North Carolina's Southeast

What North Carolina's Southeast does

North Carolina's Southeast (NCSE), founded in 1994, is a public/private regional economic development partnership that markets a 20-county area in southeastern North Carolina to business owners, site consultants, and industrial real estate executives nationally and globally. The organization provides free, confidential services spanning site selection, workforce data aggregation, demographics, available sites/buildings search, tax/incentive comparison, training-program coordination, and transportation-network mapping. NCSE's primary technology platform consists of a regional website integrated with ZoomProspector for site/building search and an interactive Map Center for geographic visualization; no proprietary AI/ML capabilities, patents, or developer-facing APIs are disclosed.

NCSE's business model is a public/private partnership funded by contributions from its 20 member counties, private investor members (including Parker Poe, KCI Associates, Alliance Consulting Engineers, Gulf Ohio Railways, Duke Energy Foundation, Truist Foundation), and state appropriations (notably $7.5M since 2021 supporting a regional product development initiative). The organization does not generate revenue from its services; all offerings to businesses are free and confidential. Leadership comprises President Steve Yost, Vice President Joe Melvin, Director of Business Economic Development Phillip Shumaker, and Chairman Spence Broadhurst, with a board drawn from county economic development leaders and private-sector partners.

Since 1996, NCSE reports facilitating $4.86 billion in cumulative new capital investment, 20,801 new jobs, and 213 company locations across its target verticals: advanced textiles, agri-business and food processing (region ranks #2 in U.S. food manufacturing), aerospace and defense, distribution and logistics, and metalworking. Notable enterprise wins include Campbell's (Maxton expansion), Amazon (Wilmington and Fayetteville robotics/fulfillment), Electrolux (Kinston dishwasher facility), Epsilon Advanced Materials ($650M Brunswick County graphite anode plant), GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, nCino (Wilmington HQ), and SO-PAK-CO. The region is anchored by Port of Wilmington (#1 in U.S./Canada by Container Port Performance Index), the 2,500-acre NC Global TransPark, and a 132,000+ military labor force across seven installations.

Name

North Carolina's Southeast

Legal name

North Carolina's Southeast

Website

https://ncse.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

North Carolina's Southeast (NCSE) is a public/private economic development partnership founded in 1994 that markets a 20-county region in southeastern North Carolina to businesses, site consultants, and industrial real estate executives, providing free, confidential site-selection and incentive-navigation services funded by member counties, private investors, and state appropriations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Economic Development

akta.pro primary industry

Economic Development & Business Licensing (Local) (BPAIACAN)

Keywords

• Regional economic development
• Site selection services
• Workforce demographics data
• Industrial site marketing
• Corporate business recruitment

Headquarters

HQ city

Elizabethtown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Public Funding and Investor Contributions: NCSE operates as a public/private partnership funded through contributions from member counties, private investors (companies like Parker Poe, KCI Associates, Alliance Consulting Engineers, Gulf Ohio Railways, and others), and state appropriations. Services are provided free of charge to businesses and site selectors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

North Carolina's Southeast is a public/private economic development partnership founded in 1994 that markets a 20-county region in southeastern North Carolina to attract corporate locations and expansions. The organization provides free, confidential site selection services, workforce and demographic data, available sites and buildings listings, and incentive information to business owners, site consultants, and industrial real estate executives. It targets industry clusters in Advanced Textiles, Agri-Business & Food Processing, Aerospace & Defense, Distribution & Logistics, and Metalworking.

Product overview

North Carolina's Southeast (NCSE) is an economic development organization, not a technology product company. It provides free, confidential economic development services to business owners, site consultants, and industrial real estate executives. NCSE markets a 20-county region to attract corporate locations and expansions. The organization offers access to workforce data, demographics, education information, taxes and incentives, training resources, transportation networks, and site/building search tools. Target industries include Advanced Textiles, Agri-Business and Food Processing, Aerospace and Defense (AeroDef), Distribution and Logistics, and Metalworking. No technology products or platforms are offered.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Regional Economic Development Partnership Services Core service offering providing free, confidential site selection assistance, workforce data, demographic analysis, incentive information, and connections to local economic development partners for companies evaluating locations in southeastern North Carolina.
• Site & Building Search (ZoomProspector) Interactive online tool allowing prospective companies and site selection consultants to search available industrial sites and buildings across the 20-county region, with geographic visualization and property details.
• Workforce & Demographics Data Access Provision of regional workforce statistics (including a military labor force of 132,000+), demographic data, labor shed analysis, and community college talent pipeline information to inform corporate location decisions.
• Target Industry Cluster Promotion

Quantifiable outcome

• $4.86 billion in capital investment, 20,801 new jobs, 213 company locations since 1996
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina (EDPNC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState-level economic development partner driving business recruitment efforts; works with regional and local partnerships across the state. NCSE staff member Phillip Shumaker previously served as Existing Industry Expansions Manager at EDPNC.
• North Carolina Department of CommercecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency partner for business recruitment, incentive programs, Rural Infrastructure Authority grants, and workforce development initiatives.
• North Carolina Community College SystemcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for workforce training, custom training programs, and talent development. Multiple community colleges in the region (Montgomery CC #1, Lenoir CC #7 nationally) provide specialized training for manufacturing and industrial employers.
• N.C. Rural Infrastructure Authority (RIA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState authority providing grants for building renovation, site development, and infrastructure improvements that attract private investment to rural communities. Multiple grants to NCSE region counties.
• ElectriCitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic power economic development partner serving municipal utilities across NC; awarded Economic Excellence Award to Lumberton for industrial park development.
• County Economic Development Commissions (20 counties)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with all 20 member counties' economic development commissions for coordinated regional marketing and business recruitment. Includes Jones and Richmond counties added in December 2022 (raising membership cap from 18 to 20).
• North Carolina Ports AuthoritycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOperator of Port of Wilmington (ranked #1 in U.S. and Canada by Container Port Performance Index) and Morehead City; partner for logistics and distribution recruitment.
• N.C. Global TransPark AuthoritycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOperator of 2,500-acre multimodal industrial park in Kinston; partner for aerospace, defense, and advanced manufacturing recruitment. Navy signed 10-year lease for 400+ jobs at the facility.
• Atlantic Telephone Membership Corporation (ATMC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBroadband provider partnering with Truist Foundation and NCSE to provide students and rural communities with internet hot spot access.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Georgia Department of Economic Development: State-level economic development agency that competes head-to-head with North Carolina for corporate relocations; offers similar workforce, site, and incentive support on a state-wide basis with broader resources than NCSE.
• South Carolina Department of Commerce: State-level EDO in immediate geographic proximity that actively competes with North Carolina for manufacturing, automotive (BMW, Boeing supplier network), and port-related investments.
• Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP): State-level economic development organization ranked ahead of North Carolina in CNBC 2024 America's Top States for Business; competes for data center, federal contracting, and advanced manufacturing investments.
• Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development: State-level EDO competing for the same automotive, manufacturing, and EV battery investments as North Carolina; comparable business climate, workforce, and incentive programs.

Direct peers

• Charlotte Regional Business Alliance: Regional economic development partnership serving the Charlotte region of North Carolina; offers comparable site selection, workforce data, and corporate recruitment services under a similar public-private funding model.
• Triangle Economic Development Council (Research Triangle Regional Partnership): Regional EDO covering the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill "Research Triangle" area of North Carolina; competes for the same corporate recruitment opportunities and runs an analogous public-private partnership structure.
• Fayetteville Cumberland Economic Development Corporation (FCEDC): County-level EDC within NCSE's 20-county region that was recognized with IEDC Economic Development Organization of the Year (Bronze); functions as a local implementation partner under NCSE's regional umbrella.
• Greenville-Pitt County Chamber of Commerce / Economic Development: Local/regional economic development entity within NCSE's own service area (Pitt County); coordinates with NCSE on regional wins and competes for attention from the same prospect pool.
• Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina (EDPNC): State-level public-private economic development organization that drives business recruitment for North Carolina and coordinates with regional partnerships including NCSE. Operates the same model of free confidential site selection services and works directly with NCSE on joint projects.

Others

• Site Selectors Guild: Industry association of professional site selection consultants that NCSE directly cultivates as a customer segment; functions as the demand-side counterpart and influencer channel for corporate location decisions.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ncsoutheast
• Facebookfacebook.com/NCSoutheast

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about North Carolina's Southeast