Marching forward: the businesses in North Carolina's military cluster find success by enlisting unparalleled preparation and support.

PositionMILITARY ROUND TABLE

North Carolina has a storied military history, but its drafting a new chapter as a leader in military businesses. More than 416,000 people in the state were employed by the military or a military-supporting business in 2007, according to the N.C. Department of Commerce. By 2013, that number is predicted to swell by almost 50,000, and the gross state product is predicted to increase by $2.9 billion just from military growth. A panel of experts recently gathered to discuss how businesses in the state can continue harnessing the power of this sector Participating were Peter Bishop, director of economic development for Currituck County; Lance DeSpain, executive director of the North Carolina Military Foundtztion; Scott Dormy, executive director of the North Carolina Military Business Center; Larry Keen, president of Fayetteville Technical Community College; and Greg Taylor executive director of the. Fort Bing Regional Alliance. The round table was sponsored by Currituck County Economic Development Department and Fayetteyille Technical Community College, which also hosted the discussion. It was moderated by Business NORTH CAROLINA Publisher Ben Kinney The Plowing transcript has been edited for brevity and clarity.

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Explain how your organizations help military-focused businesses grow?

DeSpain: The North Carolina Military Foundation focuses on what the military needs now and in the future in order to offer state-centric and command-centric solutions that give businesses a competitive advantage at the Pentagon and in Washington, D.C. It accepts no taxpayer dollars, which allows recently retired admirals and generals to sit on the foundation's board alongside CEOs and presidents of some of the largest companies in North Carolina. That puts our focus on deals that benefit the state and our resident commands.

Dorney: The North Carolina Military Business Center is a component of the N.C. Community College System and headquartered at Fayetteville Technical Community College. It staffs 13 offices from Franklin in the west to Elizabeth City in the northeast. Its economic-development mission is to help businesses win more federal contracts, develop new defense contractors and transition military personnel into the state's private workforce. It supports businesses in the federal matketplace, something that is unparalleled anywhere else in the country. I was in a meeting the other day, and somebody said, "You know, businesses don't believe you if you knock on their doors and say, 'Hey, I'm from the government, and I'm here to help.'" That's not the case in North Carolina. Businesses are amazed by our proactive approach. It's not just a. pull; it's a push. Our mission is to make this sector successful, and everybody is engaged in getting that message out to businesses.

Keen: The community-college system supports economic development through workforce development. Fayetteville Technical Community College, the fourth-largest school in the system, serves 40,000 people each year, including many veterans, military personnel and their families. We've helped a number of defense contractors with employee training. We helped the Army save $34 million a year in training and education because we were able to offer those classes here at the college.

Taylor: The Fort Bragg Regional Alliance, a partnership of the 11 counties and 73 municipalities around Fort Bragg, was formed in response to Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission 2005. As more troops have moved to Fort Bragg, it has dealt with growth issues and served as a point of contact between the military and the community. It has helped the region take advantage of the growth the military has brought to its economy.

Bishop: Currituck County is just south of Hampton Roads, Va., and its more than 100,000 active-duty troops and 12 military installations. That's an important connection for...

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