NEWS

North Carolina brought home a Stanley Cup this year. That's a hockey story. But talk to the people who built that team, and it starts to sound like a familiar economic story. North Carolina wins because it's built to win. Chairman Woody White sat down with Brian Fork of the Carolina Hurricanes organization and Sen. Michael Lee to talk championships, tax policy, education, and what it takes to stay on top. You can watch the full conversation below. A Championship Built on More

As a part of our mission to collaborate with state leaders in support of policies that unlock the economic potential of the sports industry, Opportunity for NC hosted a roundtable discussion with industry leaders and Senators Michael Lee, Brad Overcash, Steve Jarvis, and Dave Craven. Stay tuned for more about that discussion. But first, Chairman Woody White asked Sen. Michael Lee about his vision for the State Senate and his plans to run for President Pro Tempore. Sen. Micha

Opportunity for North Carolina (O4NC) believes our state has the bases, the veterans, and the research universities to lead in defense. And yet, according to the North Carolina Critical Technologies Alliance, the state ranks 30th in defense spending as a share of GDP, 25th in defense contracts, and draws only about $200 million a year in defense-funded R&D – a gap state and industry leaders now see as opportunity. A Bipartisan Caucus Takes Shape The North Carolina General Ass

North Carolina should be a national leader in defense-related economic growth. Yet the state ranks only 27th nationally in defense contract spending, despite assets such as Fort Bragg, Camp Lejeune, and Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. By any measure, we look like a defense powerhouse. So why does our state rank only 27th in the nation for Department of Defense contract spending? That question was at the heart of a recent discussion featuring Jarrett Lane of the North Carolina

North Carolina’s reputation as one of America’s best states for business didn’t happen by accident.

Thanks to intentional, market-based policy and conservative leadership, North Carolina has once again earned national recognition — this time as the Top State for Workforce Development in 2026, according to Site Selection magazine’s Bright Horizons rankings. Site Selection evaluates states using a broad set of long-term indicators, including credentials and degree attainment, labor productivity, return on training investments, and alignment between education and employer ne

When rethinking how students learn, Florida is quietly leading with something powerful: à la carte learning, supported by state-funded Education Savings Accounts (ESAs). Families in Florida are breaking free from the “one-school-fits-all” model—and North Carolina should pay attention.

On October 17, 2025, Methodist University announced that its new medical school, the Methodist University Cape Fear Valley Health School of Medicine, has received accreditation approval from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) and will begin recruiting its inaugural class in summer 2026. It will be the fifth MD-granting medical school in the state and the first in four decades not tied to an existing institution. We are most excited about the medical school add

Recently, Opportunity for NC Board Member Drew Heath hosted the Danish Ambassador Jesper Møller Sørensen, Denmark’s Minister for Industry, Business & Financial Affairs Morten Bødskov, and state legislative leaders in a discussion about one of the most dynamic international partnerships in the United States. From Idea to Impact North Carolina has quietly become one of Denmark’s closest business partners in America. Danish companies have invested billions of dollars here, cre

A bipartisan North Carolina delegation traveled to Finland from August 26–29, 2025, to study one of Europe’s most advanced defense...

Some on the left have voiced concern that expanding educational flexibility—with school choice or vouchers—means public schools are being...

It’s time for North Carolina to step boldly into the future of education policy by being the first state to opt into the federal...

Recently, we were honored to host the Majority Leaders from both chambers of the General Assembly. Chairman Woody White moderated the...

Recently, we were honored to host a lively and informative discussion with five of the state’s educational leaders. Topics included...

This is a streak I can get behind. Just like last year, CNBC has again ranked North Carolina as the top state for business.

At a time when companies are clamoring for workers while trying to navigate a treacherous economy, no state is meeting their needs more effectively than North Carolina . The Tar Heel State is America’s Top State for Business in CNBC’s annual competitiveness study. It is the second consecutive year at the top for North Carolina — a rare feat in the CNBC study, which launched in 2007. Business and the economy in the state have been on a tear since the pandemic, and the state h

GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) – Even as it ranked North Carolina as America’s top state for business for the second year in a row and as state...