Future focused: the Charlotte region is banking its past successes and looking toward the future by developing leadership and industries while solving challenges such as transportation.

• Position: CHARLOTTE REGION ROUND TABLE

CHARLOTTE REGION ROUND TABLE CHARLOTTE HAS MADE ITS PLACE IIM NORTH CAROLINA, THE COUNTRY AND WORLD.

The Queen City is home to eight Fortune 500 company headquarters, and it is a top U.S. banking center and the crown of a 16-county region. But it isn't resting on its laurels. It's addressing its growing pains, including leadership and industry development and transportation. Business North Carolina magazine gathered leaders and executives from the region to discuss how obstacles are being handled and what else is needed to continue the region's reign.

Ben Kinney, Business North Carolina publisher, moderated the discussion, which was held at the Charlotte headquarters of law firm Robinson Bradshaw & Hinson PA. The transcript was edited for brevity and clarity.

Ronnie Bryant

president and CEO, Charlotte Regional Partnership

Teresa Thorson Cox

president and CEO, Charlotte-based Business

Innovation and Growth Council

Allan Evora

founder and president, Charlotte-based Affinity Automation LLC

Andy Mueller, MD

senior vice president, Winston-Salem-based Novant Health

Allen Robertson

managing partner, Charlotte-based Robinson Bradshaw & Hinson PA

Robert Wilhelm

vice chancellor for research and economic development, UNC Charlotte

THE CHARLOTTE REGION'S ECONOMY IS A UNIQUE MIX OF INDUSTRIES. HOW IS BUSINESS FROM YOUR POINT OF VIEW?

BRYANT We have about 70 active projects, which is a pre-recession amount. The Charlotte region is seen as strong domestically and increasingly so globally. We're adding almost 100,000 residents each year, and companies follow talent. UNC Charlotte is one of the state's fastest growing universities, and were attracting graduates from educational institutions nationwide. We're served by five ports, and the new $130 million intermodal yard at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, from which goods can reach 60% of the U.S. population overnight, is one reason why 42% of our active projects are international.

ROBERTSON We're seeing more mergers and acquisitions through private equity and some fund investments. Banks still are constrained in regards to leverage lending, so we see mezzanine capital--another type of junior capital--stepping into that space. Health care and energy sectors are active, too. We're helping a couple of young entrepreneurial clients fund solar farms and solar investments.

WILHELM There is growth across the campus. The university welcomed 28,000 students for its fall semester. Our research-and-development funding grew 30% to near $50 million in the last year. Our Ventureprise business incubator and accelerator is home to 22 startups that together employ more than 100 people. Fifteen more companies have located portions of their R&D teams on campus. We have new sector-targeted programs, including energy, data science, advanced manufacturing and health care. Demand for our graduates continues to grow.

EVORA It's been a strong year for Affinity Automation, especially with data centers because their electrical distribution systems are critical to their operation. We also have been a player in waste-to-power systems. Solar is probably our largest market in terms of...