Economic Development Allies Forum Highlights the Automotive and Motorsports Industries
On April 3, Duke Energy Carolinas hosted its 2nd Annual Economic Development Allies Forum at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. The event was attended by approximately 200 economic development professionals from across both North and South Carolina. The forum highlighted the automotive and motorsports industries in the Carolinas.The Keynote Speaker for the event was former race car driver and now race team owner, Ray Evernham. Mr. Evernham is President and CEO of Evernham Motorsports. Additionally, Winston Kelley, Executive Director of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, was one of the featured speakers.
The event also had a panel of automotive experts from: DaimlerChrysler, BMW, AISIN (automotive supplier to Toyota), the International Center for Automotive Research (ICAR) and UNCC. The panel discussed the competitiveness issues facing the Carolinas, along with insights into the automotive and motorsports industries. Presentations highlighted the growing interest and business impact of the automotive and motorsports industries in the region.
Participants included local, state, and regional economic developers, elected and appointed members of their respective governing boards, along with national site selection consultants. The anticipated outcome will be a higher quality and quantity of recruitment efforts of companies representing both industries.
