North Carolina’s businesses are a vital component of our national economy and must be afforded every opportunity to prosper, grow, and create jobs.

In an effort to give North Carolina’s business leaders the opportunity to meet with federal government officials to discuss policies that may affect their livelihoods and communities, select Members of the North Carolina Congressional delegation host the North Carolina Business & Economic Development Summit each September.

This two-day event is a valuable opportunity for business leaders to learn, collaborate, network, and discuss common legislative and management concerns. As always, registration for the North Carolina Business & Economic Development Summit is offered free of charge to constituents of Congressional hosts.

Register today!

Register Today!

Congressional Hosts:

Congressman G.K. Butterfield
Congresswoman Renee Ellmers
Congressman George Holding
Congressman Richard Hudson
Congressman Walter Jones
Congressman Mark Meadows
Congressman Mike McIntyre
Congressman Robert Pittenger
Congressman David Price
Congresswoman Virginia Foxx
Congressman Howard Coble

 

Summit Schedule:

Monday, September 8th

The Cannon Caucus Room (Cannon House Building Room 345)

1:30pm-2:00pm: Registration & Material Pickup
2:00pm-3:30pm: Presentations by special guests
3:30pm-4:30pm: The North Carolina Executive Leadership Panel
Featuring CEOs and leaders from major North Carolina companies
4:30pm-5:45pm: Official briefing by the hosting North Carolina U.S. Representatives 
Featuring U.S. Representatives McIntyre, Butterfield, Ellmers, Jones, Hudson, Price, Holding, Foxx, Coble, and Pittenger
5:45pm-6:45pm: Social Mixer & Networking Hour
 

 

Tuesday, September 9th

The Members Room in the Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building

8:00am-12:30pm: Networking Breakfast & Seminar
Featuring officials from the Administration and Capitol Hill, as well as political commentators, for talks on various business, political, and economic topics

 

2014 Speakers & Special Guests:

Speakers and special guests will be announced here as they are confirmed. Please check back for future announcements!

Chuck Todd

Chuck Todd is NBC News' Chief White House Correspondent, as well as the host of “The Daily Rundown” on msnbc. He became NBC News' Political Director in March 2007. He also serves as NBC News' on-air political analyst for "NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams," "Today," "Meet the Press" and msnbc.

   

General Raymond T. Odierno

General Raymond T. Odierno, assumed duty as the 38th Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army on 7 September 2011.

   

U.S. Senator Richard Burr

First elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994, Senator Burr served five terms in the House and is currently serving North Carolina in his second term in the U.S. Senate.

   

Christopher P. Lu

Christopher P. Lu was sworn in as the Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor on April 4, 2014. He serves as the chief operating officer of a 17,000-employee organization that works to create greater opportunities for all Americans. Previously, Lu served from 2009 to 2013 as the White House Cabinet Secretary and Assistant to the President. In this role, he was President Obama's primary liaison to the federal departments and agencies, helping to coordinate policy and communications strategy.

   

Dr. Rebecca Tippett

Rebecca Tippett is the Director of Carolina Demography at the Carolina Population Center at UNC-Chapel Hill. Her areas of expertise include population estimates and forecasts, school enrollment projections, and indicators of economic well-being.

   

Richard Moore

Richard Moore is CEO of First Bank, which operates in NC, SC, and VA. Mr. Moore previously served in the North Carolina House of Representatives and as State Treasurer of North Carolina.

   

Jim McCleskey

Jim McCleskey is Senior Advisor for Government & Corporate Relations for RTI International. Jim was appointed by former Governor Hunt as Director of the North Carolina Washington Office, and reappointed by Governors Easley and Perdue. As Director of the NCWO, Jim worked with the North Carolina Congressional delegation, the White House, assorted Federal agencies, numerous other Governors’ offices, and many businesses and communities on the full range of federal affairs matters facing the State.

   

Joe Stewart

Joe Stewart is Executive Director of the North Carolina Free Enterprise Foundation. Mr. Stewart has worked in government, politics, issue advocacy and association management for more than 20 years in Baltimore, DC, and North Carolina.

   

Carmin Black

Carmin Black and Christian Black are the sibling founders of HALF UNITED, and the people behind the concept of using a recycled bullet casing to represent the fight against hunger. Having started their accessory business with only $200 these two turned a fledgling idea into a growing movement of men and women UNITING together to stop hunger in its tracks. Based in Wilmington, North Carolina, HALF UNITED has given over 115 thousands meals to children since 2010.

   

Susan Fleetwood

Susan Fleetwood serves as Chief Economic Development Liaison in the Office of the Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Commerce. In this role, she provides strategic leadership on complex economic development projects and issues, leads the Department’s efforts in defining processes for working with the newly-formed Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, helps develop competitive proposals for the Department’s active economic development projects, and serves as liaison to the Governor’s Office to prepare for his active engagement with prospective and existing companies.

   

Stuart Heishman

Stuart Heishman is Manager of Business Development for Duke Energy’s Economic Development Division. He is responsible for business development and project coordination in the following industries: data centers, plastics, cement and glass manufacturing, building materials manufacturing, corporate headquarters, warehousing/ distribution/ logistics, and composites R&D.; Heishman joined the company in July 2005.

   

Jenny Fulton

Jenny Ingram Fulton is currently the Chief Pickle Officer for Old Orchard Foods, LLC / Miss Jenny's Pickles. Based in Kernersville, North Carolina, the company started out of the financial recession in 2009 and currently exports to three countries. More than 2,500 stores in the U.S. carry Miss Jenny's Pickles.

   

Denis McDonough

Denis McDonough is currently serving as President Barack Obama’s Chief of Staff, a position he assumed in February 2013. Prior to assuming this role, he served as the Deputy National Security Advisor from October 2010 to January 2013. He also served as the Chief of Staff of the National Security Staff and as the Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications.

   

Senator Kay Hagan

After 10 years in the North Carolina State Senate, Senator Hagan was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2008 and serves on four Senate committees: Armed Services; Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs; Small Business & Entrepreneurship; and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.

   

Melvin L. Watt

Mel Watt served in the North Carolina Senate from 1985 to ’86 and was elected to the U.S. House of representatives in 1992. Mel served on the Subcommittee on Capital Markets and Government Sponsored Enterprises and Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit on the House Financial Services Committee. In December 2013, Mel was confirmed by the Senate to be the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

 

Getting Here:

The North Carolina Business & Economic Development Summit is held on the U.S. Capitol Complex in Washington, D.C.

All events on Monday, September 9th will take place in the Cannon Caucus Room (Cannon House Building Room 345). Read more about the history of this space here

Address:
South of the Capitol bounded by Independence Ave., First St., New Jersey Ave., and C St. SE

All events on Tuesday, September 10th will take place in the Members Room in the Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building.

Address:

10 First Street SE, Washington, D.C. 20540