North Carolina’s Southeast Region’s geographic location midway on the east coast provides excellent distribution access and logistics efficiencies for companies engaged in manufacturing, assembly, and retail distribution. The region has a three-tiered, interlinked distribution model: 1) At-Port location offers buildings and sites within 20 miles of the Port of Wilmington. 2) Interstate corridors offer inland locations along three interstates – I-40, I-95, and I-74. 3) The region offers close proximity to key regional markets, including Charlotte, NC, Raleigh, NC, Columbia, SC, and Atlanta, GA.

• Highway Infrastructure:
  • East/west interstate I-40 (from Wilmington, NC to Barstow, CA) and interstate I-74 (from Wilmington, NC to Cincinnati, OH and west to Davenport, IA).
  • North/south interstate I-95 (from Miami, FL to Portland, ME).
  • 98 trucking companies located in the Region.

• Port Access:
  • The Port of Wilmington is 284 acres (approximately 115 hectares) and has facilities to serve containerized, bulk and break-bulk cargoes. 
  • Designated Foreign Trade Zone at the Port of Wilmington.
  • The Military Ocean Terminal at Sunny Point, the largest ammunition port in the western hemisphere, and the Army's primary east coast deep-water port.  
  • The region is within 200 miles (approximately 322 Kilometers) to the ports of Morehead City, NC, Norfolk, VA and Charleston, SC.

• Railroad Infrastructure:
  • CSX Transportation is the primary railroad service provider in the region connecting the Region’s two metro areas – Wilmington and Fayetteville. 
  • CSX has a major rail yard in Hamlet and a TRANSFLO bulk transfer terminal in Wilmington.  They have other operating facilities in Leland, Fayetteville and Clinton.
  • Norfolk Southern also connects to CSX at Fayetteville.
  • 3 shortlines – Carolina Southern, Aberdeen & Rockfish and Red Springs & Northern – also operate within the Region.

• Air Transport:
• Wilmington International Airport (ILM)
  • Non-stop destinations to Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia and Washington, DC and hundreds of other direct domestic and international flights with only one stop.
  • Current providers are US Airways, Delta, American Airlines and Allegiant Air.
  • ILM maintains a separate International Terminal for US Customs and Border Protection, providing a full service Federal Inspection Station (FIS) to clear international flights.

• Fayetteville International Airport (FAY)
  • Serviced by two main airlines: USAirways Express, with daily service to its Charlotte, NC hub and Delta with daily service to its Atlanta hub.
  • Direct service to Dallas, TX by American Eagle Airline.

• Cargo service is also available at the Laurinburg-Maxton (MEB) airport.

• General aviation airports are located in 10 of the Region’s 11 counties.

• 41 companies in the Region that provide support for the transportation and warehousing sector.

• NC has no tax on wholesale and retail inventories.

• Technology transfer opportunities from the Global Logistics Research Initiative at UNC-Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler School of Business. 

• N.C. Community College System - two-year global logistics curriculum and free customized training.

• East Carolina University and North Carolina State University - bachelor’s degree in global logistics.

• UNC Kenan-Flagler Center for Logistics and Digital Strategy – focuses on logistics innovations and new technologies.   

• Workforce that is 10% more productive than the national average.

• The lowest unionization rates in the country (3.1%).

• Free customizable training programs through NC’s Community College system at any of our eight Community Colleges.

• Highly competitive incentives and financial assistance.

• Population growth at nearly twice the national average.

• Quality of life that attracts and retains talent with a cost of living that is lower than the national average.