By: Felipe Rivas
2 min read November 2019 — Rapid growth in Charlotte is attracting families and young professionals, as well as local and international companies. BDO USA, with help from the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance, has been at the forefront of helping potential foreign investors move into the Charlotte market. BDO USA Tax Office Managing Principal Donna Chamberlain talks about Charlotte’s appeal to international companies and efforts to use technology to improve efficiency in an interview with Invest: Charlotte.
What unique opportunities are emerging as the region grows?
“In the past 12 months, while working with the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance and other internationally focused organizations, the global opportunities have really come to light. We focused on joining the alliance’s international advisory council, which aims to attract international investors to the Charlotte Metro Area. It was eye-opening to see how this city is appealing to prospective international investors. BDO’s consultants help potential investors with site selection and tax and accounting requirements, which is very exciting. Newly expanding companies from Europe and Latin America are also looking at what Charlotte has to offer. The area is attracting many foreign investors as well as corporate relocations from established companies.”
What makes Charlotte a desirable city for companies looking to relocate?
“Charlotte has seen an incredible amount of growth and infrastructure development, and the city is paying great attention to detail. Also, education as a whole is very high in the area, which is creating a diverse, educated and skilled workforce for companies to choose from. The industry make-up is becoming more diversified, from high tech and manufacturing to healthcare. It is not just financial services, which Charlotte is known for, but also the diversification into other industries that is very appealing for companies looking at the Charlotte Metro Area.”
In what ways is BDO USA leveraging technology to improve customer experience?
“BDO is investing in technology that helps create processes across the firm nationally that are integrated seamlessly. Investments in software and technology make our practice efficient and portable. BDO has global offerings that feel very local. Data analytics improves efficiency and we want clients to access that data quickly. We offer global portals that allow our clients to see real-time statistics related to what we are doing for their company.
How is BDO collaborating with the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance to improve service offerings?
We are supportive of the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance and joining their internal councils has been beneficial. It hass been really collaborative. The alliance is reaching out to the local business community for support as it continues to expand. Working with the alliance has been helpful in understanding what companies need, especially in the current atmosphere, and how we can help them shape their business. We want to provide customized HR, tax and accounting solutions specific to our clients.”
To learn more about our interviewee, visit: https://www.bdo.com/about/us-locations/charlotte-office
