Governor Stein Announces State’s New “First in Opportunity” Strategic Economic Development Plan

Today Governor Josh Stein and the NC Department of Commerce announced North Carolina's new "First in Opportunity" Strategic Economic Development Plan - a comprehensive statewide roadmap designed to guide North Carolina's next phase of economic growth, strengthen long-term competitiveness, and expand opportunity statewide.

"The 'First in Opportunity' Plan is about ensuring North Carolina remains competitive while creating opportunity in every corner of the state," said Governor Josh Stein. "As our state continues to grow, we must invest in our public schools and workforce development efforts, attract and sustain thriving businesses, and drive economic success for all our people."

This week, Secretary Lee Lilley and Assistant Secretary Reginald Speight visited Wilson alongside local and regional leaders to highlight how strategic investments in rural communities are helping drive economic growth and opportunity across North Carolina. The visit illustrated how coordinated investments in downtown revitalization, tourism, infrastructure, housing, workforce development, public-private partnerships, and long-term community investments can strengthen local economies.

"Every region of North Carolina must have the tools and resources to foster economic opportunity and drive generational prosperity," said NC Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley. "The 'First in Opportunity' Plan challenges us to develop a dynamic and durable workforce, strengthen infrastructure, spur innovation and entrepreneurship, and invest in critical economic foundations like housing, child care, and health care so communities across North Carolina can compete, grow, and thrive."

The "First in Opportunity" Plan serves as North Carolina's Comprehensive Strategic Economic Development Plan and establishes a unified four-year vision for economic development across the state. The plan builds upon the success of the state's 2021 "First in Talent" strategy while broadening its focus to address today's evolving economic drivers and priorities through a more holistic approach to economic development.

"Economic development is increasingly competitive, and companies are looking for states that are planning for long-term growth," said Christopher Chung, CEO of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina. "The 'First in Opportunity' Plan reinforces North Carolina's commitment to workforce readiness, infrastructure, innovation, and quality-of-life investments - all of which are critical to attracting new investment and supporting existing businesses across the state."

The plan reflects extensive stakeholder engagement and input from communities across North Carolina and recognizes that while North Carolina remains one of the nation's top-performing states economically, continued success will require intentional efforts to ensure every community has the opportunity to benefit from that growth.

The plan also acknowledges the rapidly changing environment facing North Carolina, including population growth, workforce pressures, infrastructure demands, technological change, and the continued impacts of severe weather events such as Hurricane Helene. At its core, the plan is focused on ensuring North Carolina's growth is sustainable, resilient, and broadly shared.

To support that vision, the framework is organized around four strategic goals:

• Modernizing and fortifying infrastructure to strengthen resilience, improve connectivity, and support long-term growth.
• Accelerating economic competitiveness by strengthening innovation ecosystems and supporting industries that position North Carolina to compete globally.
• Enhancing community well-being by expanding access to housing, child care, and health care so that more North Carolinians can fully participate in the economy.
• Building a resilient, future-ready workforce through stronger statewide coordination across education, workforce development, and economic development systems.

Developed under the leadership of Secretary Lilley in partnership with Governor Stein, the plan was shaped through an extensive, data-driven, and community-centered planning process that included regional listening sessions, stakeholder engagement, economic analysis, and collaboration with leaders from business, education, workforce development, local government, and nonprofit organizations.

Governor Stein and Secretary Lilley convened a Strategic Economic Development Plan Steering Committee made up of leaders from business, education, workforce development, local government, and nonprofit organizations to help guide development of the plan. The committee, chaired by Secretary Lilley, supported outreach and engagement efforts, reviewed stakeholder feedback, and helped shape policy and program recommendations designed to strengthen economic opportunity across North Carolina.

The Department of Commerce partnered with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Government's ncIMPACT Initiative during the community engagement phase of the planning process. The ncIMPACT Initiative led nine public listening sessions across North Carolina's Prosperity Zones and facilitated a statewide webinar that engaged approximately 650 participants representing 91 counties.

"The listening sessions showed that communities across North Carolina all want the opportunity to participate in the state's economic development," said Anita Brown-Graham, director and founder of the ncIMPACT Initiative at the UNC School of Government. "Participants repeatedly prioritized a plan that addressed community barriers to economic participation, including proximate affordable housing, available child care, critical infrastructure, and a strong, overall quality of life. It is gratifying to see that these priorities played a key role in shaping this plan."

The Department of Commerce also partnered with KPMG during the research and plan development phase to analyze stakeholder feedback, benchmark national best practices, and help organize the plan's long-term strategies and implementation framework.

Mayor Carlton Stevens said Wilson's continued momentum reflects the impact of strategic collaboration and long-term investment.

"Wilson's growth is the result of years of intentional investment in our downtown, small businesses, tourism assets, workforce development and training programs, and community infrastructure, like the Pine Nash Redevelopment," said Mayor Carlton L. Stevens. "We're proud of the partnerships that have helped transform our community and position Wilson as a place where businesses, residents, and visitors want to invest and grow."

During the visit, Secretary Lilley and Assistant Secretary Speight toured several projects highlighting the impact of strategic rural investment and downtown revitalization efforts, including Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park, Warbirds Stadium and surrounding development projects, the Pine Nash Redevelopment corridor, and North State Consulting, a Building Reuse grant recipient.

Several of the projects highlighted during the visit were supported through state rural economic development programs designed to strengthen downtown infrastructure, encourage business growth, and expand community capacity. In February 2025, the City of Wilson received an $850,000 Rural Downtown Economic Development grant for the Barnes Street Rehabilitation project, which will transform two downtown properties into a connected space featuring a visitor center, maker space, office space, and whirligig maintenance facility while supporting additional economic activity downtown. North State Consulting also received Building Reuse Program grants supporting the rehabilitation of a long-vacant historic building in downtown Wilson as the company expanded operations, supported technology companies, and created new jobs.

Wilson County has also emerged as a growing life sciences hub, supported by long-term investments in industrial infrastructure, workforce training initiatives, and site readiness efforts that helped attract major employers including Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Fresenius Kabi, and Reckitt. Leaders also highlighted Wilson Community College's Biomanufacturing Education and Skills Training Center of East North Carolina, which is helping prepare workers for careers with the region's growing life sciences and advanced manufacturing employers.

"Wilson is an example of what successful rural economic development looks like in North Carolina," said Reginald Speight, Assistant Secretary for Rural Economic Development. "The collaboration between local leadership, community partners, and the state has helped create momentum through downtown revitalization, business growth, and investments in people that position the community for long-term success. That is exactly the kind of sustainable, community-driven growth the 'First in Opportunity' Plan is designed to support across North Carolina."

The visit included participation from state, regional, and local leaders, including representatives from the Department of Commerce, the Rural Economic Development Division, the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, Wilson County, the City of Wilson, and local business and community partners.