Industry Support

When it comes to developing the people and the technology to protect America’s freedom, it’s hard to think of an area that has had more experience than ours. In fact, our defense presence has endured for so long that insiders often refer to us as “Pentagon South.” We’re the gateway to Fort Liberty, home of the U.S. Army’s Airborne and Special Operations Forces, and site of many of the nation’s most important defense contractors. Many of the 7,000+ men and women who exit the military each year through the Fort Liberty portal are choosing to remain in our community and become a part of our civilian labor force. Defense contractors benefit from all that, our young workforce, extensive broadband capacity, and the resources of Fayetteville State University, Methodist University, and Fayetteville Technical College. Our highly educated residents have earned many degrees in STEM fields such as Biological & Biomedical Sciences, Computer & Information Sciences, and Mathematics & Statistics.

When you do business in Fayetteville and Cumberland County, you’re close to all the key markets that matter to you, and you can get to them quickly. Our place on the I-95 Corridor puts us within an eight-hour drive of two-thirds of the nation’s population (170 million customers), and less than half a day from the deep-water ports of Wilmington, Morehead City, and Charleston. We’re served by Norfolk Southern and CSX railroads, as well as the regional Aberdeen, Carolina & Western. Fayetteville Regional Airport (KFAY) has a 7,709-foot runway that accommodates cargo jets. We keep you connected with the online world, too, with extensive broadband capacity and accessibility.

Fayetteville and Cumberland County have a long tradition of making things the world needs—and a historic willingness to anticipate and adapt to changes. That’s one of the reasons so many companies in innovative manufacturing have chosen our area, from metalworking to auto parts, plastic molding to lighting and appliances, to electrical transmission components. Our young and trained workforce has the knowledge and skills to meet the challenges of today’s advanced manufacturing operations. Their skills are supported by customized training support offered through Fayetteville Technical College and extensive broadband capacity, and their initiative is reflected in the fact that North Carolina is a right-to-work state.

Companies in the food processing industry take advantage of Fayetteville and Cumberland County’s location on I-95 and easy access to their supply chain and clientele. Not only is the location ideal for import/export needs, but its agricultural benefits and resources will supply you with high quality products and relations with our farms. With their experience in manufacturing, packaging, and distribution, our trained workforce also contributes to the success of your operations.

A key indicator of the economic health of the Fayetteville and Cumberland County area is the demand for high-value business and financial services to support local companies. We have a highly educated, highly motivated workforce that has the skills to handle the technological advances and transactional complexity of today’s economy. Our enthusiastic workforce includes more than 7,000 new military retirees each year, as well as 30,000+ military spouses who have the skills, knowledge, and work ethic to serve in high-demand office situations, transactional financial services, insurance, and other industries that benefit from high productivity and an affordable cost of doing business. Many of our residents have degrees in the STEM disciplines of Biological & Biomedical Sciences, Computer & Information Sciences, and Mathematics & Statistics.