Business North Carolina articles from February 2003

Business North Carolina archives from February 2003

Pride and prejudice. (Up Front).(a discussion of trends in Eastern North Carolina)(Column)
February 1, 2003... I began writing this column the last day of last year about as far east as you can get in Eastern North Carolina, two houses up the beach from where the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse stood its first 129 years. Of course, Dare County--at least that...

Trend.(demographic information for several cities in North Carolina)(Illustration)
February 1, 2003... TREND Latest Previous Previous month month year EMPLOYMENT (1) Total employed (000s) 3,721.3 3,726.1 ...

Dire needs: Former Gov. Jim Hunt says talk of a domestic Marshall Plan to rebuild Eastern North Carolina's economy is warranted. (Outlook).(an interview with former governor Jim Hunt)(Interview)
February 1, 2003... Few Tar Heels have worked as hard--and probably none so successfully--to bring jobs to Eastern North Carolina and the rest of the state as Jim Hunt during his four terms as governor (1977-85, 1993-2001). Though born in Greensboro, he grew up on...

Down East: It's in everybody's best interest for things to start looking up. (Cover Story).(U.S. Representative Mike McIntyre introduces a bill to create the Southeast Crescent Authority to help the Coastal Plain regions of seven states)
February 1, 2003... After rocky, tumbling journeys from their headwaters, the Cape Fear, Neuse, Tar and other rivers flow flat and sluggish east of the Fall Line, near where Interstate 95 slices through North Carolina. Wetlands and flat fields separate farm towns...

Wilting plants: North Carolina is bleeding manufacturing jobs, but many of its service providers are still hiring. (Largest Employers).
February 1, 2003... The worst might be over--emphasis on might. Real personal income and monthly employment nationwide often grew during 2002, the National Bureau of Economic Research reports, but hiccups in both have kept the bureau from declaring the recession...

Weather keeps 'em down on the farm. (Agriculture).
February 1, 2003... The old saw--"When it rains, it pours--summed up the year in North Carolina agriculture. After drought parched corn, soybean, hay and other summer crops, heavy fall rains drowned cotton--probably the most drought-resistant crop--and peanuts. It...

Fitting record earnings into skintight margins. (Banking).
February 1, 2003... With interest rates falling, bad debt rising and the bottom dropping out of the stock market, most North Carolina banks spent last year protecting their bottom lines through careful control of expenses and business practices. As a result, they...

Builders survive by going public. (Construction).
February 1, 2003... Thank goodness for public-works projects. Contractors recite this blessing throughout North Carolina because state institutions and agencies are virtually the only ones moving forward on commercial construction. With the economy drooping,...

This soft economy leaves manufacturers no cushion. (Furniture).(furniture industry's economic aspects)
February 1, 2003... North Carolina's furniture makers are coming off two tough years. Like nearly every industry, theirs has been battered by recession. Furniture is the sort of big-dollar buy that people skip when they're worried about their jobs or, worse,...

System needs dose of strong medicine. (Health Care).
February 1, 2003... North Carolina's health-care system could use a good doctor. Suffering from shortages of nurses, pharmacists and other professionals, plagued by rising insurance costs, reeling from federal Medicare cuts and overwhelmed by malpractice-insurance...

As market stumbles, tech takes a tumble. (High-Tech).
February 1, 2003... Like the name it shares with the Outer Banks' most famous lighthouse, Hatteras Networks has been a beacon. Last year, like 2001, was treacherous for the tech sector. The Nasdaq was down 30% by late December. Startups foundered because they...

Even for those in it, this is risky business. (Insurance).(Industry Overview)
February 1, 2003... The December ice storm that cost it $113 million in claims wasn't the only thing that cast a chill on the insurance industry in 2002. Add rising expenses, slumping investments, price increases from reinsurers--companies that sell insurance to...

Biotechs and drug makers provide economic remedy. (Pharmaceuticals).(Industry Overview)
February 1, 2003... Forgive drug companies if they're gloating a little. During the tech boom of the late '90s, they were overshadowed by software makers and dot-coins, some of which sold for fortunes before they had a product. These days, some tech companies...

State finds its sales slip for the present. (Retail).(retail trade sees drop in sales)(Industry Overview)
February 1, 2003... Pick just about any place in North Carolina or any category of merchandise and the trend was the same in 2002: Retail sales fell into a sinkhole bigger than the one in the Hickory restaurant parking lot that swallowed a Corvette last fall. For...

To compete, mills lose the use of their hands. (Textiles/Apparel).(textile industry shuts down plants and eliminates jobs)(Industry Overview)
February 1, 2003... With few exceptions, North Carolina's mills kept spinning troubling yarns in 2002, with announcements of more than 30 plant closings and nearly 5,000 layoffs. The struggling industry became a major issue in the U.S. Senate campaign, with both...

Things have slowed down for an industry on the go. (Transportation).
February 1, 2003... It's not that Jerry Orr is a pessimist. But the past year at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport, where he is aviation director, didn't give him much to smile about. Since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, the number of people...

Most hosts discover travel didn't unravel. (Travel/Tourism).(travel industry has positive financial results in North Carolina)
February 1, 2003... Unlike most sectors of the Tar Heel economy, tourism thrived in 2002. From the mountains to the sea, many of the state's top attractions reported record years. Lynn Minges, director of the state's Division of Tourism, Film and Sports...

Tackling changing markets challenges top line backers. (Utilities).
February 1, 2003... Warren Buffett likes to say that the stock market is a weighing machine in the long run but a betting machine in the short run. Over years, it rewards solid performers. But over weeks and even months, it can punish those same companies for...

Looking for work: A ray of hope? The only economic-development region that saw employment increase is in the poorest part of the state. (Regions).
February 1, 2003... Which regional economic-development partnership was the only one that saw its unemployment rate drop between October 2001 and October 2002? If you're thinking the Research Triangle, unofficial hub of the state's high-tech economy and rich in...

Advantage West.(demographic information for North Carolina's counties)(Illustration)
February 1, 2003... ADVANTAGEWEST POPULATION (in 000s) COUNTY 1981 1991 2001 Alleghany 9.7 9.8 10.8 Ashe 22.4 22.5 24.8 Avery 14.5 15.0 17.7 Buncombe ...

Charlotte Regional Partnership.(demographic information for the Charlotte Regional Partnership area)(Illustration)
February 1, 2003... CHARLOTTE REGIONAL PARTNERSHIP POPULATION (in 000s) COUNTY 1981 1991 2001 Alexander 25.3 28.1 34.0 Anson 25.4 23.6 25.3 Cabarrus 87.7 101.9 136.3...

Piedmont Triad Partnership.(demographic information for several counties in North Carolina)(Illustration)
February 1, 2003... POPULATION (in 000s) COUNTY 1981 1991 2001 Alamance 100.1 110.8 131.4 Caswell 20.9 20.8 23.6 Davidson 114.8 128.8 147.6 Davie 25.1 28.4 ...

Research Triangle Regional Partnership.(demographic information for several counties in North Carolina)(Illustration)
February 1, 2003... RESEARCH TRIANGLE REGIONAL PARTNERSHIP POPULATION (in 000s) COUNTY 1981 1991 2001 Chatham 34.0 40.1 51.0 Durham 154.8 187.6 228.1 Franklin 30.4 37.4 ...

Southeast.(demographic information for several counties in North Carolina)(Illustration)
February 1, 2003... POPULATION (in 000s) COUNTY 1981 1991 2001 Bladen 30.4 29.1 32.4 Brunswick 37.2 52.8 76.9 Columbus 51.2 50.1 54.8 Cumberland 250.1 280.0 ...

Eastern Region.(demographic information for several counties in North Carolina)(Illustration)
February 1, 2003... EASTERN REGION POPULATION (in 000s) COUNTY 1981 1991 2001 Carteret 42.4 53.5 59.6 Craven 72.2 83.4 92.0 Duplin 40.6 40.8 49.6 Edgecombe ...

Northeast Partnership.(demographic information for several counties in North Carolina)(Illustration)
February 1, 2003... POPULATION (in 000s) COUNTY 1981 1991 2001 Beaufort 41.1 42.6 45.3 Bertie 21.0 20.3 19.9 Camden 5.7 6.0 7.0 Chowan 12.6 13.8 14.5...

What Really Counts. (Data by County).(a list of the populations of North Carolina's 100 counties)(Illustration)
February 1, 2003... WHAT REALLY COUNTS Taking the full measure of each of North Carolina's 100 counties. POPULATION Net migration ...

North Carolina's Largest Cities.(a ranking of North Carolina cities by population)(Illustration)
February 1, 2003... NORTH CAROLINA'S LARGEST CITIES CHANCE INTERNAL 2001 1990 SINCE GAIN SINCE CITY POPULATION POPULATION 1990 1990 1 Charlotte ...

North Carolina's Six Sigma success. (NC State University).(Parkdale Mills worked with NC State University in order to bring a new yarn to market)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Parkdale Mills management understood they must successfully bring a complicated new yarn to market, or close their aging textile plant in Belmont. They decided to try a Six Sigma approach with the help of NC State University. Last May, after...