Powerful force: the North Carolina energy industry is shaping manufacturing, education and technology as it prepares for the future.

PositionENERGY ROUND TABLE - Interview

Though it has a foundation in the Charlotte region, the energy industry is wired to all corners of North Carolina. The state is home to the largest utility in the country and companies that design, maintain or build everything from nuclear power plants to the wires that carry electricity to homes and businesses, The Charlone Regional Partnership says the industry has added 6,100 jobs in its region since 2007. BUSINESS NORTH CAROLINA recently gathered a panel experts to discuss the importance of the industry and its future. Participating were Thomas Boothby, partner at Charlotte-based accounting firm Dixon Hughes Goodman LLP; Johan Enslin, director of UNC Charlotte Energy Production and Infeastructure Center; Bill Heitman, executive energy adviser at Central Piedmont Community College's. Center for Energy Training in Charlotte; Tim Holder, vice president for sales and economic development for Statesivile-based Energy United Electric Membership Corp.; Clarence Lyons. project manager of renewable resources for Palo Alto, Calif-based Electric Power Research Institute Inc. North Carolina operations; Linda Nwadike, engineer with Stonington, Conn.-based Zachry Nuclear Engineering Inc.'s Charlotte office; and Teresa Helmlinger Ratcliff, interim vice provost for outreach and engagement and executive director of Raleigh-based N.C. State University's Inchtstrial Extension Service. The round table was sponsored and hosted by Dixon Hughes Goodman, with support from CPCC, Energy United and N.C. State Industrial Extension Service. This transcript was brevity and charity.

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What is the impact of the energy industry on the state's economy?

Boothby: The industry has grown substantially over the last several years thanks to new organizations and political initiatives. There are almost daily announcements of jobs and new energy companies starting or relocating their headquarters here.

Holder: The Charlotte Regional Partnership says more than 20,000 people work in the industry now, just in its region. In the state, there are about 1,000 energy companies, and 250 of them are in the Charlotte region.

Heitman: The community college wraps its arms around the size of the energy cluster by organizing its members by business model--engineering, construction, manufacturing, power generation, distribution. That helps show the breadth of companies in the cluster.

Ratcliff: The spectrum is getting more colorful as renewable energy and its manufacturing come into maturity. The energy industry is like every other industry: It's not just the people who generate and distribute. There is a supply chain that needs nurturing as well.

Lyons: You can find startups and established international energy companies in North Carolina. Having points all along the growth curve speaks to the maturity of the cluster.

What draws energy companies to North Carolina?

Boothby: It has a great environment for development, both startups and companies with new ideas. Companies from all over the U.S. call us about North Carolina because they want to be here. Interest is especially strong in the renewable-energy industry.

Nwadike: Years ago I wouldn't have thought Zachry's nuclear division would have a Charlotte office. However, looking at the number of energy companies in the cluster, it was the right move. It makes sense to be in the same region as Duke Energy Corp.--a major nuclear-power generator--AREVA Inc. North America, URS Corp., Mitsubishi Nuclear Energy Systems and others. Charlotte is the place to be if you are in the energy industry.

Holder: Abundant Power Group LLC is relatively new in the region. It's a financial company that focuses on energy-efficiency programs and products...

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