International impact: foreign investment in North Carolina and billions of dollars of exports translate into more business, more jobs and economic diversity.

• Position: BUSINESS ROUND TABLE: ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS - Interview

North Carolina business has gone global, big time. The Tar Heel State ranks 10th nationally for employment supported by direct investment by foreign companies. Foreign-owned companies employ nearly 207,000 people statewide, according to the N.C. Department of Commerce. And it's a two-way street, with North Carolina-based businesses manufacturing goods for export as well as expanding operations overseas. A panel of experts versed in the state's international-business climate and global economic-development efforts recently met to discuss the impact of international business, the challenges of attracting foreign companies to North Carolina and the potential for growth. Participating in the round table were Jean Davis, director of international trade for the Department of Commerce; Eric SchrauL a shareholder with Gmenville, S.C. -based accounting and consulting firm Elliott Davis LLC; Brad Luyster, vice president of Swiss-based ABB Ltd's Smart Grid Center of Excellence at N. C. State University Centennial Campus in Raleigh; Jim Fain, president of North Carolina Global TransPark in Kinston and former commerce secretary; Ashley Story; managing partner of the Raleigh office of Atlanta-based international law firm Trourman Sanders LLP; and Andreas Wobmann, vice president for finance at Syngenta Biotechnology Inc. in Research Iriangle Park, part of Swiss-based SyngenutAG The discussion, sponsored by Troutman Sanders and Elliott Davis and moderated by BUSINESS; NORTH CAROLINA Publisher Ben Kinney was held at Troutman Sanders' office in Raleigh. Following is a transcript, edited for brevity and clarity.

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How important is international business to the state's economy?

Davis: We exported $27 billion worth of products and services around the world in 2011. Clearly, international business has been very important to this state and has been a key driver of growth. As it's gone through this tough economy we've really seen our businesses, both large and small, survive and thrive and grow because of those international sales. Our work at the Department of Commerce has picked up greatly both on the trade side, helping North Carolina companies increase their international sales, and in attracting foreign-direct investment.

Fain: We also export nearly $3 billion worth of agricultural goods and have a very active international marketing team at the Department of Agriculture. So a lot of agricultural communities are benefitting from overseas sales.

Schmid: Roughly 1,000 companies in the greater Charlotte region have international ownership. Now I'm talking more about inbound investment into North Carolina, but certainly a number of these companies export outside of this state and internationally as well. I've read that roughly 250,000 jobs in North Carolina are directly tied to international companies.

Fain: And probably half of those are in manufacturing, with manufacturingtype wages.

How important are those jobs to local economies?

Davis: I think research shows that foreign-owned firms tend to have higher wages and more stability, so they are clearly great partners for us all throughout North Carolina.

Story: I think it's such a large and growing component of new business opportunity that you can't not have it on the radar or your agenda. Proximity is an important component of building businesses. If you have other businesses like that close by, I think it creates opportunities for everyone involved.

What factors are prompting these companies to come here?

Fain: I...