Making a difference.

• Position: UPFRONT - Economic aspects of North Carolina

I was born in Burlington, a city whose socks covered feet all around the world. 'Manufacturing fed my father's family. His dad was a plumber, but his dad's dad and brothers built casegoods in a furniture factory and cabinet shops; his mama's people worked in textile mills and the hosiery plants that made those socks. My mother's father was an industrial engineer in a Western Electric plant that made parts for guided missiles.

Manufacturing put my hometown on the map, just as it did other Tar Heel towns and cities in the 20th century, and spread its name--through Burlington industries, once the world's biggest textile company--around the globe. Back then, this state made a name for itself making things, thanks to people willing to do a lot of hard work for very little pay. But this is a different century, and in many ways, it's a different world.

We're still a leader in making things, though. That was brought home in this year's Emerging Issues Forum, the annual two-day gathering in Raleigh of leaders from business, government, education and nonprofits to discuss important issues the state faces. This year's forum for which BUSINESS NORTH CAROLINA was a sponsor, focused on manufacturing. "We carried high ambitions from communities and companies across the state into this year's event," says Anita Brown-Graham, director of the Institute of Emerging issues at N.C. State University. "They called for North Carolina to hit a reset button on our collective understanding about today's manufacturing and to develop prevailing strategies for capitalizing on the potential growth for the industry sector."

Manufacturing in North Carolina is not disappearing, as many fear...