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With its growing airport, Fed­Ex hub and upgraded highway system, the Piedmont Triad has one of the better transportation networks on the East Coast.

What it needs now, say local business leaders, is a boost in commerce to knit those parts into an “aerotropolis” — a planned region filled with advanced manufacturers, transportation companies and good jobs surrounding Piedmont Triad International Airport.

With the help of the regional economic development group, the Piedmont Triad Partnership, business leaders have formed a new regional board that plans to do some aero­tropolis evangelizing with the General Assembly’s Triad delegation Wednesday.

This Aerotropolis Leadership Board wants to show state leaders how serious it is about making the Triad a global player in the international transportation economy.

“The region is fortunate to have the physical location midway on the East Coast ...” said Don Kirkman, president and chief executive officer of the Piedmont Triad Partnership. “I think the FedEx hub and the opportunities that PTI offer have the ability to differentiate us in the marketplace.”

David Congdon, president and chief executive officer of Old Dominion Freight Line, is chairman of the aerotropolis committee.

Companies like his, with global distribution networks, could play a key role in growth of the aerotropolis.

Congdon’s presentation, Kirkman said, is designed to introduce this region’s plans, its leadership, and the ways the state can offer policy and financial assistance.

“David’s goal is really just raising awareness of this opportunity, making sure that when people hear this term — aerotropolis — that it’s grounded in something real and tangible for the region,” Kirkman said.

A tangible aerotropolis is already forming at PTI.

Its centerpiece is the $519 million FedEx Express East Coast sorting hub. The company is ramping up operations and plans to begin sorting operations in late 2009 with about 300 workers.

As the economy improves, the hub could ultimately handle scores of flights each night, with the help of the airport’s new 9,000-foot runway, also expected to open at the end of 2009.

Earlier this year, Honda Aircraft Co. opened the world headquarters and engineering center at the airport for its HondaJet aircraft. The company already employs 400 workers and it hasn’t built any planes yet. The first HondaJet is set for late 2011 delivery.

The Raleigh trip’s goal is to make sure Triad legislators are “in a position to be able to speak to this in committees and with their colleagues in the General Assembly.” Congdon could not be reached for comment.

Aerotropolis means far more than its science-fiction name may suggest.

John Kasarda, a UNC professor and airport commerce expert, wrote a detailed report about the concept for the partnership’s group that has evolved into the current committee. He and the committee have said this region must do several things to create a strong aerotropolis region:

• Write a strong master development plan that draws cities and towns surrounding the airport into cooperative agreements.
• Make sure good industrial land is preserved within a 20-minute driving distance of the hub.
• Monitor residential development so it leaves room for business growth.

Contact Richard M. Barron at 373-7371 or richard.barron@news-record.com