# North Carolina Department of Commerce

The North Carolina Department of Commerce was formed in 1971 by the North Carolina State Government Reorganization Act. The department is headed by the Secretary of Commerce, who is appointed by the Governor of North Carolina. The Secretary is part of the Governor's Cabinet. The chief function of the department is to connect businesses with locations, workforce and infrastructure in North Carolina that businesses need to succeed. The department also connects local communities with grants and funding sources to attract new business to North Carolina. The department also staffs and receives policy guidance from: the North Carolina Board of Science, Technology, and Innovation; the NCWorks Commission; and the Rural Infrastructure Authority.

## History

The North Carolina Department of Commerce was created in 1971 by the North Carolina State Government Reorganization Act, specifically General Statute 143B, Article 10, Paragraph 143B-427:
    "There is hereby recreated and reconstituted a Department to be known as the Department of Commerce, with the organization, powers, and duties defined in Article 1 of this Chapter, except as modified in this Article."
The Reorganization Act was part of an effort to reduce the number of state organizations and improve efficiency in government. The Department of Commerce is headed by the Secretary, who is selected by the Governor, and serves during the governor's tenure. The Secretary is one of the members of the Governor's Cabinet.
The department was activated as a functional agency on January 25, 1972. In its early history, the Department was simply an administrative umbrella providing support for a number of different regulatory agencies, each of which exercised its authority independently. In 1977, the North Carolina General Assembly transferred the state Division of Economic Development from the Natural/Economic Resources department into the Commerce department, among other changes.

## Secretaries

The Secretaries of the Department of Commerce have included:
| Secretary | Term | Governor |
| George Irving Aldridge | 1972–1973 | Robert W. Scott |
| Tenney I. Deane, Jr. | 1973–1974 | James Holshouser |
| Winfield S. Harvey | 1973–1976 | James Holshouser |
| Donald R. Beason | 1976–1977 | James Holshouser |
| Lauch Faircloth | 1977–1985 | Jim Hunt |
| Howard Haworth | 1985–1987 | James G. Martin |
| Claude E. Pope | 1987–1989 | James G. Martin |
| Jim Broyhill | 1989–1990 | James G. Martin |
| Estell C. Lee | 1990–1993 | James G. Martin |
| S. Davis Phillips | 1993–1997 | Jim Hunt |
| E. Norris Tolson | 1997–1998 | Jim Hunt |
| Rick Carlisle | 1998–2001 | Jim Hunt |
| James T. Fain, III | 2001–2009 | Mike Easley |
| John Keith Crisco | 2009–2013 | Bev Perdue |
| Sharon Decker | 2013–2015 | Pat McCrory |
| John E. Skvarla, III | 2015–2017 | Pat McCory |
| Anthony M. "Tony" Copeland | 2017–2021 | Roy Cooper |
| Machelle Baker Sanders | 2021-Present | Roy Cooper |

## Included organizations

The following state organizations are included in the Department of Commerce:
* Division of Employment Security (formerly the Employment Security Commission)
* State Savings and Loan Commission
* Banking Commission
* Community Development Council
* Credit Union Division
* Industrial Commission
* Public Staff of the Utilities Commission
* Rural Electrification Authority
* Seafood Industrial Park Authority
* Travel & Tourism Board
* North Carolina Utilities Commission