Crown jewels.

• Author: Lea, Amanda
• Position: REGIONAL REPORT: CHARLOTTE

Charlotte's growth is among the fastest in the nation. That's building its assets, including an international airport, light-rail system and diverse housing.

Charlotte's year began with a bang. In March, New York-based private real-estate investment firm Northwood Investors LLC, which manages more than $6 billion worth of assets, bought most of Ballantyne Corporate Park for more than $1 billion. While it was the largest real-estate transaction in the municipality's history, it wasn't Northwood's first foray into the Queen City. It owns 50-story The Vue apartment building in downtown, Blakeney Shopping Center in South Charlotte and McLean, a 670-acre housing development in nearby Belmont.

The Bissell Cos. began developing Ballantyne Corporate Park, 535 acres alongside Interstate 485, more than 20 years ago. The version Northwood purchased has more than 4 million square feet of Class A office space and nearly 600 hotel rooms, including The Ballantyne, a luxury hotel, spa and championship golf course. New York-based Metropolitan Life Insurance Co., Charlotte-based Snyder s-Lance Inc., Charlotte-based Sonic Automotive Inc. and Greenwich, Conn.-based XPO Logistics Inc. are some of its tenants. Former Bissell executive Ned Curran is president of Northwood Investors' local office, which will oversee Ballantyne. He says continuing the park's corporate community identity is a priority. "We want to reposition Ballantyne as a destination beyond a workplace and add more choices to make it more attractive to everyone."

Businesses are already giving Charlotte and its surrounding counties a good look, and that's translating into accolades and opportunities. Trade magazine Business Facilities 13th annual Rankings Report recently named it the country's No. 2 metro--cities with more than 300,000 people--for economic growth potential and No. 10 for startup growth. Earlier this year, Forbes worked with Germany-based research firm Statista GmbH to rank the country's best employers. Three Charlotte region companies made the list--Charlotte-based Nucor Corp. at No. 26, Charlotte-based Duke Energy Corp. at No. 141 and Ireland-based Ingersoll-Rand PLC, whose North America headquarters is in Davidson, at No. 222.

Several factors play into the Charlotte region's success, says Kristen Leis, chief marketing and business development officer at Charlotte-based law firm Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP. Businesses see its exceptional market access and quality business environment. "Whether we're talking about the banking, energy, manufacturing or health care sectors, our region includes Fortune 500 giants, midsize corporations, niche suppliers and startups."

But the allure goes deeper. "Charlotte has a robust culture, strong workforce and transportation that attract many different...