular, he will specialize in export controls and export licensing.  Conaty, who is moving back to North Carolina from Washington, D.C., worked most recently for the U.S. Department of Commerce as an export policy analyst and licensing officer. Conaty has an undergraduate degree in international relations and East Asian studies from William and Mary College and an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.     

Semple, as the department’s newest Existing Industry Specialist, will serve a 13-county area in Eastern North Carolina. He will serve as a liaison between North Carolina businesses and state and local economic development groups and allies. A Greenville resident, Semple comes to Commerce from the Martin County Economic Development Corp. in Williamston.  He has private industry experience and has worked as a reporter and editor. Originally from Tennessee, Semple has a B.A. degree in English from Emory University in Atlanta.

Roberts, who joined Commerce March 3, can be reached at (919) 715-5742.  Conaty and Semple started their duties April 7.

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