Gov. Bev Perdue made the announcement on Tuesday. "Business leaders know we are listening to them and working aggressively to meet their needs,” said Perdue. “Companies know that in North Carolina they will find top-quality talent, world-class infrastructure, a pro-business environment, and premier education institutions. North Carolina is simply a great place to do business.”

“The synergy between North Carolina’s research parks, corporations, communities, and economic developers at the state and local levels is a major factor in this year’s top ranking,” said Site Selection Editor-in-Chief Mark Arend.

Site Selection is one of the nation’s premier magazines for economic development. The magazine characterizes its ranking process for "Top Business Client" as a combination of objective, actual new or expansion project announcements, and subjective input from corporate site seekers.