A new tool for trade.

• Position: Charlotte

The value of exports from the Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, S.C., Metropolitan Statistical Area has never been higher, with shipments reaching $6.3 billion last year, according to the International Trade Association. That was the most of any metro in the state and up 1.1% from 2011. Though that may sound impressive, it has plenty of room to grow, considering that the MSA is the 23rd most-populous in the U.S. but just the 42nd-largest export market. Something that should help bolster the region's rep as a trade center is on its way. Later this year, Norfolk Southern Corp. plans to open a $92 million intermodal terminal at Charlotte Douglas International Airport that will handle the transfer of shipping containers railed in from ports--such as those in Charleston, S.C., and Wilmington--to trucks. The Norfolk, Va.-based railroad estimates the terminal will generate $6.3 billion for the region over the next two decades.

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N.C. metros reporting merchandise exports...