Queen City collaboration: Charlotte's business, education and community leaders are building a foundation to ensure North Carolina's largest city stays on top.

• Position: CHARLOTTE ROUND TABLE - Company overview - Interview

Charlotte took its fair share of hits during the Great Recession. The nation's second-largest financial center lost one of its two banking giants, Wachovia Corp., and tens of thousands of jobs, helping send the unemployment rate to 12.8% in January 2010. But the city had plenty in reserves. San Francisco-based Wells Far & Co., which had acquired Wachovia, made Charlotte its East Coast headquarters, and other financial-services companies moved in to snap up experienced bankers. Today, the 26 banks based there hold mare than $2.3 trillion in assets. According to the Charlotte Chamber. Eight Fortune 500 companies call the region home. Including Mooresville-based lowes Cos. and Nucor Corp. and Duke Energy Coup., both of which are based in Charlotte. Unemployment was still 10% in July, but a rapidly growing energy sector is helping recharge the economy. Gathering recently to discuss the city's business environment were Christie Amato, associate dean for graduate programs at UNC Charlotte's Belk College of Business; Brett Carter, president of Duke Engergy North Carolina; Jim Hzael, managing shareholder of Greenville. S.C.-based accounting firm Elliott Davis PLLC's Charlotte; Tom Heiks, Carolinas president for Cincinnati-based Fifth Third Bancorp; Bob Morgan, president of the Charlotte Chamber; Pat Rodgers, president and CEO of Charlotte-based Rodgers Builders lnc; and Richard Vinroot, former mayor of Charloote and a lawyer at Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson PA in Charlotte. The round-table discussion was sponsored by Elliott Davis and UNC Charlotte's Belk College of Business, which hosted the talk at its downtown campus. The following transcript has been edited for brevity and clarity.

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How is business in Charlotte?

Morgan: We've seen through the recession of the last three to four years that Charlotte has remained a destination, with companies still moving here and bringing jobs. We have seen positive population growth. We are still the second-largest banking center in the country. The energy sector has created several thousand new jobs over the last three to four years. We remain a transportation and distribution center and will become even more so after the intermodal yard that's being built at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport is completed. The region's health-care industry employs more than 80,000 people.

How is the banking business?

Heiks: The banking business is very good and exceeding our expectations. Our staff has grown by more than 20% throughout North and South Carolina. We are seeing good activity across all lines and have added workers across our wholesale and consumer lines as well as others.

What can you report about the energy business in Charlotte?

Carter: I believe that the energy opportunities in this region are huge. Having the largest utility in the nation and second-largest investor-owned gas and electric utility in the world in Charlotte following Duke's merger with [Raleigh-based Progress Energy Inc.] is a huge plus for the state and city.

How about the state of the region's construction industry?

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