What’s Driving the Piedmont Triad’s Growth

You rarely read about major growth in North Carolina without Charlotte or the Research Triangle being mentioned in the same breath. Charlotte has long been a banking powerhouse, while the Research Triangle, home to Research Triangle Park, has established itself as a center for technology and biotech. Yet within the state’s central region, the Piedmont Triad (Greensboro, Winston-Salem and High Point) is enjoying a quiet boom.

No boom happens overnight. More importantly, a single event doesn’t account for growth like this.

Here’s a pretty honest assessment of what’s driving the Triad: there are a number of factors, primarily good planning and good infrastructure, that are causing corporations to choose the Piedmont Triad for relocations. That, and people want to live here. And right now, that’s a lot harder to do in larger metropolitan areas.

The Rise of Advanced Manufacturing and Logistics

The Triad has long been known as an industrial economy and the heart of North Carolina’s textile industry. When textile manufacturing declined and mills closed or relocated, the region had to rebuild around something else. Over the past few years, heavy industry has given way to advanced manufacturing, aerospace, and alternative energy production. Much of that development isn’t happening on the outskirts of town, as you might expect. It’s showing up in existing regional facilities and large commercial and industrial buildings scattered throughout the Triad, along the region’s corridor of highways, including many sites located along the interstate and close to established transportation systems.

While the ground is being broken for large commercial and industrial projects throughout the Triad, there’s plenty of work required to complete them on schedule. This region is in dire need of skilled laborers, and companies are increasingly relying on staffing partners to keep projects moving. Superior Skilled Trades connects contractors and manufacturers with vetted electricians, welders, HVAC technicians, and other tradespeople, so companies can fill open positions in days rather than months and keep pace with the next project coming down the pipeline.

Housing, Cost of Living, and Community Appeal

While economic opportunity brings in investment, it is the liveability of an area that will keep people in a location in the long term. While costs have increased dramatically in neighboring states, the Piedmont Triad remains an attractive and reasonable option for families and for workers of all ages looking to relocate.

While one can visit many of the restaurants and enjoy nightlife in either Greensboro or Winston-Salem, the three cities each have their own unique culture that lends to particular tastes. In particular, Winston-Salem is known for an arts community and is home to many tech companies, while Greensboro is renowned for its many parks and is home to several top-notch educational establishments. High Point is known for its role in home furnishings.

And that balance changes everything.

There are many reasons why the region is an excellent place for someone to relocate their family for work in order to have more affordable housing and have the money to live out their full potential at work. By affording workers the chance to live in close proximity to work but with the ability to afford a backyard for kids to play in, it provides a great place for people to live and work and afford to live life in the Triad with good schools and a wide variety of cultural and entertainment opportunities.

Education and Workforce Development

A booming economy can’t grow long without a steady supply of the most skilled workers. To build upon the economy already booming in the Piedmont Triad region, a host of higher education campuses and facilities are strewn about.

Additionally, higher education systems provide a constant supply of potential employees for industries such as engineering, healthcare, and business, as well as aviation. Furthermore, local community colleges are being partnered with by leaders from local industry in order to develop and to upgrade a wide array of programs. Now, if a company is moving to the Triad and the company needs to have aviation mechanics, for example, the community colleges have programs in place to train up employees in a short amount of time.

By partnering local leadership with local educational institutions and enterprises, the region is fostering economic development from within the community, ensuring that the growth occurring here is truly homegrown.

What the Future Holds for the Region

A prosperous Piedmont Triad will be one that develops within a framework of long-term sustainability and development rather than short-term gains. The best growth comes when a region can leverage its strengths of the past while utilizing its physical and financial resources to develop required physical and operational infrastructure, which in turn creates an environment that allows both industry and individuals to grow and prosper.

Of course, growth of this magnitude is not without its challenges and growing pains.

As construction of more projects around the region continues and residents discover all of the great things the heart of North Carolina has to offer, the Piedmont Triad will no longer be perceived as existing in the shadows of its more prominent neighboring cities. Instead, the region will proudly forge its own path to lasting economic success and prosperity.