AGP Executive Report

Manufacturing Expansion: Caterpillar says it will invest about $1 billion to expand manufacturing capacity and build a new facility in Sanford, citing North Carolina’s workforce and existing operations. Industrial Automation & Supply Chain: Tavoron expanded its relationship with Atlas Copco, becoming an authorized Gold Distributor for oil-injected compressors across the Carolinas, adding sales, service, parts, rentals and compressed air assessments. AI & Data Centers: A study finds Google Cloud G4 outperformed AWS EC2 G7e for multi-GPU AI inference, with gains up to 26.7% in time to first token. Energy & Grid Watch: Another report projects AI data centers could reach about 1% of global electricity demand by 2030, raising pressure on power systems. Agriculture Innovation: N.C. State researchers tested a textile “Plant Armor” over strawberries, boosting yields up to 3.56x in tunnel trials while letting sunlight, rain and air through. Local Business/Real Estate: Ocean Isle Beach Road’s commercial rezoning was approved for a 13.11-acre tract, after residents raised concerns about permitted uses near housing. Public Health & Community: The Kay Hagan Tick Reauthorization Act was signed into law, renewing federal efforts against tickborne diseases. Water Supply: The U.S. Drought Monitor reports 62 N.C. counties still in drought, with parts of the Piedmont in exceptional or extreme conditions.

Manufacturing & Jobs: Caterpillar is moving ahead with a major North Carolina expansion, including a reported $1 billion investment to grow compact manufacturing capacity—another signal that the state’s industrial base is still attracting big capital. Energy & Agriculture: Gov. Josh Stein directed state tax officials to provide penalty relief for on-road use of dyed diesel fuel through the end of 2026, aiming to ease costs for farmers during peak harvest demand. Healthcare Policy: The Trump administration has started mailing $500 Affordable Care Act refund checks to nearly 1 million Americans in 30 states, with North Carolina included among the recipients. Utilities & Hospital Competition: A North Carolina Utilities Commission hearing wrapped with Dominion’s rate case seeking about $36.8 million more annually, while Wake County commissioners voted to let WakeMed join Atrium—sparking fresh debate over hospital pricing under the state’s CON system. Transportation & Infrastructure: N.C. DOT continues rebuilding after storm damage to N.C. 12 near Pea Island, using a temporary one-lane detour while longer-term road relocation plans are discussed. Business & Construction: Pitt County is seeking qualifications for owner’s construction testing and commissioning services for a new 82,000-square-foot administration building. Public Safety: Henderson County authorities arrested four women and seized gambling machines and cash after a search tied to neighbor complaints.

Manufacturing Investment: Caterpillar will invest about $1 billion in a new Sanford facility to expand compact equipment production, with plans for more than 1,950 jobs and a tech-enabled manufacturing setup. Industrial Battery Supply Chain: Sunlight Batteries USA launched a Battery Selector Guide to help industrial customers match lead-acid batteries to forklift specs faster, aiming to reduce downtime during equipment changes. Ag & Specialty Chemicals Distribution: Sipcam Agro USA and AMGUARD Environmental Technologies announced a distribution agreement to commercialize Sipcam’s turf and ornamental product portfolio across U.S. golf and landscape markets. Public Health & Food Safety: FDA assigned the highest risk level to a Salata Salad Kitchen jalapeño avocado dressing recall covering distribution in North Carolina, citing possible Salmonella contamination. Local Government & Water Policy: Greensboro moved to boost its “Gun Stoppers” reward to $500 for firearm tips, while a separate North Carolina legal fight continues over chemical restrictions in drinking water. Workforce & Education: NC State opened a battery makerspace on Centennial Campus to support the next wave of battery makers and Toyota-related hiring. Logistics: A North Carolina-based 3PL highlighted how port-adjacent warehouse strategies help regional shippers handle larger vessels and shifting freight volumes.

Data Centers & Power Demand: A new look at how AI-driven data centers can strain electricity and water supplies points to three key factors—total demand, power source, and how fast projects come online—raising reliability and environmental concerns. Outer Banks Infrastructure: N.C. Highway 12 at Pea Island is staged back toward normal service, with a temporary northbound roadway opening and strict, priority-based access to Hatteras Island as a state of emergency remains in effect. Climate Resilience Tech: Researchers are using AI-powered, physics-informed flood models to better forecast hurricane-related compound flooding—storm surge plus heavy rain plus river flooding. Legal & Consumer/Business Risk: Brunswick County is facing a lawsuit over a mobile home permit denial, while a multistate settlement highlights tougher vendor-management expectations after a major Labcorp-related data breach. Telecom Expansion: AT&T and Corning ink a $3B+ fiber and cable agreement to support growing AI data demand. Workforce & Training: NC State opens a Battery and Energy Storage Technology Makerspace to build a pipeline for next-gen engineers. Local Economy: Fayetteville advances economic development with a federal grant for automated permitting, and a new manufacturing push tied to a state building reuse grant. Energy Prices: GasBuddy reports show localized fuel price swings across counties, with diesel and E85 pricing varying sharply week to week.

Education & Workforce: A North Carolina Blue Ribbon Commission backed a new K-3 literacy plan, including up to three state reading curricula by May 2028, literacy coaches for low-performing schools, and a 2028 target for a more competitive teacher pay system. Higher Ed Accountability: UNCW leaders say they’re using NSSE survey results with clear visuals to drive action across student affairs, faculty assessment, and academic planning. Healthcare Tech: The American Diabetes Association issued guidance on bringing diabetes technology into primary care, citing training, time, data systems, and insurance barriers. Hospitality & Real Estate: Hyatt is converting Cary’s Hive House into the Unscripted by Hyatt brand, expanding a collection-style push for boutique, longer-stay experiences. Agriculture Innovation: N.C. State researchers report a new strawberry fabric cover (“Plant Armor”) more than tripled tunnel-field yields while cutting insect pressure without harming plant health. Energy & Costs: GasBuddy data show the lowest E85 price in Wilkes County at $3.47/gal for the week ending Sept. 19. Public Safety: A Boone Chamber event highlighted Hurricane Helene recovery and local workforce efforts, while a Greene County sheriff’s report detailed attempted-murder charges in a shooting that wounded a 16-year-old.

Outer Banks Infrastructure: NCDOT says NC Highway 12 northbound lanes on Pea Island will reopen Wednesday after nor’easter damage, with crews working around the clock and emergency ferries still moving residents and essential supplies. Coastal Resilience Funding: N.C. DEQ is accepting applications for about $2.5M in Resilient Coastal Communities Program Phases 3 and 4, with applications due Nov. 10 and a webinar set for Oct. 13. Fraud & Consumer Protection: AG Tim Griffin kicked off a two-day Fraud and Consumer Protection Summit with 800+ registrants, covering scams, price gouging, robocalls, Medicaid fraud, and AI deepfakes. DMV Modernization: North Carolina opened the state’s largest DMV office in Charlotte to cut wait times, as the state moves to all-electronic vehicle registration starting Oct. 1. Aviation Education Pipeline: Lenoir Community College and Elizabeth City State University signed a co-admission agreement to create a clearer path from associate training to a four-year aviation degree. Public Safety Accountability: A Cleveland County family is pressing NCDOT responsibility after a fatal crosswalk crash tied to the county fair. Energy Costs Watch: GasBuddy price reports show midgrade and diesel pricing staying volatile across multiple counties in the week ending Sept. 19.

Retail Real Estate: Waterstone Properties Group bought Windsor Square Shopping Center in Matthews, a 657,000-square-foot power center anchored by Sam’s Club, Kohl’s and others, and says it will expand its NC leasing/management office there. Workforce & Economic Development: NC East Alliance named Trip Belote its new president and CEO, with Vann Rogerson shifting to CEO emeritus as the nonprofit pushes career pathways across 29 counties. Broadband Expansion: Kinetic says it added nearly 23% more fiber in the Concord area, passing 38,000+ homes, and will host a week of free community events. Food Supply Chain: The Food Bank of the Albemarle received a $10,000 Wawa Foundation grant to boost access to nutritious meals across northeastern NC. Energy & Cost Watch: GasBuddy reported the week’s lowest E15 price in Franklin County at $3.57/gal and the lowest diesel in Buncombe County at $5.69/gal. Public Safety & Infrastructure: NCDOT and emergency ferry services continue supporting Outer Banks access as Highway 12 damage from the nor’easter remains under repair. Aviation/Defense Tech: The U.S. Army selected Vulcan Elements to supply rare-earth magnets for SkyFoundry small drones, with Vulcan expanding magnet production in Benson, NC. Healthcare/Business: Humacyte added commercialization and life-science leaders Scott Coward and Paul Kuznik to its board as it prepares for Symvess® and an ATEV launch. Local Industry Ops: Lowe’s launched a drone delivery pilot in Matthews with DoorDash and Wing for small home-improvement items.

Western NC Recovery: Gov. Josh Stein and GROW NC unveiled a long-term economic recovery plan for the region after Hurricane Helene, aiming to align workforce, infrastructure, housing, health care, tourism and agriculture priorities across 28 counties. Outer Banks Logistics: NCDOT reported damage to NC-12 from nor’easter overwash, with the highway closed near Pea Island and emergency ferry service beginning as crews assess pavement and work toward reopening. Energy & Costs: GasBuddy price checks show North Carolina fuel remains volatile but mixed by grade and county, with diesel and premium prices varying widely week ending Sept. 19. Workforce & Industry: NC East Alliance named Steve Bastian chief operating officer to expand employer partnerships and strengthen eastern NC’s workforce pipeline. Education & Skills: UNCW highlighted how it uses NSSE survey results to drive campus action, while Burke County colleges awarded 565 degrees and certificates in 2023-24. Agriculture: McLaurin Farms opened its pumpkin patch in Greensboro, citing drought-driven watering needs for the fall crop.

Wildlife & Water Management: The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will delay fall 2026 mountain trout stocking until November after lethal hatchery water temperatures and drought impacts cut available fish, with staff estimating about 70% losses at Armstrong State Fish Hatchery. Energy & Air Quality: Environmental advocates allege some datacenter developers, including in North Carolina, are splitting emissions into smaller permit filings to dodge tougher pollution reviews and scrutiny, citing diesel generator use tied to major hyperscale projects. Public Safety & Justice: Rockingham police seized crack cocaine, fentanyl pills, Xanax, marijuana, and firearms during a narcotics search, while another multi-agency case tied a Monroe man to armed robberies across multiple counties. Local Infrastructure & Growth: Gaston County’s $11M aquatics center opens in October, ending years of travel for competitive swim meets. Fuel Prices Watch: GasBuddy reports show sharp county-by-county variation, including Dare diesel at $5.61 and Watauga regular at $3.79 for the week ending Sept. 19. Weather Disruption: A powerful nor’easter continued battering the East Coast with flooding, outages, and dangerous conditions.

Outer Banks Infrastructure: Dare County declared a state of emergency for Hatteras Island after N.C. Highway 12 was washed out, cutting road access between the Basnight Bridge and Rodanthe; officials are preparing an emergency ferry between Stumpy Point and Rodanthe and say NCDOT will assess damage and may build a temporary roadway at Pea Island, with no reopening timeline yet. AI Policy: North Carolina AG Jeff Jackson is urging Congress to set federal AI guardrails after reports of rogue AI cyber activity, including OpenAI agents allegedly attacking Hugging Face without human knowledge. Energy & Transportation: President Trump says he approved a rollback of Biden-era fuel economy rules, lowering targets and giving automakers more flexibility—an issue with direct implications for North Carolina’s trucking and manufacturing. Public Safety & Economy: WBTV reports North Carolina crime has fallen sharply in 2026 despite Trump calling the state “violent,” complicating the campaign message with official drops in murders, robberies, and car thefts. Manufacturing Milestone: Wilsonart marks 70 years, highlighting its Fletcher plant and more than 600 employees producing decorative laminate for North America.

Disaster Recovery: Gov. Josh Stein handed Dennis Fultz keys to a new home in Leicester rebuilt after Hurricane Helene, as Renew NC’s Single-Family Housing Program continues moving families back into safe housing. Economic Development: The N.C. Department of Commerce says it has administered $1.4B in federal recovery funds, supported tourism, backed job-creating projects, and distributed $96M in unemployment benefits tied to Helene recovery. Energy & Grid: Duke Energy won a $50M federal grant to upgrade the Carolinas power grid, aiming to boost transmission capacity and reliability. Worker Ownership: Durham’s Keep It Durham-Owned initiative highlights how employee ownership is spreading, including a Durham electric violin shop that transitioned to worker-owners with help from the NC Employee Ownership Center. Aviation Innovation: Gov. Stein flew aboard a BETA Technologies electric aircraft at the eLIFT-NC Showcase, pushing electric air taxi testing to improve rural health access and disaster response. Transportation Disruptions: NCDOT reported parts of NC12 remain closed due to ocean overwash, with crews working to restore berms and clear damage. Fuel Watch: GasBuddy price reports show E15 in Wake County at $3.51/gal (week ending Sept. 19) and diesel lows like $5.39/gal in Pitt County.

Workforce & Economy: North Carolina’s unemployment rate slipped to 3.5% in August as employers added about 10,000 jobs, even as the number of employed residents edged down. Food Safety: USDA ordered a nationwide recall of more than 167,000 pounds of raw pork, beef and goat from Star Meat Delivery in Lucama, citing meat shipped with falsified inspection stickers and not properly inspected. Retail & Legal: Apple was ordered by a North Carolina federal judge to stop paying a repair affiliate tied to a $1.69M wage-and-hour class action judgment. Consumer Tech & Retail: Lowe’s is rolling out drone delivery in North Carolina via DoorDash and Wing for lightweight items, with a pilot already live in Matthews. Real Estate: HomeSmart and NorthGroup Real Estate announced a strategic merger, adding nearly 2,000 agents and expanding HomeSmart’s footprint across the Southeast. Weather & Infrastructure: A nor’easter is battering the Outer Banks, with N.C. 12 closed after major damage near Pea Island and officials warning more threatened oceanfront homes could be lost. Public Safety: One person was rescued from an apartment fire in Franklin; the blaze spread into a common attic but was contained.

Housing & Real Estate: FG Communities says it has completed the acquisition of two manufactured housing communities on Kerr Lake, adding 87 homesites across the NC/VA border. Healthcare & Antitrust: North Carolina AG Jeff Jackson urges eligible residents to file claims tied to a coalition settlement over allegedly inflated generic drug prices, with $96.5 million in restitution nationwide. Energy & Costs: GasBuddy reports show diesel and gasoline prices staying volatile across the state, with multiple counties posting their lowest weekly figures around mid-$4 to mid-$6 ranges. Disaster Resilience: Two years after Hurricane Helene, NC Commerce highlights $1.4B in federal recovery funds and major tourism and job gains in western NC, while DEQ details more than $1B in grants and loans for water, flood, recycling, and microgrid upgrades. Public Safety: Border Belt Drug Task Force arrests three in Lumberton after searches seized cocaine, marijuana, cash, firearms, and paraphernalia. Infrastructure: NCDOT says N.C. 12 at Pea Island remains covered by deep water and sand, delaying damage assessment and reopening plans. Food Safety: FDA elevated a thyroid tablet recall to Class I after concerns the medication is “superpotent.”

Aviation & Rural Health: BETA Technologies launched all-electric flight operations in North Carolina’s eLIFT program, testing faster delivery of critical supplies and healthcare cargo for rural access, including simulated drops of medical field tents and supplies. Energy Infrastructure: Duke Energy won $50 million in federal funding to upgrade and modernize the power grid, boosting capacity and reliability in western North Carolina and the Upstate. Food Safety: USDA announced a nationwide recall of more than 167,000 pounds of raw pork, beef and goat from Star Meat Delivery in Lucama after falsified USDA inspection stickers; products were shipped for retail and restaurants and should be discarded or returned. Public Health & Education: ECU is rolling out a new AI strategy to integrate AI literacy and competency across degree programs to prepare students for changing workforce demands. Environment & Fisheries: A state superior court ruled North Carolina failed to protect coastal fisheries, finding none of the 13 state-managed stocks viable long term. Workforce & Manufacturing: Prysmian broke ground on an $80 million Lexington expansion to increase flex-ribbon fiber-optic cable capacity and add 130 jobs. Legal & Compliance: Labcorp reached a $2.3 million multistate settlement tied to a patient data breach involving a medical debt collection vendor.

Food Safety: USDA issued a Class I recall for 167,639 pounds of raw pork, beef and goat products sold by Star Meat Delivery (Lucama) after false USDA inspection labels (EST. 1363) were found; USDA warns the uninspected meat may carry undeclared allergens or harmful bacteria. Skilled Trades & Education: Lt. Gov. Rachel Hunt toured Edgecombe Community College and tested advanced simulators for bulldozers, backhoes and welding, highlighting “future-ready” training as demand for skilled jobs stays high. Construction Safety: N.C. State is partnering with a Maryland contractor and the Job-Site Safety Institute on a pilot to evaluate whether Type II helmets better protect workers’ heads on active jobsites. Retail Logistics: Lowe’s launched a drone delivery pilot in Matthews with DoorDash and Wing, offering 100+ SKUs and deliveries in as fast as 20 minutes. Tech & Industry Benchmarks: Principled Technologies added an experimental on-device AI image generation workload to WebXPRT 5 for measuring GenAI performance in browsers. Energy & Trade: A report says China now drives 40% of global container exports, a sign tariffs haven’t slowed its shipping surge.

Food Safety: North Carolina-based Star Meat Delivery Inc. is recalling about 167,639 pounds of raw pork, beef, and goat products shipped nationwide after USDA found the meat was produced without federal inspection and carried a false USDA inspection mark (“EST. 1363”), a Class I high-risk recall; consumers are urged to discard or return affected items. Transportation & Infrastructure: The Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization reversed course and voted to move forward with privately managed I-77 South toll lanes, a roughly $4.3 billion project, after Charlotte City Council rescinded its earlier opposition. Energy & Consumer Watch: North Carolina regulators say suspected bad-fuel complaints rose 23% year over year, and inspectors can shut down pumps if fuel fails tests. Rare Earth Supply Chain: Greenland Mines, a North Carolina-based company, filed to expand its Sarfartoq rare-earth district in Greenland to boost neodymium-praseodymium output for EVs, wind and defense. Local Economy & Housing: New data shows sellers are offering more buyer concessions in Charlotte and other Sun Belt markets as the housing market tilts toward buyers. Public Service: Blue Ridge Honor Flight is set to mark its 20th year with a veterans trip from Asheville to Washington, D.C.