Making Charlotte an International City

by Lorne E. Lassiter, Executive Director, The Mayor’s International Cabinet

In 1992, Charlotte, North Carolina – with a foreignborn population of roughly 2 percent, 325 foreignowned firms and two honorary consuls – would not have been considered an international city by most. However, Charlotte did have an international vision for the 21st century. The task force charged with articulating this vision wrote:

“As international trade expands and advances in technology bring the peoples of the world closer together, cities are taking on new roles in the global arena. Charlotte welcomes these changes and is committed to strengthening its international position. As it enters the 21st century, Charlotte is committed to developing:

• An informed citizenry that is part of the global community;
• Civic leaders committed to enhancing Charlotte’s role as an international city;
• An active business community committed to integrating the region’s industry, financial, and commercial institutions into the world economy;
• A hospitable environment that promotes an international perspective, international opportunities for students and citizens; and
• A wide range of financial, commercial, educational, cultural and global linkages that integrate the city into the world economy.”

Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory hosts the Mayor’s International Community Awards, an annual event honoring the corporate philanthropy of Charlotte’s foreign-owned firms.

Out of this vision, the Mayor’s International Cabinet was formed and initially charged with being the principal advisor to then-mayor Richard Vinroot about international affairs.

Yet even in 1992, no one anticipated the rapid changes that have dramatically altered the landscape, demographics and culture of Charlotte. Fourteen years later, Charlotte/ Mecklenburg County, now the second largest banking center in the U.S., has a population of 850,000, over 12 percent of whom are foreign-born. According to the Pew Hispanic Center, Mecklenburg County’s employed Latino population increased from 3,500 in 1990 to 23,024 in 2000, a growth rate of 556 percent.1 Our Asian population is estimated as high as 50,000, and we are welcoming daily new populations of Bosnians, Somalis, Ivorians, Cambodians and Salvadorians, among many others.

In 2006, Charlotte/Mecklenburg has 654 foreign-owned firms representing 37 countries and providing over 25,000 jobs. German-owned firms currently are the largest group, with Canadian representation rapidly increasing. Our honorary consular corps has recently added its ninth member, a representative of Canada. Due to workload, for the first time in history the U.S. government has approved the addition of an Honorary Vice-Consul position for our busy Honorary Mexican Consulate.

While staying focused on the vision of developing and strengthening Charlotte’s international position, The Mayor’s International Cabinet (MIC) has also responded and adapted. As our new tag line says, the Cabinet currently serves as the “region’s leading resource for promoting international business and international communities.” The Cabinet is uniquely positioned to be both the liaison and catalyst for a forward-thinking approach to helping Charlotte deal with the issues and opportunities that arise from rapid international growth.

Economic impact

The economic impact of international growth on our region is reflected most directly by two kinds of businesses: firms that are foreign-owned and small business that are started by immigrant entrepreneurs. Foreign-owned firms contribute millions of dollars to the local economy by paying taxes and employing from the local market. They come to our region primarily as subsidiaries of German, Japanese or Canadian companies; as sales offices, such as Lufthansa airlines; or by buying local companies such as Freightliner and Food Lion. As this kind of foreign investment increases, these firms become important to the development of our community not just through the employment they create, but also by supporting local philanthropy and by encouraging their employees to volunteer in community initiatives.

The second kind of business – those owned by immigrant entrepreneurs – tends to be much smaller but is still important. That our new populations bring a strong work ethic and entrepreneurial spirit is demonstrated by the many family- owned small businesses – restaurants, meat markets, laundries, auto repair shops, nail salons – that have developed on our “international” corridors. Our research indicates that as many as 77 percent of small international businesses have been self-started, as opposed to having either been inherited or purchased.

As our region continues to attract new international residents, the Cabinet has realized that our solid economic data about these populations are deficient. Therefore, in 2005 we partnered with the University of North Carolina-Charlotte’s Belk College of Business to develop and implement a study of immigrant entrepreneurship in Charlotte/Mecklenburg.

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