The document summarizes discussions from a forum of North Carolina business leaders about preparing the state's economy for the future. Key points discussed included: - North Carolina's population is expected to grow by 2 million people by 2030, making it the 7th most populous state. - A strategic plan called North Carolina Vision 2030 outlines four "pillars" to drive job growth: strong education, a competitive business climate, innovation in key industries, and adequate infrastructure. - Forum attendees emphasized the need for mentoring talent, evolving with technology, fostering entrepreneurship and innovation, and continuing to improve the state's business environment on a national stage.

1. at the
INSIDE LOOK
2015 FUTURE OF NORTH CAROLINA FORUM
REVEALED
An

2. An Executive Leadership Conference on
Accelerating North Carolina’s Future

3. Presented by:Hosted by:

4. On Monday, Dec. 7, 2015, nearly 200 of the state’s most
prominent CEO’s and thought leaders gathered for this
exclusive, invitation-only event to discuss a number of
initiatives critical to our state’s prosperity.
Discover the outcomes of their discussion.

5. North Carolina expects to add nearly 2 million people
between now and 2030, becoming the seventh most
populous state in the country.
It begs the question: Are We Ready?

6. To empower North Carolina’s business community, the
North Carolina Chamber Foundation – a nonpartisan,
business-led, solutions-oriented organization – developed
a long-term strategic vision to produce good jobs.

7. North Carolina Vision 2030 – A Plan for Accelerating
Job Growth and Securing North Carolina’s Future, is a
forward-thinking, strategic plan that provides
focused economic development initiatives to drive
real economic recovery and growth for North
Carolinians.

8. North Carolina must be a business-friendly state that
attracts top employers and employees, and provide a
high quality of life.
Job creation is the key. North Carolina Vision 2030
provides the means to deliver it.

9. To achieve the ambitious goal of job creation, the
plan outlines four “Pillars of a Secure Future”:

10. The first priority outlined in Vision 2030 is to develop
and maintain strong education and workforce-
development systems, including:
Effective, innovative public schools
A strong community college system
A world-class university system

11. to
WHAT
FOCUS ON
FUTURE?
for the
ATTENDEES DISCUSSED

13. “Your best investment when it comes to retention
and talent acquisition is building your mentoring
capabilities within your organization.”
Dr. David DeLong
President, Smart Workforce Strategies

14. The second pillar addresses our competitive business climate
compared to other states’ rankings in eight key areas:
Unemployment Insurance Taxes
Workers’ Compensation Health Care
Government Efficiency Right-to-Work Status
Regulatory Environment
Tort Reform & the Legal Climate

15. to
WHAT
FOCUS ON
FUTURE?
for the
ATTENDEES DISCUSSED

17. “You have to start thinking differently. Start early,
start with technology, start with the ability to
continue to evolve technology and ultimately,
win the hearts and the loyalty of your future
customers.”
Ricky Brown
President, BB&T

18. The third pillar will help facilitate innovations and
advances to bolster North Carolina’s leadership in:
Technology
Pharmaceuticals
Finance
Food Processing
Manufacturing

19. to
WHAT
FOCUS ON
FUTURE?
for the
ATTENDEES DISCUSSED

21. “The ability to get entrepreneurship to collide
with the fundamental infrastructure that can
make and convert innovation into real industry
is something we should focus on.”
Joydeep Ganguly
Vice president & general manager, Biogen

22. The fourth pillar addresses sufficient infrastructure
maintenance and improvements to meet the
demands required by growth, including:
Energy
Water
Transportation
Broadband
Manufacturing

23. to
WHAT
FOCUS ON
FUTURE?
for the
ATTENDEES DISCUSSED

25. “We’re competing on a national stage and we
need to continue to treat the stage in which
we’re operating in that same fashion.”
Ward Nye
President & CEO, Martin Marietta

26. Discover How You Can Help Secure North Carolina’s Future
ncchamber.net
#FutureofNC