Information Items:
The Mayor's Small Business Summit - Wednesday, April 5
Staff Resource: LaTonya Polk, 704-336-4178 - ljpolk@ci.charlotte.nc.us
Attached is the invitation to the Mayor's Small Business Summit on Wednesday, April 5, at 5 pm at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center in the Meeting Chamber.
Mergent Headquarters Relocating to South Carolina
Staff Resource: Brad Richardson, 704-336-3857 - brichardson@ci.charlotte.nc.us
Mergent Inc. (formerly Moody's Investor Services), a financial services research company, announced a decision last week to relocate its headquarters to Fort Mill, SC. Mergent currently employs 175 in an office park near the intersection of Tyvola Road and I-77, and expects to hire 50 additional employees over the next five years.
City and Chamber staff met with Mergent's CEO in September 2005 after learning that the company was considering relocating once its current lease expires. At the time, we were told that the relocation to York County was a strong possibility, and the tax incentives available in South Carolina were a primary factor in their evaluation.
During the course of this process, Mergent officials inquired about incentives available to them in North Carolina, but State and City staff informed them that their expansion did not appear to qualify for existing programs. In January, we notified York County economic development staff that we would not be offering incentives to Mergent.
