Global TransPark
The North Carolina Global TransPark (GTP) is a 2,500 acre, multi-modal industrial/airport site in Eastern North Carolina. As an agency of the State of North Carolina, the GTP is considered a key engine for driving the economy of Eastern North Carolina. The park offers access to multi-modal transportation options: air, rail, highways, and North Carolina's two international ports. The GTP is part of an economic development initiative in eastern North Carolina intended to spur transition in the region from an agricultural base to one of skilled labor and industrial manufacturing. Industries targeted by the GTP are aerospace, defense and logistics sectors.
It is located approximately 30 minutes south of Greenville, North Carolina at the Kinston Regional Jetport (ISO) in Kinston, North Carolina. The airport runway has been extended to 11,500 feet (3,500 m), making it one of the longest commercial runways in the state. The park is centrally located on the mid-atlantic seaboard and amongst North Carolina's 6 military installments. In May 1996, the Global TransPark was designated as Foreign Trade Zone 214. The designation means companies can export and import products through the TransPark without many of the usual customs restrictions and tariffs. Inspired by the 1950s Research Triangle Park to the west, GTP's growth has been similarly slow, although proponents maintain that in time the concept will prove successful.
Designed to attract industry and bring increased economic opportunities to the citizens of Eastern North Carolina and beyond, the GTP features more than 2,400 acres (9.7 km2) available for shovel ready sites. The park also features an on-site Education & Training Center, now known as the Spirit Aerosystems Composite Center of Excellence. This on-site training facility offers classrooms, meeting rooms and composite labs for beginning or advance training. Workforce development programs are designed by Lenoir Community College based on each company's specific needs.
Supporters of the Global TransPark point to recent success, such as the decision by Spirit AeroSystems of Wichita, Kansas, to locate a manufacturing plant there that will eventually employ more than 1,000 people. In 2008, Spirit said it will invest $570 million in the GTP project over the next six years. Spirit manufactures the center portion of the fuselage of the Airbus A350 Xtra WideBody airplane, which became operational in July 2010. State grants totaling about $125 million include a $5 million grant and more than $20 million, payable over 12 years, tied to the job creation attracted Spirit to North Carolina and the GTP. The Golden LEAF Foundation, which oversees North Carolina's share of tobacco-settlement money, also approved spending $100 million for Spirit's new building 500,000 square-foot facility.
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