Melissa Smith

Born in Takoma Park, Md., Melissa Smith came to North Carolina as a teenager. She began her economic development career in Randolph County, where she served as both a marketing and existing industry specialist for the Randolph County Economic Development Commission. Since 2005, she has been an economic developer for N.C. Department of Commerce's Piedmont Triad Region, where she served as an existing industry specialist before assuming her current role as senior economic developer and regional manager in 2009.

Smith's outside activities revolve around her son, Zach, a freshman at UNC-Charlotte, and daughter, Hannah, a high school sophomore. She recently inherited a vintage Harley-Davidson motorcycle, which she threatens to learn to ride.

During her tenure at Commerce, Smith has recruited more than 100 companies in a wide variety of industries that in total have committed to creating 7,500 jobs and investing $1.2 billion. Those companies have been in industries including aviation and transportation/logistics, in which she specializes. Projects in those industries include Timco Aviation Services and NS Aviation which offer MRO services. She supported Timco's expansion by helping them locate a facility in Davidson County which will manufacture aircraft seating. That facility will eventually employ 500.
In April of this year, Smith recruited Pittsburgh Glass Works to Surry County. PGW, a leading supplier of automotive glass products and aftermarket glass service, has opened a manufacturing facility in Elkin, leading to the creation of more than 260 jobs over four years and $85 million in new capital investment.

Smith cites North Carolina's pro business environment, the quality workforce, availability of customized industry training through the state's Community College System, and flexible assistance from local as well as state partners as key drivers of success.

"Companies seeking to relocate have a lot of alternatives," says Smith. "The strength of North Carolina's competitive edge depends on our ability to aggressively deliver a strategy to meet our clients' needs quickly enough to make a difference for their specific project."

North Carolina counties served: Alamance, Caswell, Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Guilford, Montgomery, Randolph, Rockingham, Stokes, Surry, Yadkin