The Finns Are Coming!

Greater Charlotte is also attractive to overseas companies looking to set up manufacturing operations, such as the Finnish heat exchange maker Vahterus Oy, which opened up a Charlotte office last month. It will then evolve into its North American manufacturing operation in the next few years (and might even fly a Finnish flag sometimes). "Mecklenburg County is already the largest manufacturing county in North Carolina, which offers an established business environment for European operations in this country," Charlotte Chamber VP-Economic & European Development Justin Hunt tells us. "Compared with other cities with similar industrial infrastructure, we have a  lower cost of living, which translates directly into a lower cost of doing business." (And our lifelong dream of a ski jump in the center of town may yet come to fruition.)