Econmic outlook.

• Author: Maley, Frank
• Position: Interview

Tony Copeland left the N.C. Department of Commerce in December after four years as assistant secretary for business development and trade. He's now president of the international division of Raleigh-based Longistics Transportation Inc. At Commerce, he oversaw international trade and the state's efforts to recruit and retain companies. From 2003 to 2006, the first three years of his tenure, the number of private-sector jobs in North Carolina grew 7%.

Why did you leave Commerce?

I had completed my mission, and the pipeline of jobs was full. I started the Commerce job on the eve of the filing of the largest bankruptcy in the history of North Carolina: Pillowtex. We had lost more manufacturing jobs than any other state.

You didn't know it was going under?

No, that was my welcome present. People were really singing a song of doom and gloom. And there was a lot of finger-pointing, whether it was Asia bashing or trade-policy bashing. Things looked bleak. It seemed that North Carolina was suffering from an indiscriminate pounding as a result of global reallocation.

What was done to prepare for that?

The leadership in this state, from Luther Hodges to Gov. Easley, had done several things. They tried hard to provide an educated work force through the community-college and university systems, which are second to none. They put in a logistical infrastructure of highways second to none in the country. We have international airports. We have a superb rail system and are expanding our international seaport capacity.

Why are you getting into logistics?

Logistics are what moves commerce around the world. Every company, when it locates, has to have a work force and a logistical infrastructure that will allow it to move raw materials in and to move products out. In a global economy that becomes more important--especially now that our connections with Asia are turning into a very positive thing. We didn't see that originally. North Carolina has the largest Chinese investment in America--Lenovo's purchase of the PC division of IBM.

Does North Carolina's central East Coast location help it much in a global economy?

Yes. We've got about 150,000 people here involved in the automotive industry. Much of that is in dealing with suppliers of parts. And that's clearly because of our positioning, being able to have just-in-time delivery for those parts. One of the jewels in the crown of development during my tenure was the location of Honda aviation's world headquarters...