Sponsor comments.

• Author: Cozza, Paul J.
• Position: SPONSORED SECTION: FOCUS ON THE COAST

While North Carolina Ports are physically located in Wilmington and Morehead City, our benefits reach from the coastal plains all the way to the Blue Ridge Mountains. In fact, North Carolina's economic growth is our mission, and we are committed to serving global and local businesses while attracting new companies to the economic development centers of our state.

How exactly do the ports contribute to North Carolina's economic growth and development? And, how do the ports impact your business community? These are big questions. And we've got big answers.

North Carolina's ports in Wilmington and Morehead City, plus inland terminals in Charlotte and in Greensboro, link the state's consumers, businesses and industry to world markets and serve as magnets to attract new business and industry. In fact, we provide an annual economic contribution of $14 billion to the state's economy from goods moving through our ports.

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A study from the Institute for Transportation Research and Education shows that North Carolina Ports directly and indirectly support more than 76,700 jobs.

All of these jobs have something in common: They need the services provided by the economic engine that is North Carolina Ports. These businesses need access to the global markets where their products are sold and their resources are found. We provide North Carolina that access, making North Carolina Ports a key factor in North Carolina's economic growth. And the good news is that the access we provide is getting better.

Annually, we seamlessly handle greater than 300,000 TEUs and 4 million tons of bulk cargo...