Commerce, JDIG, and the Megasite Race — Wednesday, May 6, 2026
Commerce, JDIG, and the Megasite Race
JetZero is bringing a $4.7 billion factory to Greensboro, anchored by $1.6 billion in public commitments — the largest job pledge in state history. Fujifilm is building biomanufacturing in Holly Springs. Toyota and Eli Lilly are scaling their existing footprints. Behind every announcement, a layer of lobbyists, chambers, and local governments shaped the public package. Six other deals just got cancelled. This is the field.
Every Megasite Has a Lobby Behind It.
Project sponsors, statewide business groups, regional partnerships, chambers, and local governments each enter the registry from a different angle.
- 01City of CharlotteMunicipal government9
- 02North Carolina League of MunicipalitiesMunicipal association9
- 03High Point Market AuthorityMarket and regional economic-development node7
- 04Charlotte Regional Business AllianceRegional business alliance5
- 05Economic Development Partnership of NC, Inc.State recruiting arm3
By the Numbers: 14 Project Sponsors, 39 Lobbyists, 86 Local Governments.
Counts come from daily_snapshot_registrations for April 29, 2026, using selected Commerce, chamber, regional partnership, and project-sponsor terms.
$1 Billion Awarded to JetZero. Six Other JDIG Deals Just Got Cancelled.
State incentives move through Commerce, the Economic Investment Committee, local packages, infrastructure, and workforce systems.
How a $1.6 Billion Deal Gets Built.
JetZero is the live example. Site selection. Package. Approval. Then the obligations begin.
- 01ProspectCompany or site selectorA sponsor weighs sites, labor, utilities, logistics, and incentive terms.›
- 02PackageCommerce and EDPNCState recruiters and local partners shape the public offer.›
- 03CommitmentJDIG and local incentivesAwards depend on job, payroll, and investment performance.›
- 04BuildoutInfrastructure and workforceRoads, water, power, permitting, and training become the next policy fights.
EDPNC Markets the State. The NC Chamber Speaks for Business.
EDPNC borrows its voice from contract lobbyists who also work the rest of the file. The NC Chamber keeps its own.
- 01Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, Inc. has 3 active lobbyists. Two of them — Joshua Grant and B. Davis Horne — also register for 18 other clients each, including AIG, Sherwin Williams, and the NC Medical Society. The state's recruiting arm leases its bench.
- 02North Carolina Chamber has 3 active lobbyists. All three — Jake Cashion, Debra L. Derr, and Alyssa Morrissey — register only for the Chamber. The business federation keeps its own voice.
The Statewide Bench: Charlotte Regional, EDPNC, the NC Chamber.
The chart uses active lobbyist counts from the latest daily snapshot and excludes non-Commerce trade associations.
- 01Charlotte Regional Business Alliance5 lobbyists
- 02Economic Development Partnership of NC, Inc.3 lobbyists
- 03Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce3 lobbyists
- 04North Carolina Chamber3 lobbyists
- 05Research Triangle Regional Partnership1 lobbyists
Global logistics for regulated industries.
- Pharma & life sciences
- Aerospace & defense
- High-value commodities
Freight built for what cannot fail.
Prolog moves life-sciences shipments, aerospace components, and high-value commodities through purpose-built lanes — chain-of-custody, temperature, and compliance handled end to end.
- FDA-regulated cold chain
- ITAR-controlled aerospace
- Government and prime contractors
After JetZero. After Fujifilm. The Next Site Is Already Being Scoped.
Once a company selects a site, the agenda extends into roads, utilities, training, taxes, and local approvals.
Fujifilm and JetZero each carry a four-person active bench.
The registry does not explain project decisions by itself. It shows which sponsors maintain a current lobbying presence.
- 01Fujifilm Holdings America Corporation4 lobbyists
- 02JetZero4 lobbyists
- 03Eli Lilly and Company3 lobbyists
- 04Toyota Motor North America, Inc.3 lobbyists
- 05Honeywell International, Inc.2 lobbyists
- 06DENSO Manufacturing North Carolina, Inc.1 lobbyists
Aerospace, Biomanufacturing, Advanced Manufacturing: Three Industrial Files.
Aerospace, biomanufacturing, and advanced manufacturing each touch Commerce policy in different places.
- 01→JetZero · 4 active lobbyistsThe Greensboro aerospace project sits at the intersection of incentives, airport infrastructure, workforce, and university partnerships.
- 02→Fujifilm Holdings America Corporation · 4 active lobbyistsThe Holly Springs biomanufacturing buildout ties Commerce policy to life-science capacity, utilities, and local site readiness.
- 03→Toyota Motor North America, Inc. · 3 active lobbyistsThe battery and manufacturing footprint keeps workforce, transportation, and supplier policy close to the registry.
- 04→Eli Lilly and Company · 3 active lobbyistsLife-science manufacturing links state incentives with labor supply, infrastructure, and pharmaceutical policy.
Who Lobbies for JetZero. For Fujifilm. For Toyota. For Lilly.
JetZero, Fujifilm, Toyota, and Eli Lilly each retain their own roster.
- 01
- 02
- 03
- 04
The City of Charlotte Has 9 Lobbyists. So Does the League of Municipalities.
Cities, towns, villages, counties, chambers, and regional partnerships carry the site-readiness side of economic development.
60 Cities. 26 Counties. The Local Footprint Behind Every Megasite.
The latest daily snapshot includes municipal and county principals whose registrations can touch incentives, land use, infrastructure, and revenue authority.
Charlotte, Raleigh, Greensboro, the Triangle: Four Regional Benches.
Several chambers and regional partnerships work the same Commerce file.
- 01→Charlotte Regional Business Alliance · 5 active lobbyistsCharlotte's business alliance has the largest chamber-linked bench in the state.
- 02→Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce · 3 active lobbyistsThe Raleigh chamber sits beside Research Triangle and life-science project interests.
- 03→Greensboro Chamber of Commerce · 1 active lobbyistGreensboro's project context runs through the Triad aerospace and manufacturing corridor.
- 04→Research Triangle Regional Partnership · 1 active lobbyistA distinct regional partnership in its own right.
Roads, Water, Power, Permits: The Local Side of the Deal.
Local governments and regional groups often become the delivery system after the state pitch lands.
- 01Public infrastructure: Roads, water, sewer, and power are Commerce issues. A megasite can fail on infrastructure before it reaches a ribbon cutting.
- 02Local incentives: County and municipal packages sit beside JDIG. Local approvals can include grants, abatements, land work, or public hearings tied to the project site.
- 03Regional selling: Chambers and partnerships tell the labor-market story. Their registrations show where business recruitment becomes legislative and budget-facing.
Up To $450 Million in Site Prep. After the Ribbon Cutting.
A project announcement creates new pressure on roads, utilities, schools, community colleges, permitting, and housing.
After the Announcement: Roads, Water, Workforce, Permitting.
The registry catches the actors. The budget carries the obligations.
- 01SiteLand and utilitiesWater, sewer, power, and grading determine whether a site can absorb a project.›
- 02AccessRoads and logisticsLarge projects need freight access, airport access, or highway improvements.›
- 03LaborTraining pipelineCommunity colleges and workforce boards become part of the deal's delivery.›
- 04CommunityHousing and servicesJob growth creates fiscal and planning pressure for local governments.
Community Colleges, Utilities, Permits: Three Public Systems Behind the Pledge.
Commerce packages often rely on institutions that are not the company receiving the incentive.
- 01Training: Community colleges turn job numbers into programs. Training capacity is part of the project's credibility with state and local officials.
- 02Utilities: Water, sewer, and power become budget questions. The public cost of serving a site can outlast the announcement cycle.
- 03Permitting: Speed has a policy surface. Site readiness depends on approvals, environmental review, and local implementation capacity.
Restored American classics — judged, documented, delivered statewide.
- Concours-grade restorations
- Documented provenance
- Statewide delivery
An American classic, on your terms.
Carolina Classic curates and restores period-correct American cars for collectors and weekend drivers — every car judged, photographed, and documented before delivery anywhere in North Carolina.
- Collectors building a stable
- Weekend tours and rallies
- Weddings and event rentals
$4.7 Billion. 14,564 Jobs. The Largest Commitment in NC History — Sitting Next to a 49.4% JDIG Failure Rate.
JetZero is the test case for whether a state-record incentive package and a state-record private investment can actually deliver.
JetZero by the Numbers.
What the public commitment actually contains.
- 01Total private investment · $4.7BThe largest single private capital commitment in North Carolina history.
- 02JDIG award · $1.018B over 37 yearsPerformance grant — payments contingent on annual job-creation and capital-investment milestones.
- 03State site-prep appropriation · Up to $450MDirect state spend on roads, water, sewer, and grading at the Piedmont Triad International site.
- 04Utility Account commitment · $113MInfrastructure delivery via the One North Carolina Utility Account.
- 05Guilford County package · $75.9MLocal incentive commitment — among the largest single-county packages in NC.
- 06Jobs pledged · 14,564The largest job pledge in NC history; tied to the JDIG performance schedule across 37 years.
The public side of the deal.
PTI runs the runway. PT Regional Water delivers utilities. Greensboro and High Point carry the local package. Five principals — already registered — for the $113M utility line, the $450M site prep, and the $75.9M from Guilford.
- 01→Piedmont Triad Airport Authority · 2 active lobbyistsOperates the runway JetZero will use; the airport authority on the Piedmont Triad International site.
- 02→Piedmont Triad Regional Water Authority · 2 active lobbyistsCounterparty on the $113M One North Carolina Utility Account commitment.
- 03→City of Greensboro · 5 active lobbyistsHost city for the JetZero site and the largest Triad municipal bench in the registry.
- 04→Business High Point – Chamber of Commerce · 3 active lobbyistsTriad business federation registered in Raleigh.
- 05→High Point Market Authority · 7 active lobbyistsThe Triad's most active local-government client in the registry.
Why Greensboro. Why now.
JetZero lands inside an aerospace corridor that already has the runway, the workforce promise, and four neighboring operators.
- 01JetZero: Blended-wing-body commercial aircraft. Final assembly anchor for the new chapter of the cluster.
- 02Boom Supersonic: Overture final assembly. A second aircraft OEM in the same airfield footprint.
- 03HondaJet: Light business jet HQ and manufacturing. Established OEM presence and an existing supplier base.
- 04HAECO: Wide-body MRO. Heavy-aircraft maintenance capacity adjacent to assembly.
- 05Marshall Aerospace: Defense conversions. A defense-side operator filling out the cluster.
JetZero Watch List.
What the registry and the Commerce file will reveal as the project moves through its 37-year clock.
- 01First-aircraft milestone: The assembly target. The first JDIG performance check tied to physical output.
- 02Annual jobs and capital: 37 successive milestones. Each year's JDIG payment depends on a specific jobs-and-investment threshold.
- 03Site-prep delivery: The $450M state spend. Roads, water, sewer, and grading on the public side of the deal.
- 04Registry — JetZero: Bench expansion or contraction. New lobbyist registrations through the 2026 session signal where the issue surface is shifting.
- 05Registry — supplier ring: Subcontractors and adjacent operators. New aerospace-cluster principal registrations are an early signal of supply-chain anchoring.
- 06Registry — local: Guilford and Greensboro. Local-government registrations track the public-side delivery of the local package.
The registry also shows who is missing from the megasite race.
Large announcements cluster around prepared sites, labor markets, and infrastructure. Other regions show up through rural, local, and regional-development policy instead.
Commerce lobbying splits into four practical lanes.
The same project can touch more than one lane.
- Project sponsor
- Regional seller
- Local capacity
- Business policy
The Raleigh Group: Two Lobbyists, 52 Shared Clients.
When a JDIG project sponsor like Fujifilm hires Hardin and Morgan, it is plugging into a Raleigh Group practice that is already at the table on dozens of unrelated NC policy fights.
- 01→John A. Hardin · The Raleigh Group · 58 active clientsA multi-sector contract lobbyist at The Raleigh Group whose registered book runs from Bayer, GSK, and Boehringer Ingelheim through Charter, Coinbase, and Food Lion — and includes the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the NC Insurance Federation, the Nature Conservancy, RTI International, and Pew. Fujifilm Holdings America Corporation is one row in that book.
- 02→William Morgan · The Raleigh Group · 55 active clientsHardin's partner at The Raleigh Group. The registry shows 52 of Morgan's 55 active clients are also Hardin's — a shared book covering pharma, managed care, broadband, crypto, clean energy, and tribal government. What looks like two lobbyists is one firm.
Three Firms, Four Names: The Adjacent Cross-Sector Books.
The Raleigh Group is not the only multi-sector practice in the Commerce file. McGuireWoods, The Southern Group, and Brubaker and Associates each carry books that span economic development, healthcare, tech, and local government.
- 01→Harold Brubaker · Brubaker and Associates · 24 active clientsSolo shop running Amazon, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of NC, FedEx, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, and Rex Hospital alongside the NC Bankers Association, the NC League of Municipalities, and the High Point Market Authority.
- 02→Jason Saine · The Southern Group of NC · 33 active clientsTech, sports betting, and local-government-heavy book including IBM, Charter, Encompass Health, the Sports Betting Alliance, the City of Charlotte, and the Town of Troutman.
- 03→D. Bowen Heath · McGuireWoods Consulting · 21 active clientsRegisters for Fujifilm Holdings America Corporation alongside Apartment Association of NC, Diageo, Dominion Energy, Franklin County, Google, NASCAR, and United Healthcare.
- 04→Franklin Freeman · McGuireWoods Consulting · 11 active clientsHeath's colleague at McGuireWoods. Registers for Fujifilm Holdings America Corporation alongside Franklin County, HNTB, Maximus, Teach For America, and Uber.
The next fight is not just who lands a plant.
It is who can afford to compete for one.
- 01Site readiness: Prepared sites attract the first call. Roads, water, sewer, power, and land control decide which regions can answer quickly.
- 02Fiscal capacity: Local packages are easier for some communities than others. Property-tax base, debt capacity, and grant access shape the local match.
- 03Labor supply: The workforce promise has geography. Training institutions and commute sheds affect the credibility of job-creation pledges.
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What the Edition Showed You.
The useful facts are specific: who's registered, how many lobbyists, where the work happens.
- 01→Fujifilm Holdings America Corporation · 4 active lobbyistsAn active four-person bench for one of the state's largest pharma manufacturing investments.
- 02→JetZero · 4 active lobbyistsAn aerospace sponsor with four lobbyists tracking the largest job pledge in NC history.
- 03→Charlotte Regional Business Alliance · 5 active lobbyistsThe state's largest chamber-linked bench.
- 04→Economic Development Partnership of NC, Inc. · 3 active lobbyistsThe state's recruiting arm. Four lobbyists across its registry footprint.
Watch List: New Sponsors, Local Packages, Repeat Operators.
Three signals to track in the next 30–60 days.
- 01Who enters?: New sponsor registrations are the earliest signal. A company can show up in the registry before its project narrative is public.
- 02Who localizes?: City, county, and chamber registrations show where a deal needs delivery. The local roster can reveal the public side of a private expansion.
- 03Who repeats?: Repeated lobbyist names show where expertise clusters. The repeated-name roster is narrow here, but it is a useful pattern for monitoring.
About this edition
This edition draws on the NC Secretary of State's daily lobbying registration snapshot for April 29, 2026, alongside public economic-development announcements from the N.C. Department of Commerce, the Office of the Governor, and the Economic Investment Committee.
Registry source: daily_snapshot_registrations, latest snapshot dated April 29, 2026.
Count method: Active lobbyist and client counts use unique IDs from the daily snapshot where available. Principal-name counts are used for city, county, chamber, and regional footprint metrics.
Editorial boundary: The edition describes registrations and public project context. It does not assert that a named lobbyist supports or opposes a specific bill.