Global TransPark

The North Carolina Global TransPark (GTP) is an economic development area in eastern North Carolina intended to spur transition in the region from an agricultural base to one of skilled labor and industrial manufacturing.

It is located approximately 30 minutes south of Greenville, North Carolina at the Kinston Regional Jetport (ISO) in Kinston, North Carolina. Allegiant Airlines offers scheduled service to Orlando. The TransPark is a combined airport-industrial complex developed by the State in Lenoir County. The runway has been extended to 11,500 feet and a new 120,000 sf building is fully leased. Further construction is expected in the near future.

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 available for development and an on-site Education & Training Center, now known as the TransPark Center.

Initial funding came from a $7.5 million appropriation from the state and a $5 annual license-plate fee levied against 13 counties in the region between 1994 and 1999. 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.

In May of 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.

Due to the rise in outsourcing, globalization, and lagging economy of the immediate area, the Global TransPark has not met the expectations of its proponents (who originally compared it to the Research Triangle Park) and is considered a boondoggle and white elephant by many North Carolinians.

External links

• Global TransPark