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You're probably already familiar with North Carolina. It's a state that has built a solid reputation as an outstanding place to do business. Year after year, North Carolina ranks in the top handful of states in attracting new corporate facilities, and business climate surveys often peg the state No. 1 among its peers.

The reasons for North Carolina's success are many and varied. For starters, the state has one of the country's most highly regarded industry training programs. It has the Southeast's largest manufacturing labor force and one of the country's friendliest labor climates. North Carolina also has some of the nation's top institutions of higher learning, a leading banking center and one of the country's most diverse quality-of-life offerings, with beaches, mountains and everything in between.

And while places like Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham grab a lot of attention in business-location circles, there's another area with a lot to offer: Eastern North Carolina. The region includes 40 of the state's 100 counties (see map), and it's home to some 2.1 million people.

"Eastern North Carolina is a good north-south business corridor because of Interstate 95," says Charlotte-based Chris Skibinski, SIOR, vice president, The Walker Companies. "Labor is abundant in the region, and wage rates are usually a little lower. Union membership is low. The communities throughout the area are pro-business and aggressive, and they offer pretty good incentives to companies coming in."

Fact is, many of the world's biggest and most successful firms have been operating in Eastern North Carolina for years: Bridgestone/Firestone, DuPont, Frigidaire Co., Purolator and Sara Lee, among others (see chart). They've found the region an inviting place to do business.

Companies of all stripes and sizes can receive valuable assistance from the three regional economic development partnerships that serve Eastern North Carolina (North Carolina's Northeast, the Global TransPark Development Commission and North Carolina's Southeast). Those organizations work closely with the state Dept. of Commerce and their local communities to help prospective firms evaluate location opportunities and assist existing companies with expansion plans.

To help readers gauge Eastern North Carolina's business environment, Site Selection interviewed numerous corporate executives across the region. Those business leaders, all of whom were involved in a recent decision to establish a new facility, tell much the same story. They report that state, regional and local officials eagerly courted their business, worked together to answer their questions and resolve problems, and helped their companies get up and running quickly. They've found an abundant, willing work force, good quality of life and, above all, a place where their companies can be profitable.

Here are their stories, including observations by development officials across the region.