Quality of Life

With mountains to the west and beaches to the east, North Carolina offers a veritable playground for its citizens and a mild climate to support it. We are an outdoor enthusiast’s dream. From hiking and sunning to golfing and fishing, residents have no shortage of outdoor recreation.

Sports lovers can find themselves cheering alongside die-hard NASCAR® fans or in the stands of our professional football and championship hockey teams. And, college basketball is king in this part of the country.

In addition to our fun-loving side, North Carolina has a low cost of living for its residents. Quality health care and top schools round out a long list of reasons why North Carolina is one of the fastest growing states in the country.

Workforce & Education

In North Carolina, employers have access to a highly skilled, motivated labor pool. According to the NC Department of Commerce, the state has more than 4 million people in the civilian labor force. More than 80% have at least a high school education.

And, opportunities for higher learning abound:

• 44 private universities and colleges
• 16-campus University of North Carolina system
• 58 community colleges
• One of America’s most highly regarded technical training systems
• Numerous outreach programs

Companies capitalize on R&D opportunities at two of the 10 largest university-related research parks in North America, including Research Triangle Park. It is also home to the North Carolina Biotechnology Center and the North Carolina Supercomputing Center.

Our workers are skilled and our environment is business-friendly. Thanks to North Carolina’s Right-to-Work Law, each employee has the right to decide, without coercion, whether to join a union. This promotes a pro-business environment and productive labor-management relations.

Worker productivity is at one of the highest levels in the nation, while number of workdays lost to injury ranks among the lowest. North Carolina’s Touchstone Energy cooperatives share this type of work ethic. Safety is a #1 priority at all of our cooperatives; in fact, 26 cooperatives have achieved national safety accreditation. We also take pride in a job well done, which benefits our members.

North Carolina’s Touchstone Energy cooperatives also highly value education. The cooperatives provide ongoing employee and management training to enhance our ability to meet your needs. Plus, we have an interest in educating bright, young minds. That’s why we established the Bright Ideas program. Since the program began in 1994, it has awarded more than $7.7 million in grant money to North Carolina’s school teachers to sponsor nearly 7,000 grant projects benefiting more than 1.3 million students.

Transportation

Air, rail, road or sea. In North Carolina, companies gain strength with an exhaustive transportation network that can take products to nearly every corner of the world.

• Three international airports
• 11 regional airports
• The East Coast railway hub
• The country’s largest state-maintained highway system
• Overnight access to the entire East Coast

The North Carolina State Ports system operates deep-water facilities in Wilmington and Morehead City with in-state terminals in Charlotte and Greensboro. Our ports, as well as the Research Triangle Park and Charlotte, are Foreign Trade Zones for less expensive, quicker shipping.

For more information please visit www.ncelectriccooperatives.com/development