Economic Development May Recap New & Expanding Companies:

Distil Networks | Raleigh | Software/IT | New
Distil Networks, a security software firm, is opening a new office in Raleigh and expects to hire 10 employees by the end of 2014. Distill Networks is currently working out of a temporary space at HQ Raleigh. Distil Networks is a public and private cloud security provider that blocks malicious bots, or automated computer programs, attacking websites.

Local Government Federal Credit Union | Raleigh | Financial Services |Expanding
Local Government Federal Credit Union, a not-for-profit cooperative, bought the former headquarters of the Wake County Public School System on Wake Forest Road in Raleigh. The credit union plans to use the facility for its expansion plans for its growing staff in downtown Raleigh.

NetApp | Research Triangle Park | Software/IT | Expanding
NetApp, a computer storage and data management company, is expanding at its Research Triangle Park campus and plans to hire 150 people. NetApp is building a new data storage center, which will allows it to enhance its shared-services infrastructure for testing its hardware and software against conditions that meet or exceed the extreme performance requirements of today's enterprise data centers and cloud environments.

Newmark Grubb Knight Frank | Raleigh | Real Estate | New
Newmark Grubb Knight Frank, a commercial real estate firm, is opening a new Raleigh office at the TrustAtlantic Building on Glenwood Avenue. Newmark Grubb Knight Frank has already hired four employees. The company provides portfolio management, workplace strategy, transaction management, financial analysis, and market forecasts to its clients.

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. 

Wake County Municipality Highlight: Zebulon

Zebulon, with a population of 4,591, is known as the "Town of Friendly People." The town was incorporated in 1907 and was named after Zebulon B Vance, the governor of North Carolina during the Civil War. Zebulon maintains a small town charm while offering a high quality of life for its residents. Zebulon's residents and businesses enjoy first class fire and police protection, six municipal parks, and a community center. Zebulon is also home to Five County Stadium and the Carolina Mudcats, a minor league affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. Zebulon is ideally situated along U.S. Highways 264 and 64 (future I-495), and is only 25 minutes from both I-95 and downtown Raleigh. Zebulon has a strong industrial tax base with companies such as GlaxoSmithKline, Nomacorc LLC, and US Foods. Zebulon is a great place to live, work, and play. Please visit Zebulon if you are considering locating your business to Wake County.

Recent News and Events:    

Wake County Economic Development Hosts Economic Development Forum

Wake County Economic Development and the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce hosted the annual Economic Development Forum on May 15 at the Raleigh Marriott City Center. At the forum, Dick Lindenmuth, interim CEO of the proposed Economic Development Partnership of NC, Inc., addressed attendees about the partnership's goals and objectives. Lindenmuth's remarks were followed by an panel of Triangle business leaders and NC Economic Development Partnership board members who shared their thoughts on the initiatives of the proposed organization, how the Triangle stacks up against global competition, and what Wake County and the Triangle need to do to position the region for a successful future. Panelists included: Dick Lindenmuth; Tom Looney, vice president and general manager of Lenovo North America; John Kane, CEO of Kane Realty Corporation; and Jim Whitehurst, president and CEO of Red Hat. Jeff Corbett, senior vice president of Duke Energy, served as the emcee for the event and Greg Winkler, regional business banking manager of Wells Fargo, moderated the panel. Key takeaways included the need for continued collaboration among economic development organizations across North Carolina, similar to the collaboration and cooperation modeled in Wake County and the Triangle, as well as the importance of talent retention and recruitment in economic development.

Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce Hosts Retired Lt. Gen. Zilmer for Energy Discussion

In May, Lt. General Richard Zilmer, USMC (Retired) joined industry and chamber leaders from across the Research Triangle at the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce to discuss the link between energy, the economy, and national security, as well as the role that North Carolina----and its business leaders and entrepreneurs----can play in helping to lead the nation to a safer and stronger energy future. Zilmer discussed the importance for continued energy innovation and investments in clean energy in North Carolina and Wake County. 

Wake County Economic Development Hosts DEFNET Event

The annual spring installment of the popular DEFNET series was held on May 29 at NC State's University Club. More than 60 defense technology companies attended, as well as representatives from NC State and UNC involved in this dynamic industry sector. The mood was lively and optimistic as the initial dampening effect of sequestration has been largely overcome by more clarity on where the defense industry as a whole is headed. Oak Grove Technologies sponsored this session of DEFNET. The DEFNET series is the result of collaboration between Dr. Michael Steer of NC State and Wayne Watkins, project manager for Wake County Economic Development.  

Recent Rankings:  

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

• #3 Best Regulatory Climate (Raleigh, NC) U.S. Chamber of Commerce 
• #4 Fastest Growing City for Renters (Raleigh, NC) Rent.com 
• #4 Best City to Start a Business (Raleigh, NC) Nerd Wallet 
• #8 City Creating the Most Information Jobs (Raleigh-Cary, NC) Forbes 
• #9 Best City for Employee Recognition (Raleigh, NC) Quantum Workplace 
• Top 10 Up-and-Coming Neighborhood (Raleigh, NC) USA Today 
• Top 10 Best City Art District (Raleigh, NC) USA Today

Year-to-date Metrics:

Since Jan. 1, 2014, Wake County Economic Development has had 40 new projects and 18 site visits. Wake County has had 36 announcements of companies moving or expanding to the area, creating 1,269 jobs and investing more than $340 million.

Wake County Labor Market Statistics: