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CREATING A WAKE
Business deals and a growing population have been Wake County’s calling cards. But its ability to leverage those into bigger economic wins is bringing it more attention now.
Wake County is known for many things. It’s North Carolina’s most populous county — more than 1.3 million people live within its 857 square miles, and Wake County Economic Development says 49 more move there every day. It’s the country’s third largest life-sciences hub with more than 650 companies, which employ about 49,000 people. And its 12 municipalities have the country’s fourth most technology jobs — 73,800 — thanks to companies such as Epic Games, IBM and Lenovo.
More than 1,000 cleantech companies, which add sustainability and efficiency to the use of natural resources, have made the Research Triangle Region, which includes Wake County, an international hub. They join more than 300 advanced manufacturers; John Deere, Cisco, ABB and others contributed more than $2 billion to the gross regional product in 2024. And at the industrial parks that dot Wake’s landscape, there are a variety of other businesses, including technology, professional services and finance.
Wake’s diverse industries share more than an address. They’re growing, too. Thirty-three announcements — $4.5 billion worth of investments and 11,738 new jobs in total — were made by new or expanding companies in the Research Triangle Region from Oct. 1, 2024, through July 31. They included Genetech, whose $700 million factory in Holly Springs will make obesity treatments and other medicines. It’s expected to open in 2029 and create 400 jobs. And North Carolina Children’s Health chose Apex for its new freestanding pediatric hospital. A partnership between UNC Health and Duke Health, the 500-bed hospital is expected to open in 2030 and create 8,000 jobs.
Michael Haley, Wake County Economic Development executive director and Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce senior vice president, calls Wake County’s growth over the last few decades remarkable. “As part of the famed Research Triangle Region, we’re all about access — access to talent and technology, access to fast-growing markets and access to a jaw-dropping network of resources designed to help people and companies prosper,” he says. And those efforts are attracting attention.
UNDERSCORING THE URBAN COMPONENT
A recent House Beautiful magazine article labeled Raleigh a “secondary city.” The city’s Economic Development Director Kyle Touchstone takes exception to that. “We looked at that and said, ‘secondary city?’ We aren’t New York, Chicago or Los Angeles, but we’ve always been a city that’s punched above our weight class,” he says. “When we compete for new business, we’re competing with those larger cities, like Dallas, New York, Boston, and we’ve always been able to succeed in those recruitments. We have amazing talent coming out of our colleges, and we have the quality of life. People can have a house with a yard. They can access parks easily and still have those tech jobs and finance jobs. That’s what makes us a hotspot. People want to be here.”
Ensuring the City of Oaks offers the amenities that people and businesses want, Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce develops a comprehensive economic development strategy every five years. It’s called EDGE. Future opportunities, current circumstances and past successes, such as recruiting the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes, reopening Fayetteville Street, and $6.1 billion in new capital investments and almost 34,000 jobs since 2010, are used to write them. EDGE 7, which launched in September 2024, focuses on creating an ecosystem in which people, communities and companies can thrive. Its co-chairs are Dr. Barbara Griffith, Duke Raleigh Hospital president, and Kevin McLaughlin, Duke Energy vice president of government affairs and external relations. “We have an amazing group of companies that invest in our work and support economic development,” Haley says.
Raleigh is a busy place. It’s home to the State Capitol, Legislative Building, Governor’s Mansion and 3.5 million square feet of government office space. Within 1 mile of downtown’s center are 20,000 residents, 43,300 employees, and almost 300 restaurants and bars. And the welcome mat is rolled out for about 21 million visitors annually. According to Downtown Raleigh Alliance’s Q2 2025 market report, there are 12 downtown projects underway that will total 953 residential units, 204 hotel rooms and 13,595 square feet of retail space. An additional 39 projects have been proposed or planned, which would add 7,250 residential units, 1,412 hotel rooms, 368,392 square feet of office space and 257,450 square feet of retail space.
Highline Glenwood’s 37 stories, filled with luxury apartments and retail space, will be Raleigh’s tallest residential tower when it opens in 2028. It’s part of The Creamery, a residential-retail-commercial project that intends to “bring together restaurateurs, entrepreneurs, influencers and connoisseurs.” Construction will get underway on a 28-story Omni hotel next year, and city hall will move into a new 20-story tower. “It will change the skyline,” Touchstone says. “We’re growing up. We have to grow up and become more dense to support the people and all the amenities that make this a great quality of life.”
Raleigh is home to several mixed-use developments. “We have these developments that are driving so much of our business recruitment, especially for offices,” Touchstone says. “It’s a live-work-play [place] where you can walk out of the office, walk home, walk to any type of food option, retail or fitness. It’s the five-minute life.” North Hills, which opened two decades ago, may be the best-known, and its evolution from the site of the first enclosed mall between Atlanta and Washington, D.C., continues. One North Hills Tower is home to the U.S. headquarters of JTI Liggett, the country’s fourth-largest tobacco company, and the building welcomed Weatherby Healthcare’s hub and 150 jobs, and a $5.8 million, 200-job expansion by Jewelers Mutual Group in October.
Artillery shells were made at Raleigh Iron Works during World War I, but the site near the intersection of U.S. 401 and Interstate 440 is a mixed-use development now. Swiss luxury watchmaker Audemars Piguet announced it was investing $22 million there in late 2023. Its 63,000-square-foot service center was expected to create 105 jobs. “I think there’s been a shift nationwide with what are the things that workers are wanting. Everything is easily accessible on their lunch break, like shopping, a quick run to the gym, and there’s an extra level of public safety in these spaces,” Touchstone says. “And when the Bus Rapid Transit [four county corridors] is completed and underway [by spring], they can go anywhere in one stop.”
SUSTAINING SMALL-TOWN OPTIONS
Wake County isn’t all big city living. “One of the most important aspects of Wake County’s success are the municipalities, because each is different and has its own feel,” Haley says. “That means options for both businesses and families. Everyone can find that place that best suits them. From urban condos to multifamily to single family homes to a rural setting, you can find it here.”
Knightdale is east of Raleigh and counts more than 20,000 residents. Its recently updated strategic plan details where they see themselves now and where they want to be in the future. “Safe, active and healthy, connected and inclusive, sustainable and organizational excellence serve as the foundations,” it reads. And Wendell, which uses the slogan “Small Town, Big Charm,” was awarded $500,000 in state funding in July. The money will be used for paved paths and hiking trails at its Buffalo Creek Greenway project.
Rolesville, like Knightdale and Wendell, is holding fast to its small-town roots. “We’re a bedroom community for Raleigh, but we still have all our amenities,” says Rolesville Economic Development Director Mical McFarland. “We’re tucked away enough to have that small town character.”
Located 17 miles northeast of Raleigh, Rolesville’s population is growing. It’s 12,358, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, up from 6,275 in 2015 and 995 in 2000. But it has put the brakes on some development: U.S. 401 was rerouted along a bypass south of town in 2016. That kept vehicles from whisking away its Main Street’s atmosphere — small businesses, boutique shops and sit-down restaurants. New crosswalks, medians, planters and natural features add to its sense of place. “The town is investing millions of dollars along Main Street to create a walkable, downtown destination for residents, visitors and businesses,” McFarland says. “The $23 million Main Street Project is a realization of the vision established by the town to create a genuine downtown experience, promoting safety, walkability, bike-ability and an engaging business climate along Main Street. We are also in the process of designing and building a new Town Campus that will feature a brand new public library, police station, fire station, town hall and community center.”
In a Business View magazine article last year, Rolesville Mayor Ronnie Currin said the town’s isolated location north of the Neuse River helps retain characteristics of a quaint community by limiting development. “We’re trying to keep the small-town charm that a lot of people like,” he said. “So, in doing that, we’re trying to keep our streets small. We’re not planning for major highways and those types of things. We’re planning for maybe three-lane roads and smaller roads, a lot of walkability, a lot of biking.”
Rolesville is growing both older and younger. More housing communities are targeting people age 55 and older. The town Parks and Recreation Department is developing The Farm Park. The 116-acre site will feature baseball, softball and multipurpose fields, indoor and outdoor event spaces, dog park and agritourism components. Phase One construction has been allocated $12 million.
Healthcare is expanding in Rolesville. WakeMed Health is planning a 32,000-square-foot campus, which will include outpatient services and an emergency room. Work on the $53.8 million project is expected to begin next year. “Our region is very economically strong,” Currin said in Business View. “Wake County is now the largest county in North Carolina. Just being a part of that sets the framework of being able to have a good economic landscape here in town.”
FILLING TO-DO LISTS
Wake County is more than a popular place to work and live. “Sports and entertainment are certainly part of the special sauce,” Haley says. “This community continues to invest in the cultural assets that create such a wonderful home.”
In addition to several NCAA Division 1 programs, Wake County is home to professional sports franchises. NC Courage competes in the National Women’s Soccer League and plays at First Horizon Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, and the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes skate at Raleigh’s Lenovo Center. The arena, which also hosts NC State University basketball and concerts, is undergoing a $300 million renovation, and the Hurricanes’ lease has been extended through 2044.
Hurricanes Owner Tom Dundon is preparing to pursue the next available Major League Baseball expansion team. He has been granted access to about 80 acres surrounding Lenovo Center, which is targeted for mixed-use development. A potential ballfield site is adjacent to the property. “I think there’s very much of an effort to get baseball,” Touchstone says. “When you look at North Carolina, you have the NFL, the NBA; Raleigh has the NHL and … what’s missing? Raleigh and North Carolina are ready and prepared, and that means everything from having a fan base to media to really fitting what Major League Baseball is looking for. I’m excited to see what [Tom] can do from an ownership perspective. Having an MLB team in the capital city kind of feels right.”
Raleigh has four outdoor amphitheaters — Red Hat Amphitheater, Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek, North Carolina Museum of Art’s outdoor theater and Koka Booth Amphitheatre — and several museums, many with free admission. The arts base has garnered it the nickname “Smithsonian of the South.” Touchstone says culture plays into Wake County’s quality of place. “We also have bluegrass acts coming from all over, the North Carolina Symphony, the North Carolina Opera and Carolina Ballet,” he says. “We’ve been able to attract big names and national acts.”
INVESTING IN EDUCATION
Education is important in Wake County. Nearly 60% of its residents hold a bachelor’s or higher degree. It’s home to eight colleges and universities. “We offer something for everyone,” Touchstone says. “I had the honor of serving on the board of trustees for William Peace University in downtown; and we have Meredith, which is a women’s college; and Shaw, which is one of the oldest HBCUs; and Campbell and NC State and Wake Tech, they’re all powerhouses. Every one of these works together, partners together, and they really provide a unique educational experience.”
North Carolina’s largest community college is in Wake County. About 75,000 students study on Wake Technical Community College’s eight campuses. It offers more than 850 non-degree programs and more than 250 degree programs and transfer options. “What they provide with certificates and associate degrees for people who go on to work toward their bachelor’s, it’s phenomenal,” Touchstone says. It also offers free customized workforce training to new and expanding companies.
Haley agrees. “Our education and higher education ecosystem is one of the most comprehensive in the nation — from the 15th largest public school system in the United States to the largest [community] college in North Carolina in Wake Tech to three Tier 1 research universities,” he says. “All those advantages don’t matter if you don’t have a high quality of life, one that attracts and retains top talent.”
NC State is a leader in data, biomedical engineering, science and medicine research. Its Woodson Hall project will house its Integrative Sciences Initiative, bringing together students, faculty and researchers to focus on interdisciplinary molecular innovation, molecular science, and commercialization and industry collaborations. The $180 million investment will include research labs, classrooms and café across its five floors. The state legislature is contributing $90 million toward it.
NC State launched The Bezos Center for Sustainable Protein last year. It advances the science, technology, workforce readiness and societal awareness about the biomanufacturing of plant-based, cell-cultivated and fermentation-made alternative proteins. “If you only know one thing about the center, know this: We are focused on providing food security for future generations and investigating the environmental impacts of protein production,” says Bill Aimutis, NC Food Innovation Lab executive director and Bezos Center co-director and chief operating officer.
PREPARING FOR WHAT’S NEXT
Wake County may be best known for its ability to land big business deals and attract residents. But it’s true talent may be leveraging those wins for further growth.
One Wake County company familiar with the process of construction, plant maintenance, millwright services, electrical and steel, and concrete work is Southern Industrial Constructors. It has worked on projects in many industries, including pharmaceutical and biotechnology, aerospace, automotive, microelectronics and fiber optics. “Over the past six decades, Southern Industrial Constructors has earned a reputation for high quality industrial construction and plant maintenance,” says Mike St. Louis, vice president of operations. “Our multi-craft shop self-performs a broad scope of services, including rigging, machinery moving and installation, electrical construction, plant expansions and more. SIC is headquartered in Raleigh and has had the opportunity to work with some of the region’s leading manufacturing and pharmaceutical plants. As Wake County continues to grow, SIC is proud to play a role in building and supporting its thriving industrial base.”
Touchstone says Wake’s continued growth attracts attention. “We are a county of 1.3 million, and we’re really showing up on the radars more than we were previously,” he says. “Every time we make a big business announcement, other counties look at us. We’re creating world-class spaces where companies can locate. And we have those hubs of fun, with sports, the colleges and all the amenities around those spaces. If you want a younger workforce in your city, you have to have the fun factor. So, we develop those, we have our college graduates, and we get to have the jobs of the future.”
Haley says there’s more on the way for Wake County. “We are a community of ‘what’s next,’ the next big innovation, the next exciting company growing, the next start-up that will change the world,” he says. “The story of Wake County is still being written!” ■
— Kathy Blake is a writer from eastern North Carolina.
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