State business recruiters sweat the details

bniolet — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 16:14:33 -0400

Sassicaia is among the world's best wines, lush with earthy textures from an area in Tuscany.

It costs about $200 a bottle and is a favorite of Richard T. Santulli, chief executive of private airline NetJets. A state business recruiter made a point to find that out before a December dinner for him, Jonathan B. Cox reports.

No detail was too small as the state tried to woo the Ohio company to the Triangle and gain as many as 3,000 jobs.

Records made public by the state Department of Commerce chronicle an eight-month courtship with meticulous planning — down to instructions for the governor on making small talk — that involved some of the Triangle's top business leaders.

The files illustrate the intensity of the race between the states in corporate recruitment and show how personal connections as much as financial incentives can shape decisions.

North Carolina did not lure NetJets, which in March announced expansion in Columbus, Ohio.

Meetings were highly structured. Gov. Mike Easley got instructions on exactly how to charm executives on a visit. From 2:05 to 2:15 p.m., the governor was to "lead informal, get acquainted Session, with focus on Mansion's holiday decorations & your woodworking." The whole memo is below.

Document(s):
easley memo.pdf

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State business recruiters sweat the details