Lowe's tech center deal was competitive — so why Charlotte's South End?

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It wasn’t a given that Lowe’s Cos. Inc., despite being headquartered in nearby Mooresville, would bring its 2,000 tech jobs to Charlotte.

A recurring theme by state, county and city officials as well as executives at Lowe’s (NYSE: LOW) at Thursday’s announcement emphasized, underlined and repeated how workforce was the key driving factor for the company. But, ultimately, Charlotte — specifically South End, where Lowe’s will lease the entire office space at a new tower near the Design Center of the Carolinas — won the competition for up to 2,000 technology jobs with an average annual wage of about $118,000.

“Lowe’s could have put this new tech center in other urban areas across the country, and they were wanted,” said Gov. Roy Cooper at the event.

It had been publicly disclosed by the company that Dallas was a contender — the city is a larger metro and tech center than Charlotte and is in the state of Texas, which is known for its competitiveness from an incentives and business standpoint.

So what made Charlotte the winner? Read the full story here.

Cox Media Group