Morehead Forum embraces big ideas

by James G. Martin and Henry Issacson, Greensboro News-Record, January 12, 2014.

When Gov. John Motley Morehead spoke of bringing the railroad to North Carolina, the idea was so big that most citizens were unable to comprehend how transformative it would be.

First, the idea had to be sold, as many of the investors had never laid eyes on an actual locomotive, rail cars or even the rails that would carry them. When the final spike was driven in and the first locomotive ran down the line, farmers and townspeople referred to it as the eighth wonder of the world. Morehead, the visionary leader of his day, aptly referred to it as “North Carolina’s economic tree of life.”

While today it is hard to imagine North Carolinians of the 1850s taking such a leap of faith by embracing the big idea, one need only look at a map to see the majority of our state’s population and industries are still located along that 317-mile route from Morehead City to Charlotte.

The rail line of Morehead’s day is still vital to North Carolina’s economy, transporting products to and from coastal ports and bringing them to the interior of the state. Today, with its connection to other rail lines, intermodal yards, highways, tank farms and airports, the North Carolina Railroad holds even more importance. Big ideas still matter, and that is why we are involved with The John Motley Morehead Forum for Economic Development.

While economic development is approached in different ways all across the country, the Morehead forum seeks to extend the legacy of the man called “North Carolina’s first modern governor” by using his big ideas on transportation, education, manufacturing and architecture/preservation. Each year, the forum will focus on one of these themes.

The Titans of Transportation Summit will convene at Piedmont Triad International Airport in the middle of this year, bringing top chief executive officers of major corporations that focus on transportation.

Our two U.S. senators from different political parties have issued a joint invitation to the U.S. secretary of transportation to participate in this initiative. This follows in the same vein as the gathering of North Carolina’s former governors this past October, which was heralded by the Associated Press as “Four governors, one goal: a better North Carolina.”

We believe much good can be accomplished through unity of purpose, and the Morehead forum gives us the ability to cross political lines and effect positive change, not just for our state but for our region.

The unique quality of the Titans of Transportation Summit is that it will showcase decision-makers at the top levels rather than low- to mid-level managers. Bringing top business leaders from around the world to speak about their industries’ wants and needs exposes North Carolina to the people who make manufacturing and facility location decisions.

These decision-makers will do more than just speak and leave. The Morehead forum seeks to engage them with North Carolina’s business and civic leaders so that future efforts at economic development are made in an informed way.

Morehead believed in bringing influential people from outside North Carolina to assist our state in continuing its progress. He brought Dorothea Dix, a nationally known activist for mental health and social welfare, to North Carolina. One major result of her visit was the state building a hospital dedicated to serving people known at the time as the “criminally insane.”

Morehead also brought a New York architect to our state to help design and build our Capitol in Raleigh. Alexander Jackson Davis’ work impressed Morehead so much he had him design his beloved Blandwood mansion in Greensboro. Davis went on to do other notable projects, including additions to UNC-Chapel Hill and plans for Davidson College.

Morehead was never afraid of big ideas and never wavered in bringing people from all over the world to our state to speak about them. Extending his legacy is a natural fit for our state. His ideas and methods are still relevant.

By bringing corporate decision-makers to our state, we have a greater possibility to be chosen for expansion, as opposed to courting mid- to lower-level employees who may not have much voice in making final decisions.

We have a wonderful state in which businesses, industries and their executives can locate, but sometimes we don’t do enough to blow our own horn. By bringing top thinkers and decision-makers from around the world here, we can make manifest North Carolina’s motto “To be, rather than to seem.”

Now is the time to think big, the way Gov. Morehead would do it!

James G. Martin, North Carolina governor from 1985 to 1993, is honorary chairman of the John Motley Morehead Forum for Economic Development. Henry H. Isaacson, chairman of the Piedmont Triad International Airport Authority, is founding chairman of the forum.