Those of us who live and work in the Triangle area of North Carolina (Chapel Hill--Durham--Raleigh) know we've got a good thing going. Now the 14 million passengers on Delta will be able to read all about it when they're flying around the world or the U.S. during the month of July. The Triangle, and companies including GlaxoSmithKline, are featured in a 36-page section of the Delta Sky Magazine found in the airline's passenger seatbacks.
Raleigh Mayor Charles Meeker and Durham Mayor Bill Bell joined with executives from Delta, the Raleigh-Durham International Airport and area leaders to celebrate the official recognition and bragging rights. The article, headlined "The Power of Three," looks at how North Carolina in the 1950s chose to capitalize on its three world-renown research universities--Duke, North Carolina State, and the University of North Carolina--to create a thriving center of innovation, culture, and diversity.
There were 41 interviews with well known local residents including Duke Basketball Coach Mike Krzyzewski, musician Branford Marsalis, and GSK's own Chief Medical Officer Ellen Strahlman. For GSK, North Carolina is home to about 5,000 employees in R&D, manufacturing and commercial operations. It was here that GSK scientists joined with colleagues at the National Cancer Institute and Duke University to develop the first therapy targeting HIV/AIDs in 1987. Most of GSK's medicines for the US are made in the state. And the company contributes about $1.7 million a year to nonprofit organizations focusing on health and education in the state.
So there's a lot more to this area than sweet tea, barbecue, and basketball. Maybe that's what really attracted folks from around the world and what keeps them so happy. Read all about it here.
Telling the Research Triangle Region's story is what we do here at the Research Triangle Regional Partnership (RTRP--http://www.researchtriangle.org). We have a great story to tell and the region is a wonderful product to sell as we encourage companies to locate and grow here instead of somewhere else in the world. We couldn't do what we do to help this region grow without our partners! We are very grateful for great partners such as GSK.