2026 InterCity Visit Recap: Bringing Ideas Home from Greater Raleigh

Round Rock business and community leaders returned from the Chamber’s third annual InterCity Visit with fresh ideas and stronger connections to help shape our community’s future. Held September 30–October 2, the visit to Greater Raleigh and the Research Triangle offered an opportunity to learn directly from leaders navigating many of the same growth challenges we face. 

The delegation met with mayors, city management teams, and economic development professionals at the state, regional, and local levels. Conversations with the Greater Raleigh Chamber, Wake County Economic Development, the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina and the Research Triangle Foundation explored how these organizations work together to support business growth and prepare their communities for the future. 

Three days of conversations and tours focused on:  

• Planning for growth: Discussions with economic development leaders, Duke Energy, and Raleigh Water explored how communities coordinate business recruitment and infrastructure planning to prepare for future demand. 

• Creating vibrant downtowns: Visits to downtown Raleigh and Cary highlighted how public spaces, arts, local businesses and redevelopment can work together to create active destinations. Downtown Cary Park offered a closer look at the vision, funding, and ongoing programming behind a major community investment. 

• Building talent and innovation: Wake Tech Community College, Research Triangle Foundation and First Flight Venture Center provided examples of how education, industry and entrepreneurship connect to support workforce development and business growth. 

• Sustaining collaboration: Economic Leadership’s Ted Abernathy shared the story of the Research Triangle’s evolution, reinforcing how decades of partnerships helped build its success and why continued collaboration matters to its future competitiveness. 

InterCity Visits give our leaders time to examine shared challenges, ask questions and consider approaches that could work in Round Rock. This year’s experience brought back ideas relevant to downtown development, employer and education partnerships, infrastructure readiness and support for entrepreneurs. It also strengthened relationships among the local leaders who can help move those ideas forward. Special thanks to each of the organizations and individuals who offered their time, insights and resources to host our delegation:  

• City of Raleigh  

• Mayor Janet Cowell  

• Marchell Adams – David, City Manager  

• Evan Raleigh, Assistant City Manager  

• Michele Mallette, Chief of Staff 

• Whit Wheeler, Director, Raleigh Water  

• Downtown Raleigh Alliance  

• Bill King, President & CEO 

• Will Gaskins, Vice President of Economic Development and Planning 

• Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau 

• Loren Gold, Executive Vice President  

• Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce 

• Adrienne Cole, President & CEO 

• Michael Haley, Senior Vice President, Economic Development, Greater Raleigh Chamber 

• Wake County Economic Development 

• Michael Haley, Executive Director  

• Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina  

• Chris Chung, Chief Executive Officer  

• Duke Energy 

• Derrick Remer, District Manager, N.C. Government and Community Relations  

• Town of Cary, NC  

• Mayor Harold Weinbrecht, Jr. 

• Scot Berry, Assistant Town Manager  

• Joy Ennis, Downtown Cary Park General Manager 

• Sarah Preston, Assistant Division Manager – Cultural Resources 

• Cary Chamber of Commerce  

• Mark Lawson, President  

• Wake Technical Community College 

• Dr. Scott Ralls, President 

• Tim Humphrey, Provost – Information Technology, Business & RTP Chief Campus Officer  

• Leslie Isenhour, Dean, Biotechnologies Division & NC BioNetwork Capstone Center  

• Matt Smith, Vice President, Development & Strategic Partnerships 

• Research Triangle Foundation  

• Anne Kiyono Calef, Senior Planner 

• Leah Murphy, Events & Office Coordinator 

• First Flight Venture Center 

• Jesse S. Jur, Ph.D., Senior Director, Innovation & Strategic Initiatives 

• Linda Shropshire, Director of Ecosystem Development  

Thank you to our delegates, sponsors and Greater Raleigh hosts for making this year’s visit a success and a meaningful investment in Round Rock’s future. 

See all the photos from the trip here.