Burke County, North Carolina offers businesses in logistics and supply chain management the advantages of great connectivity and central location, putting our communities within a day’s drive of 160 million consumers — nearly 80 percent of the population east of the Mississippi River.
Our efficient network of highways and nearby road connections is just the beginning. Our area also offers extraordinary access to intermodal, rail, air cargo, and ocean shipping to help you move products and materials efficiently and cost-effectively. And if your business involves online distribution, you’ll appreciate the robust fiber network that provides reliable high-speed internet throughout the entire county.
QUICK CONNECTIONS
Interstate 40’s 14 interchanges within Burke County allow businesses to move materials, products, and talent in and out with ease. Nearby connections to Interstates 77, 85, 26, 81, and 95 give local businesses fast connections to major markets in every direction. US 70, which bisects Burke County, stretches from eastern North Carolina to east-central Arizona. Both thoroughfares intersect with US 64, a key north-south route throughout the southeast. Nearby US 321 intersects with both I-40 and US 70 three times, giving businesses plenty of options for getting trucks on and off the highway and its direct connection to I-85 in Gastonia, NC.
CONVENIENT CLASS I RAIL
Rail shippers can take advantage of a Norfolk Southern mainline to bring raw materials in and ship finished products out to market efficiently and cost-effectively. Norfolk Southern’s Charlotte Regional Intermodal Facility at Charlotte International Airport (CLT), a little over an hour away, offers options for truck, rail, and air cargo. The mainline also provides direct access to several Atlantic Ocean ports, all within six hours, putting overseas markets in close reach.
EXTENSIVE AIR CARGO
Charlotte International Airport (CLT), with runways up to 10,000 feet (3,048 meters) long, is home to the Charlotte Air Cargo Center. With 570,000 square feet of facilities and more than 50 acres of aircraft ramp space, the facility is served by more than 60 freight forwarders, 300 trucking companies and 15 air cargo carriers. Customs brokers and international service providers at the Center support businesses with import/export needs. In addition, shippers needing specialized air cargo and expedited services will appreciate the convenience of Burke County’s two regional airports.
IDEAL FOR SERVING THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY
Our location in the Southeastern Automotive Corridor makes Burke County an ideal location for distribution companies that connect suppliers with automotive and other original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). We’re also home to more than 20 machinery and fabricated metal product manufacturers.
LARGE, WELL-TRAINED WORKFORCE
With a labor shed of 650,000 within a 45-minute drive and a robust pipeline of new workers, local employers have no worries about labor shortages. Local high schools keep that pipeline full by preparing young people for today’s in-demand jobs with career and technical education that includes engineering, mechatronics, and computer-integrated machining as well as trade and industrial education such as welding and automotive repair. Students graduate workforce-ready, and many choose to deepen their skills at Western Piedmont Community College in Morganton, where they can earn two-year technology degrees and certifications in areas including electrical engineering, industrial systems, mechanical engineering.