Economic Development February Recap

New & Expanding Companies:

AT&T, a multinational telecommunications company, is hiring 23 new employees in Raleigh. The new personnel will drive a wide range of upgrades to enhance network speed, coverage, and performance of the company's wireless network.

Clinipace Worldwide | Biotech/Pharma | Expanding

Clinipace Worldwide, a Morrisville-based contract research organization, hired more than 50 new employees in 2013 and expects to increase its headcount by an additional 25 percent in 2014. The company will hire for positions in clinical monitoring, site management services, clinical project management, clinical data management, and financial operations. Clinipace offers an innovative service model to serve the unique needs of venture-backed, mid-tier, and strategic pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device firms.

Complete Delivery Solution | Transportation | New

Complete Delivery Solution, a nationwide same-day delivery network, is moving its headquarters from Oxford to Raleigh. The company delivers time sensitive documents and other enterprise necessities across its nationwide network using an online platform.

Dude Solutions | Software/IT | Expanding

Dude Solutions, the parent company of both SchoolDude and FacilityDude, will add 440 employees over the next five years after a $100 million investment by a private equity firm. Dude Solutions provides cloud-based software that helps schools and other entities manage their information technology and energy consumption.

Entigral | Software/IT | Expanding

Entigral, a software company, plans to add at least 10 more employees by the end of the year. Entigral is a leader in RFID Asset Tracking Solutions for fixed assets, supply chain, and manufacturing.

Expion | Software/IT | Expanding

Expion, an enterprise social media management software company, is planning to add more than 35 employees in 2014. Expion provides brands and agencies with enterprise tools to drive social marketing and increase user engagement.

Mead & Hunt | Architecture and Engineering | New

Mead & Hunt, an architectural and engineering firm, opened its first office in North Carolina in downtown Raleigh at 127 W. Hargett St. Mead & Hunt will initially focus on highway and bridge design services for municipal and state clients. Mead & Hunt also provides professional services for projects in aviation, dams and hydropower, food, industrial, military, and municipal infrastructure.

Paragon Bank | Financial Services | Expanding

Paragon Bank, a personal and commercial bank, is opening a 2,700-square-foot branch office in Cary at the corner of Davis Drive and High House Road. Paragon's commercial focus is on operating companies, professional firms, and nonprofit organizations with revenues under $100 million. Paragon also focuses on serving the private banking needs of executives, business owners, entrepreneurs, and other individuals.

Valencell | Software/IT | Expanding

Valencell, a technology company, is planning to hire 10 employees this year. Valencell's PerformTek sensor technology leverages the natural physiology of the ear to track biometric data. Valencell develops wearable physiological monitoring technology and licenses this technology to industry partners for seamless integration with brand-name products already used by consumers while exercising or going about daily activities.

Recent News:

• Raleigh and the Triangle have been selected among nine metro areas that Google is considering for an expansion of Google Fiber, its high-speed Internet and TV service. Google's fiber optic network offers residential customers 1 gigabit-per-second Internet service, which is nearly 100 times faster than most basic broadband connections in the United States. According to Google, the nine metros in contention were selected for the service because "[they] are led by people who have been working hard to bring faster Internet speeds and the latest technologies to their residents" and "these are communities who will do amazing things with a gig ..." The company is targeting seven municipalities in the Triangle including: Carrboro, Cary, Chapel Hill, Durham, Garner, Morrisville, and Raleigh. Each metro has been given a checklist of things to do to make its areas fiber-ready; and Google is working alongside them on the planning and construction of the data infrastructure. Over the next several months, Google plans to conduct topography and infrastructure studies and discuss planning with local officials to determine whether the Triangle is suited for its network. The other metro areas being considered for this latest expansion are Charlotte, Atlanta, Nashville, San Antonio, San Jose, Salt Lake City, Phoenix, and Portland.

• American Underground, a start-up hub with two locations in Durham, officially launched its 13-tenant Raleigh location on Feb. 19. The Underground is a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem offering solo entrepreneurs, creative teams, and high-growth companies access to a mix of investors, creative collaborators, and office space. The American Underground Raleigh campus, anchored by Bandwidth Labs----the incubator arm of Raleigh-based Bandwidth.com----has room to accommodate more than 25 startups.

Trade Shows for Recruitment:

• In February, Michael Haley, project manager for Wake County Economic Development, participated on the panel for the Chambers for Innovation and Clean Energy's 2014 Clean Energy Investment Forecast. The CICE is a national network of local chambers of commerce dedicated to helping chambers and their member companies successfully navigate and prosper in the clean energy space. Haley served on the panel to provide insight on how we have positioned Raleigh and the Research Triangle as America's leading smart grid and cleantech region because of our industry strength, university and industry resources, and talent. Panelists also pointed out several areas that will likely be areas of particular interest in 2014----home energy management, advanced transportation, solar, water, analytics, and data management. Haley explained, "What's exciting for Raleigh and the Triangle is that the companies in our community are very much focused on these sectors."

Recent Rankings:

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

• #2 Fastest Growing City in 2014 (Raleigh, NC) Forbes
• #3 Best City for Young Entrepreneurs (Raleigh, NC) Credit Donkey
• #5 Emerging Tech Hub in the World (Raleigh, NC) TransferWise
• #6 Most Affordable and Growing City in the U.S. (Raleigh, NC) Cheapism.com
• #6 Safest Suburb in America (Cary, NC) Movoto
• #7 Safest Suburb in America (Apex, NC) Movoto
• #8 Major Market for Brainpower (Raleigh, NC) Bizjournals.com
• #11 Best City for Female Entrepreneurs (Raleigh, NC) Nerd Wallet

Year-to-date Metrics:

Since Jan. 1, 2014, Wake County Economic Development has had 11 new projects and four site visits. Wake County has had 14 announcements of companies moving or expanding to the area, creating 688 jobs and investing more than $15 million.

New and Expanding Announcements by Cluster:

Of the 14 new and expanding announcements in 2014, 11 of those (79 percent) are in Wake County Economic Development's cluster industries.

Labor Market Statistics:

Wake County

Note: Due to the longer processing time required for annual revisions, January 2014 labor market statistics will be released on March 21.