Business North Carolina Features Joshua Grant in Advocacy Roundtable on Economic Development

Business North Carolina recently gathered a group of leaders from some of the state’s most prominent industry organizations for an Advocacy Roundtable to discuss how collaboration strengthens North Carolina’s business landscape. 

Smith Anderson’s Director of Public Policy and Government Relations, Joshua Grant, joined the group of panelists to discuss key topics, including economic development, workforce challenges, legislative priorities and disaster recovery efforts following Hurricane Helene. Joshua also serves as Director of Policy and Strategic Partnerships for the North Carolina Economic Development Association (NCEDA) where he works closely with policymakers, economic development professionals and business leaders to advocate for policies that support North Carolina’s economic growth. 

During the discussion, Joshua shared insights on the role of advocacy in economic development and infrastructure investment, emphasizing NCEDA’s focus on site readiness, workforce development and maintaining North Carolina’s competitive posture against other states. 

"North Carolina has had tremendous economic development success, but those wins have depleted business-ready sites. Having them available is critical. We’ve been encouraging the legislature to invest in product development, and identifying and funding new sites has been significant," Joshua shared during the discussion. 

He also underscored the increasing importance of childcare as a workforce issue and the need for state investment in infrastructure and workforce programs to support long-term economic growth. 

A PDF of the full discussion can be viewed here, and a video excerpt can be viewed here or below.