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The Greensboro Business League, in collaboration with the North Carolina Free Enterprise Foundation, hosted the Policy & Prosperity Breakfast on March 18, bringing together state and local lawmakers and business leaders to discuss the key issues shaping North Carolina’s economic landscape.
“With so many issues coming down the pipeline from Washington, D.C., we’ve got to be informed about the issues if we want to make a difference,” said Gerry McCants, president of the Greensboro Business League.
The morning panel featured state representatives and senators who shared insights on economic growth, housing, workforce development, and education, particularly in the Triad region. With North Carolina experiencing rapid growth, panelists emphasized the need for policies that encourage business expansion while ensuring residents have access to affordable housing, high-quality education, and equitable economic opportunities.
One of the top issues discussed was affordable housing, a challenge impacting both rural and urban areas of the state.
Rep. Robert Reives (District 54 – Chatham & Randolph Counties) highlighted housing costs as a major obstacle to economic development.
“Chatham has the highest housing costs in the state, and Union County has the highest cost of living,” Reives noted, explaining that nearly 60 percent of Chatham County residents commute outside the county for work, leading to a weakened local tax base.
“The challenge is, how do we build a stronger economy while ensuring people can afford to live where they work,” he added, emphasizing that housing policy must evolve alongside job growth, as North Carolina shifts from agriculture-based industries to technology-driven sectors.
Sen. Paul Lowe Jr. (District 32 – Forsyth County) echoed similar sentiments about changing workforce dynamics in Winston-Salem.
“I remember driving into Winston and smelling the tobacco plants. That was the smell of prosperity,” Lowe recalled, referencing the once-booming RJ Reynolds Tobacco plant that employed nearly 20,000 people at its peak. “Today, those factories and warehouses have transformed into Innovation Quarter, where we’re leading in biotech.”
Lowe pointed to institutions like Forsyth Tech as pipelines for aviation and healthcare jobs, stressing that entrepreneurial opportunities exist, but economic development must be intentional.
North Carolina’s aerospace and aeronautics sector is one of the most promising industries in the state, according to Sen. Dave Craven Jr. (District 29 – Anson, Montgomery, Randolph, Richmond, Union Counties), but affordable workforce housing must keep pace with business growth.
“Housing remains a top concern statewide,” Craven said. As a member of the General Assembly’s Regulatory Reform Committee, he emphasized the importance of implementing uniform housing policies, in addition to water and sewer infrastructure, across municipalities to guarantee equitable access to development opportunities.
“We need to create a regulatory landscape that encourages housing development while ensuring infrastructure, like water and sewer systems, can support growth,” Craven said, “I default to the City of Greensboro being in this because you have all done so much work with Piedmont Triad Region Water Authority. We have a lot of that infrastructure there. So, from a regulatory landscape, how do we make sure that developers and realtors in our state are prepared to have affordable, workforce housing ready.”
Reives added a word of caution regarding housing deregulations, urging lawmakers to avoid statewide policies that override local decision-making.
“I don’t want someone from Mecklenburg County, for example, telling Chatham County how we should build houses,” he said, emphasizing that each region has unique challenges and requires solutions tailored to their respective districts.
During the following Q&A section, breakfast attendees also raised concerns about living wages and how the state intends to continue equity and inclusion for Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUBs).
Reives explained that raising wages is tied to state spending and that underfunded government services reduce available jobs, leading to a decline in economic mobility. He also addressed the growing opposition to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs, noting that efforts to dismantle DEI initiatives undermine the principle of equal opportunity.
“This is a sensitive subject, but I believe we should want to have the best of everything from everybody. I want everybody within the walls of this state to know that if they work hard, and they do what they are supposed to do, that they will have an opportunity—not a guarantee, not a right, not a privilege—but an opportunity to succeed,” said Reives.
Following the panel, Sen. Gladys Robinson (District 28 – Guilford County) participated in a fireside chat moderated by Lloyd Whittington, Editor-in-Chief of the Triad Business Journal.
Robinson discussed economic growth in Greensboro, crediting the completion of the Greensboro Urban Loop for attracting major investments from HondaJet, Toyota and Boom. She also addressed the state-run Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUB) certification program as a tool to level the playing field for minority- and women-owned businesses.
“When large corporations come into our state, we need to ensure they subcontract with minority and small businesses,” Robinson said. “Ultimately, they will supply the largest workforce, so we must ensure economic inclusion in these major contracts.”
Robinson also emphasized the direct link between education and economic prosperity.
“You can’t have economic development without education,” she said. “Whether it’s a two-year or four-year program, people need skills and training to access jobs.”
She criticized state funding cuts to public education, stressing the need for increased investment in early childhood programs and workforce training centers. Robinson also called for greater state funding for HBCUs, citing North Carolina A&T State University, Winston-Salem State University, and North Carolina Central University as examples of underfunded institutions that deserve better support.
“Our HBCUs have been left behind,” Robinson said. “We must ensure these schools receive adequate funding to remain competitive and continue producing top-tier talent.”
At the conclusion, the Policy & Prosperity Breakfast summed up the need for thoughtful policymaking to sustain North Carolina’s economic momentum while ensuring housing, education, and workforce development keep up with the growth.
