NC State Ports Authority
Laura Blair currently holds the position of Vice President of Administration and External Affairs at NC State Ports Authority, where Laura oversees human resources administration, strategic staffing, and communications functions. Laura serves as the project manager for various key initiatives and is the Senior Management coordinator for the 11-member Board of Directors. Prior to this, Laura worked as a District Director for Economic Development at the U.S. House of Representatives and as a Legislative Assistant at the United States Senate. Laura holds a BA in Communications from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an MPA in Public Administration from The George Washington University.
NC State Ports Authority
North Carolina's Ports in Wilmington and Morehead City, plus an inland terminal in Charlotte, link the State's consumers, businesses and industry to world markets, and serve as magnets to attract new business and industry. Port activities contribute statewide to 87,700 jobs and $687 million each year in state and local tax revenues. An ongoing container-terminal expansion project at the Port of Wilmington includes four post-Panamax and three neo-Panamax container cranes, improved berths and a widened turning basin. Wilmington offers excellent general cargo facilities as well 775 on-terminal plugs for refrigerated containers. Warehouses at the Port of Morehead City offer high-quality features for the most demanding breakbulk shippers, including paper, steel, and lumber. Norfolk Southern rail access on the docks, connections to major north-south and east-west interstate systems, and a 45-foot navigational channel with docks less than four miles from the open sea make Morehead City a breakbulk terminal of choice. Take advantage of convenient access to the entire Southeast with next-day transit service between Wilmington and Charlotte via the Queen City Express and North Carolina Ports Charlotte Inland Port. Charlotte Inland Port connects customers to distribution corridors, services and opportunity. Strategically located in the heart of the region’s manufacturing and distribution centers, the port serves the I-85 and I-77 corridors.