Gov. Cooper announces Atom expansion

May 10. North Carolina ranks first in the nation for the third year on Site Selection magazine’s 2023 Prosperity Cup, a key measurement of state business competitiveness that is awarded based on the number of new and expanded facilities in the state, capital investment, and total number of new jobs.

Two Chatham County projects alone in 2022 accounted for $9 billion in capital investment. Vietnamese EV and battery manufacturer VinFast picked the Triangle Innovation Point mega site for its three-part manufacturing center for production of electric cars, buses and batteries.

“With strong infrastructure and education investments along with our continued commitment to diversity and inclusion, we can continue to lead the country in attracting the most dynamic and innovative businesses in the world, creating good-paying jobs and livable communities,” Gov. Roy Cooper said.

North Carolina led the Prosperity Cup field, followed by Georgia, Ohio and Indiana.

Yesterday the governor announced 205 new jobs at Atom Power in Huntersville.

North Carolina’s recent successes in economic development include VinFast’s announcement of its first North American electric vehicle (EV) assembly and battery manufacturing plant, bringing 7,500 jobs to Chatham County; Wolfspeed, which announced its newest semiconductor manufacturing plant in Siler City for a $5 billion investment creating 1,800 jobs; Boom Supersonic’s announcement of its supersonic airliner manufacturing and assembly plant in Greensboro, for an investment of $500 million creating 1,750 jobs; and Eli Lilly and Company’s announcement of its new manufacturing site in Concord, for an investment of $1 billion and creating 600 jobs.