Garrett Wyckoff

Garrett Wyckoff joined the N.C. Department of Commerce in 2000 as a community planner. In 2003 he joined the Commerce Finance Center staff as an industrial finance specialist and has extensive experience working with the different industrial incentive and tax programs offered through Commerce. In 2008 he became a member of the Business and Industry Division as a statewide economic developer. In his current role, Garrett's main focus is on recruiting companies to North Carolina that are in the life sciences or food/agricultural industry sectors.

Garrett is originally from Princeton, N.J., and received his BA and MPA from Bowling Green State University in Ohio. Currently, Garrett and his wife, Renee, reside in Raleigh and have three children: Garrett III, Stella and Everett. When not working, Garrett enjoys spending time with his family and working out.

Garrett says North Carolina is a great fit for companies in both the bio/life sciences and food/ag industry sectors for different and various reasons. He says bio/life sciences companies are attracted to our long standing state-wide commitment to the industry as whole, availability of a skilled labor force, quality of life, world class community college and university system, and the lower cost of doing business as compared to our main competitors in California and Massachusetts. The food industry is attracted to the state because of our central location on the East Coast, our excellent highway/transportation system, labor availability, and the agricultural knowledge/research coming out of our universities.

Garrett also says the department does a very good job of selling our state and praises our great network of partners and allies throughout North Carolina whom we can call on to assist with a company's location needs.