Rolling along: North Carolina's diverse transportation assets are growing, meeting the needs of travelers, companies and economic developers.

• Position: TRANSPORTATION AND LOGISTICS ROUND TABLE

NORTH CAROLINA IS MIDWAY on the East Coast, making it a vital hub for the transportation and logistics industry. That importance isn't slowing down. Improvements to the state's 90,000 miles of roads, 3,200 miles of track, four major airports and two ports are attracting the attention of companies and spurring economic development. But it isn't always a smooth ride. Business North Carolina magazine recently assembled a panel of transportation experts to discuss the industry's successes and challenges.

KEVIN BAKER executive director, Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro

CHARLES CREECH president, Winston-Salem-based North State Aviation LLC

SCOTT FULTON senior vice president of sales, Greensboro-based EPES Transport System Inc.

ANNA LEA MOORE vice president of economic development, Raleigh-based North Carolina Railroad Co.

The discussion was moderated by Ben Kinney, Business North Carolina publisher. North Carolina Railroad, EPES Transport System, N.C. Department of Transportation, Transportation Impact and Piedmont Triad International Airport, which hosted the round table, provided support. The transcript was edited for brevity and clarity.

BRANDON STATON director of sales and marketing, Emerald Isle-based Transportation Impact LLC

PAUL WORLEY rail division director, Raleigh-based N.C. Department of Transportation

NICOLAS YALE director of aviation programs, Jamestown based Guilford Technical Community College

HOW DOES YOUR COMPANY OR ORGANIZATION VIEW THE STATE'S TRANSPORTATION INDUSTRY?

FULTON The bulk of our longtime business is resistant to economic downturns. There are still days when we aren't as busy as we would like, but we're doing well overall. We cover the eastern half of the country, and our drivers drove more than 27 million miles in North Carolina last year. There are challenges. We have electronic driver s logs on our tractors, for example, but most small trucking companies don't. They will be mandatory in December. So while technology is a good thing, if smaller freight carriers don't embrace technology, we could lose capacity.

STATON We started our business in 2008, during the Great Recession. We consider it recession-proof because its audits and contract negotiations save money for customers who ship a large volume of goods. That keeps them competitive. Everyone likes to save money, even when the economy is humming along. The company has grown by at least double digits every year. We see that continuing.

MOORE Recent North Carolina Railroad investments have put the rail line in prime condition. Now, the railroad is returning to its roots. It was chartered in 1848 to connect the east and Piedmont, opening the door for industrial and economic development. The board has directed us to support recruiting and retaining businesses, creating jobs and increasing freight traffic. We're partnering with railroads statewide to accomplish those goals. We're doing statewide marketing and identifying industrial rail sites. The state is in a good position to take advantage of those. Nationally, railroads have shifted their business goals, including transitioning from carrying large amounts of coal. Its production was at a 35-year low in 2016, according to the U.S. Energy Department, because utilities are using more natural gas and renewables, such as wind or solar, for power generation. Two of the country's largest railroads--[Norfolk, Va.-based] Norfolk Southern Corp. and [Jacksonville, Fla.-based] CSX Corp.--operate in North Carolina. They will continue to...