Global TransPark
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The North Carolina Global TransPark (GTP) is a 2,500 acre, multi-modal industrial/airport site in Eastern North Carolina. As an agency of the State of North Carolina, the GTP is considered a key engine for driving the economy of Eastern North Carolina. The park offers access to multi-modal transportation options: air, rail, highways, and North Carolina's two international ports. The GTP is part of an economic development initiative in eastern
North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
intended to spur transition in the region from an agricultural base to one of skilled labor and industrial manufacturing. Industries targeted by the GTP are
aerospace Aerospace is a term used to collectively refer to the atmosphere and outer space. Aerospace activity is very diverse, with a multitude of commercial, industrial and military applications. Aerospace engineering consists of aeronautics and astrona ...
, defense and
logistics Logistics is generally the detailed organization and implementation of a complex operation. In a general business sense, logistics manages the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of consumption to meet the requirements of ...
sectors.


History

Around 1990, academic and member of the North Carolina Economic Future Study Commission
John D. Kasarda John D. Kasarda is an American academic and airport business consultant focused on aviation-driven economic development. He is a faculty member at the University of North Carolina's Kenan-Flagler Business School, the CEO of Aerotropolis Busines ...
proposed the creation of a site which combined
air cargo Air cargo is any property carried or to be carried in an aircraft. Air cargo comprises air freight, air express and airmail. Aircraft types Different cargo can be transported by passenger, cargo or combi aircraft: * Passenger aircraft use the ...
transport infrastructure and manufacturing facilities. Under his plan, companies would fly-in unfinished goods and components to factories, complete or assemble them, then ship them away for distribution. North Carolina Governor Jim Martin supported the plan and proposed the development of a $250 million site with a two-mile runway and 5,000 acres zoned for industrial development. In 1991 the
North Carolina General Assembly The North Carolina General Assembly is the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of the Government of North Carolina, State government of North Carolina. The legislature consists of two chambers: the North Carolina Senate, Senate and the North Ca ...
voted to create the North Carolina Air Cargo Airport Authority, an independent agency. The authority scouted potential locations for the park throughout late 1991 and early 1992. Civic and political leaders in the urbanized Piedmont lobbied for the project to be located in their region of the state, arguing that it could benefit from the area's strong economy and, if it failed, the associated airstrip could be quickly repurposed to serve other needs. Some state leaders worried that Piedmont residents would oppose a large development as a nuisance. They also figured that rural areas in eastern North Carolina were in greater need of an economic development project. In May 1992 the authority declared that the park would be developed at the lightly-trafficked Kinston Jetport. Several eastern counties were placed in a development zone, and their residents would pay increased vehicle registration fees to help fund the project's development. It later acquired the name Global TransPark.


Location

GTP is located approximately 30 minutes south of
Greenville, North Carolina Greenville is the county seat of and the most populous city in Pitt County, North Carolina, Pitt County, North Carolina, United States; the principal city of the Greenville, North Carolina metropolitan area, Greenville metropolitan area; and th ...
at the
Kinston Regional Jetport Kinston Regional Jetport , also known as Stallings Field, is a public airport located three miles (5 km) northwest of the central business district of Kinston, North Carolina, Kinston, a city in Lenoir County, North Carolina, Lenoir County, ...
(ISO) in
Kinston, North Carolina Kinston is a city in Lenoir County, North Carolina, United States, with a population of 21,677 as of the 2010 census. It has been the county seat of Lenoir County since its formation in 1791. Kinston is located in the coastal plains region of e ...
. The airport runway has been extended to 11,500 feet (3,500 m), making it one of the longest commercial runways in the state. The park is centrally located on the mid-Atlantic seaboard and among North Carolina's six military installations. In May 1996, the Global TransPark was designated as
Foreign Trade Zone A free-trade zone (FTZ) is a class of special economic zone. It is a geographic area where goods may be imported, stored, handled, manufactured, or reconfigured and re-exported under specific customs regulation and generally not subject to cust ...
214. The designation means companies can export and import products through the TransPark without many of the usual customs restrictions and tariffs. Inspired by the
Research Triangle Park Research Triangle Park (RTP) is the largest research park in the United States, occupying in North Carolina and hosting more than 300 companies and 65,000 workers. The facility is named for its location relative to the three surrounding cities ...
to the west, GTP's growth has been similarly slow, although proponents maintain that in time the concept will prove successful.


Features

Designed to attract industry and bring increased economic opportunities to the citizens of Eastern North Carolina and beyond, the GTP features more than available for
shovel ready In politics, a shovel ready construction project (usually larger-scale infrastructure) is where planning and engineering is advanced enough that—with sufficient funding—construction can begin within a very short time. The term was popularized ...
sites. The park also features an on-site Education & Training Center, now known as the Spirit Aerosystems Composite Center of Excellence. This on-site training facility offers classrooms, meeting rooms and composite labs for beginning or advance training. Workforce development programs are designed by
Lenoir Community College Lenoir Community College (LCC) is a public community college in Lenoir County, North Carolina. LCC's main campus is located in the city of Kinston in Lenoir County and it has satellite institutions in Greene and Jones counties. It is part of the ...
based on each company's specific needs.


Public services

The Global TransPark is also home to emergency services. The North Carolina Forestry Service, Highway Patrol and Emergency Management have established facilities at the TransPark. The GTP is the regional coordinating center activated to counter the destruction of natural disasters such as
Hurricane Floyd Hurricane Floyd was a very powerful Cape Verde hurricane which struck the Bahamas and the East Coast of the United States. It was the sixth named storm, fourth hurricane, and third major hurricane in the 1999 Atlantic hurricane season. Floyd tr ...
in 1999 and
Hurricane Irene Hurricane Irene was a large and destructive tropical cyclone which affected much of the Caribbean and East Coast of the United States during late August 2011. The ninth named storm, first hurricane, and first major hurricane of the 2011 At ...
in 2011.


Manufacturing

Supporters of the Global TransPark point to recent success, such as the decision by
Spirit AeroSystems Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc., based in Wichita, Kansas, is the world's largest first-tier aerostructures manufacturer. The company builds several important pieces of Boeing aircraft, including the fuselage of the 737, portions of the 787 fus ...
of
Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 397,532. The Wichita metro area had ...
, to locate a manufacturing plant there that will eventually employ more than 1,000 people. In 2008, Spirit said it will invest $570 million in the GTP project over the next six years. Spirit manufactures the center portion of the fuselage of the
Airbus A350 The Airbus A350 is a long-range, wide-body twin-engine jet airliner developed and produced by Airbus. The first A350 design proposed by Airbus in 2004, in response to the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, would have been a development of the A330 wi ...
Xtra WideBody airplane, which became operational in July 2010. State grants totaling about $125 million include a $5 million grant and more than $20 million, payable over 12 years, tied to the job creation attracted Spirit to North Carolina and the GTP. The
Golden LEAF Foundation The Golden LEAF Foundation is a nonprofit corporation based in Rocky Mount, North Carolina in the United States, that was created in 1999 to receive half of the funds coming to North Carolina from the master settlement agreement with cigarette ma ...
, which oversees North Carolina's share of tobacco-settlement money, also approved spending $100 million for Spirit's new building 500,000 square-foot facility. In 2011, Spirit Aerosystems announced that it would be expanding its operations at the Global TransPark. The aerospace supplier will establish production for the
Gulfstream 280 The Gulf Stream is a warm Atlantic Ocean current. Gulf Stream or Gulfstream may also refer to: Places *Gulf Stream, Florida, a town in the United States Art, entertainment, and media *''Gulf Stream Magazine'', a literary magazine at Florida Intern ...
wing at its North Carolina facility. The company anticipates that 150-200 additional jobs will be created at the Global Transpark over the next 5 years as part of this work package.


Logistics and transportation links

The North Carolina Department of Transportation has committed to building a rail spur, plus several road improvements within the Global TransPark to allow Spirit and other tenants to receive, build and ship out aircraft and other industrial components. The rail spur will connect Spirit's manufacturing facilities, as well as other sites within the Global TransPark, to the North Carolina Railroad's east-west line that runs through the center of Kinston to the Port of Morehead City 75 miles east of the GTP. The rail spur is currently being constructed, with final completion expected by January 2012. On several occasions, the Global TransPark has been noted as an up-and-coming site for business development and site selection. Southern Business & Development named the GTP one of its 10 outstanding logistics parks in the South. Site Selection magazine has consistently chosen North Carolina as the most business friendly state in the country, and has highlighted the Global TransPark's success in business recruiting. Other companies to locate facilities at the Global TransPark in recent years include
Mountain Air Cargo Mountain Air Cargo (MAC) is an American cargo airline based in Denver, North Carolina. It is a major contract carrier for FedEx Express, operating in the eastern United States and the Caribbean region. Previous turboprop operations in South Ameri ...
, Henley Aviation, Commerce Overseas Corp., Longistics, MJE Telestructure, Delta Private Jets,
DB Schenker DB Schenker is a division of German rail operator Deutsche Bahn that focuses on logistics. The company was acquired by Deutsche Bahn as Schenker-Stinnes in 2002. It comprises divisions for air, land, sea freight, and Contract Logistics. Histo ...
and Spatial Integrated Systems.


References


Works cited

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External links


Global TransPark
{{DEFAULTSORT:Global Transpark Buildings and structures in Lenoir County, North Carolina Logistics industry in the United States Economy of North Carolina Transportation in Lenoir County, North Carolina Special economic zones of the United States