North Carolina’s controversial House Bill 2 has cost the city of Charlotte 730 new jobs and an approximately $8.2 million in initial investment by CoStar Group Inc. after the company selected Richmond for a new research operations headquarters.
The Charlotte Business Journal quoted David Dorsch, senior vice president at Cushman & Wakefield’s Charlotte office as saying, “The primary reason they chose Richmond over Charlotte was HB2.”
Cushman & Wakefield was representing CoStar nationally, and Dorsch said he had been working with CoStar in its local real estate search for most of 2016. He said the company was looking at downtown new construction for about 100,000 square feet, the report continued.
“(CoStar) is a great company; they’re a world leader in commercial real estate,” Dorsch said. “Their not coming here is a commentary on Gov. Pat McCrory and Mayor Jennifer Roberts … HB2 is a problem that was, in my opinion, led by those two people.
“This would come on the heels of a growing list of companies that have not moved to Charlotte as a result of HB2,” Dorsch continued.
After the news broke, Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin and Equality North Carolina Executive Director Chris Sgro released the following statements:
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The NBA announced it was moving the 2017 All-Star Game because of the failure of the General Assembly to repeal HB2, costing North Carolina an estimated $100 million in All-Star Game related profits.
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The NCAA, the ACC and the CIAA also announced they would stand up for the safety of their employees, players, and fans by moving championship games out of North Carolina due to the state’s refusal to repeal its anti-LGBTQ HB2 law.
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More than 200 major CEOs and business leaders signed an open letter calling for full repeal of HB2 – including many of North Carolina’s largest employers. More than 50 investment managers with more than $2.1 trillion in investments signed a similar letter.
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Major film studios and corporations, from PayPal to Deutsche Bank, have stopped investments in the state because of the new law’s threat to employees and consumers. Conventions have withdrawn from the state, taking substantial revenue with them. Prior to the NBA and NCAA decisions, the Tar Heel State had already taken a hit of at least $329.9 million in lost business, and in taxpayer money used to defend the measure – including funding Gov. Pat McCrory’s road trips to explain why he signed discrimination into law.
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Artists including Beyoncé, Bruce Springsteen, Dead & Company and Cyndi Lauper have spoken out.
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In May, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed suit in federal court, stating that HB2’s state-mandated discrimination against transgender people, including government workers and students, violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1965, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and the Violence Against Women Act of 2011.
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Joined by 68 major companies, HRC filed an amicus brief in support of DOJ’s effort to block some of the most egregious and discriminatory components of HB2.
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Duke University men’s basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski called the bill “embarrassing” and North Carolina State University men’s basketball coach Mark Gottfried said it “appalled” and “embarrassed” him.
