News Article

In today’s increasingly global economy, North Carolina leaders have had to broaden their scope from Down East to the Far East in the search for new jobs and new industry.

 

Womble Carlyle and attorney John Hunter are working alongside the state’s top decision-makers to help bring jobs and investment from Asia back to North Carolina. Recently, Hunter was part of a North Carolina economic development delegation led by Gov. Beverly Perdue that traveled to Japan and China. The delegation met with industry leaders (from both Asian-based companies looking to do business in the U.S. as well as North Carolina companies expanding into the Asian markets) and government officials to promote trade and pursue investment opportunities.

 

“This was an outstanding opportunity to promote North Carolina in an increasingly competitive economic recruiting arena,” Hunter said. “Having Governor Perdue lead the mission showed Japanese and Chinese officials just how important these partnerships are for our state.”

 

In addition to Hunter and Gov. Perdue, officials from Cisco, the Charlotte Chamber, the Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences and Old Dominion Freight also participated in the trip, as did N.C. Secretary of Commerce J. Keith Crisco.

 

The trip began at the Southeast U.S.-Japan Association Conference in Tokyo. This alliance of seven Southeastern states and Japan was founded in part by Gov. Jim Hunt during the 1970s. This year’s conference was the group’s 33^rd annual meeting.

 

Afterward, the team traveled to both Beijing and Shanghai to discuss mutually beneficial opportunities with Chinese leaders. The biotech industry was a particular point of emphasis on this leg of the trip.

 

John Hunter is a recognized leader in assisting companies with economic development in the Carolinas. Having served as Director of Economic Development for the two-state, sixteen-county Charlotte Regional Partnership, John works closely with domestic and international companies seeking to expand or relocate operations to the Carolinas and the southeast United States. He practices in the firm’s Charlotte office.