ith its proximity to North Carolina's deep-water ports, the 2,400-acre North Carolina Global TransPark (GTP) is superbly located for tenants taking full advantage of the GTP's Foreign-Trade Zone.
      The GTP is an industrial/airport site located near Kinston in the heart of Eastern North Carolina. It is near major military bases and convenient to rail connections and interstate highways. The Kinston Regional Jetport and its 11,500-foot runway is the centerpiece of the GTP.
      The GTP is the grantee of Foreign-Trade Zone #214, a general-purpose zone for warehouse and distribution activities. The zone is further divided among three general-purpose sites including the Kinston Regional Jetport, and two others near Rocky Mount about 50 miles north.
      Darlene Waddell, executive director of the N.C. Global TransPark Authority, commented, "Our trade zone is one of the busiest in North Carolina, largely because of the money being saved in our subzones. Having foreign-trade zone status gives us another tool in the box for marketing the GTP."
      In the case of the GTP, there are also two subzones: Consolidated Diesel Co. in Whitakers, N.C., and NACCO Materials Handling Group, Inc. outside Greenville, N.C. Subzones are approved if a company is unable to relocate existing facilities into a general-purpose zone site and are approved for one company's specific use.
      The general purpose site at the airport is an attractive option for tenants, since goods can be brought in by ground, air and by rail in 2012 when a rail spur is completed. The Atlantic Coast ports of Wilmington and Morehead City round out a full set of delivery options for the GTP.
      General purpose sites are beneficial if a company trades internationally. Goods can be shipped into the U.S. to one of the GTP's general-purpose sites and warehoused for an indefinite period; no tariff on the goods would be required until the material enters U.S. commerce.
      An FTZ offers even greater incentives for manufacturers. A U.S.-based manufacturer could bring foreign-sourced parts or materials into the zone, pay no duty, incorporate those goods into a finished product using U.S. parts and labor, and, if the finished product enters U.S. commerce, pay duty only on the value of the foreign non-duty-paid content.

      To learn more about Foreign-Trade Zone #214, see www.ncgtp.com.