RALEIGH—The North Carolina Chamber of Commerce's new President and CEO is considering legislative priorities. Gary Salamido says that the Chamber has successfully passed legislation for education, healthcare, and financial literacy, but he says transportation and the rural-urban gap is next on the list. Salamido has been on the job since August, when he replaced Lew Ebert.

Salamido says that the Chamber has focused on education, financial literacy, and healthcare so far this year. Their success includes the start of the My Future NC attainment goal which aims to see 2 million North Carolinians enrolled in high quality secondary education before 2030.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, almost 10.4 million people are living in the Tar Heel state. Salamido says that though growth is a good sign for North Carolina, the state is starting to see issues with transportation and infrastructure in particular. He says that efforts are being made to “diversify revenue sources and minimize risk” in order to help North Carolina keep up with that growth.

Salamido says that as parts of North Carolina grow, other parts of the State are struggling. He says that in the aftermath of severe storms, North Carolina's largest business needs help. According to Salamido, legislation is in the works to help rebuild Eastern North Carolina and keep agriculture booming.

Salamido says that “We [NC Chamber] believe that food manufacturing, Agribusiness, a continued focus on manufacturing…will be a key to closing that gap between urban and non-urban areas.”

Salmido was a recent guest on the Carolina Newsmakers program.