Over the past five years, the North Carolina Railroad Company has committed to rail-served economic development in a way that sets North Carolina apart from other states. Through NCRR Invests, the Company assists in recruitment and retention of rail-served business and industry by making investments in rail infrastructure companies need to locate or expand, resulting in more jobs for the people of North Carolina. Since launching NCRR Invests, the Company has invested more than $14 million in nine rail-served economic development projects that have been publicly announced.
Additionally, the Company is encouraging economic development partners and the real estate community across the state to review their site and building inventories and to identify those that are or could be rail-served. While these established sites are broadly marketed, promoting them specifically to rail-served companies and site selection consultants sets North Carolina apart.
Through targeted outreach, NCRR is promoting North Carolina’s database of rail-served properties to site location professionals and corporate executives at both national and international levels.
NCRR’s newsletter, SwitchingItUp, showcases available N.C. rail-served properties, tips for how to competitively position these properties when talking with clients, and other information specific to rail-served economic development.
How do you know if an industrial site or building is truly rail-served? A rail-served property has the onsite rail infrastruc- ture already in place that a company could use to ship product via rail almost immediately. If a site or building is located near an active rail line, the respective railroad’s operator is able to determine if and how rail service can be brought efficiently to the property.
“When companies need a rail-served site, it can be a difficult search process for a critical need,” says Anna Lea Moore, NCRR Vice President of Economic Development. “We are leveraging our rail expertise to help a client’s site location task be an efficient process when they consider North Carolina. We’ve worked to raise the bar by providing access to our site inventory and by equipping communities with the knowledge required to be relevant and helpful when trying to meet the customer’s specific rail needs.”
“By taking these steps, we are increasing awareness around the opportunities for rail-served sites as well as the due diligence required for them to be effectively marketed,” says Moore. “We are working to not only be responsive, but also proactive.”
