UNC-TV ONLINE: State of Change:

Program Description

But recent free trade agreements and international competition have caused a rash of business closings, as residents have watched manufacturing jobs move overseas. In July 2003, Pillowtex announced the largest manufacturing layoff in North Carolina’s history, affecting nearly 5,000 people. But economic development leaders insist manufacturing is not dead. Instead, companies creating specialty products continue to thrive, and many companies are pushing to generate more business through biomanufacturing, the science of using living cells and their molecules to solve everyday problems. This technology can help researchers find medicines to treat illnesses like cancer or engineer agricultural products to deliver vaccines or vital nutrients. The industry holds so much promise for North Carolina that the Golden Leaf Foundation has committed nearly $64 million dollars to help prepare workers to embrace these jobs as they become available.