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More than 20,000 days have passed between April 4, 1965 and April 26, 2021.  A total of 20,476, to be exact.

The first date:  IBM announces that they would build a major research facility in Research Triangle Park.

The second date:  The announcement this week by Apple that they would construct anew East Coast campus and engineering hub in RTP.

IBM’s announcement in the 1960s provided validation for the concept of Research Triangle Park, and jumpstarted this region’s trajectory for decades to come. Of course, IBM is still a major and growing player both here and globally, as is their partner company Red Hat. Both companies are committed to the future of this region, and both companies are longstanding members of the RTA Regional Leadership Team as RTA Gold members.

More than 50 years later, my sense is that Apple’s announcement will serve as a new validation or catalyst for economic growth, for the Park and our broader, growing region.

Apple, of course, is not the only major jobs announcement this region has recently received. Just last month, RTA Gold member Google announced they would be building a cloud computing center in Durham with 1,000 jobs. On the same day, Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies announced the largest life science investment in North Carolina history.

Given the fundamentals, trajectory, and momentum for this region, the economic development announcements this spring will certainly not be the last. These will create opportunity for North Carolinians, both current and future — and also the obligation to continue the mobility investments that have made this region increasingly attractive and successful.

The regional business community will sustain and expand our ongoing partnerships with our transportation partners over the coming months and years, to ensure that our collective focus today will continue to advance opportunity and prosperity for 20,000 tomorrows.

Let’s get moving,