GOV. EASLEY PROMOTES EXPANDING IN N.C. WITH ITALIAN BUSINESS LEADERS
Discusses Manufacturing, Construction, Energy and Transportation Opportunities
RALEIGH – Gov. Mike Easley today met with leaders of two Italian business organizations, the Regional Agency of Economic Promotion of Tuscany and Confindustria-Tuscany to discuss opportunities available to them in North Carolina’s furniture, textile, manufacturing and viticulture industries.
“Global competition has affected North Carolina and Italy, but we have both maintained reputations as leaders in high-end furniture, textiles and other industries that are growing in the 21st century,” Easley said. “To continue to bring good paying jobs and investment to our state, we must prove to commerce leaders throughout the world that we have the best business climate and workforce development programs in our country, and we are the No. 1 location for companies looking to relocate or expand in the United States.”
The Regional Agency of Economic Promotion of Tuscany encourages foreign investment in the region of upper northwest Italy. Confindustria is the lead organization representing manufacturing, construction, energy, transportation, tourism and service industries in Italy. It brings together 126,590 voluntary member companies of all sizes with a total of 4.7 million employees. Confindustria-Tuscany is one of the organization’s 18 regional locations.
At the meeting, Italian business leaders also heard from U.S. Consul General Nora Dempsey, N.C. Department of Commerce Secretary Jim Fain and Claudio Carpano, founder and president of InSite Management and professor emeritus of management at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Carpano has more than 20 years experience in international management and his research on the topics of international business strategy, organizational structure and foreign direct investment have been published in several academic journals.
Italy’s leading industries are tourism, machinery, iron and steel, chemicals, food processing, textiles and motor vehicles. Exports from North Carolina to Italy in 2007 totaled $300 million. Top export products included chemicals, rubber and plastic, pharmaceuticals, wood pulp and machinery. The state is also home to several dozen Italian companies accounting for about 5,000 jobs.
On Tuesday, Easley visited Castello Banfi, an American family-owned vineyard estate and winery in the Brunello region of Tuscany to see how its high-tech operation joins tradition and innovation in the Italian wine industry. A recent national survey sponsored by the Travel Industry Association named North Carolina as one of the top five state destinations for wine and culinary tourism activities in the United States. In the May issue of Wine Enthusiast magazine, the editors listed Childress Vineyards in Davidson County as one of America’s Top 25 Tasting Rooms. The magazine describes the Yadkin Valley winery and restaurant as “reminiscent of Tuscany.”
The North Carolina wine and grape industry currently employs 5,700 workers and contributes $813 million a year to the state’s economy. For more information, call 1-877-3NCWINE (1-877-362-9463) or visit www.visitncwine.com.
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