Kannapolis, N.C. The next RTP?

Then there’s Kannapolis, N.C., which hopes to transform itself from a textile mill town to a biotech hub with the help of David Murdock, a California financier who plans to spend up to $1 billion to develop a research park at a former Pillowtex plant.

This initiative is unique because the key player is a private individual rather than a government. Murdock, who owns Dole Food Co. and a real estate development firm, has pledged to establish a $100 million venture capital fund to attract biotech firms to his park, which is about 40 miles northeast of Charlotte.

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