Advance Auto Parts has selected North Carolina as its new home, moving from Roanoke, Virginia, where the business has been based for nearly 90 years.

According to the News & Observer of Raleigh, North Carolina, the company began as a store chain selling a variety of products in the 1930s, and transitioned to exclusively selling auto parts in the 1970s under the leadership of Nicholas Taubman.

According to reports, roughly 600 employees will continue to work out of Roanoke, but the headquarters will be expanded and moved to a region of North Carolina known to be an increasingly important hub for technology and computer-savvy talent. According to a recent Forbes report, North Carolina has topped the magazine’s “Best States for Business” ranking for two consecutive years, with labor, energy and tax costs well below the national average.

This, combined with a highly educated talent pool was what drove the decision to move according to Advance CEO Tom Greco.

“This is a great day for Advance Auto Parts and the beginning of an exciting new chapter in our company’s history here in North Carolina,” said Greco in a statement released by the North Carolina Governor’s office. “Our industry and our company are in the midst of a major technology and business transformation. We are making considerable progress in these efforts. Following a thorough review of options, North Carolina’s deep bench of information technology and software development talent was a key driver of our decision.”

Advance’s long-term integration plans and continued development of technology, ecommerce and digital platforms will be led in large part by teams based in Raleigh.

Advance currently has more than 2,900 full-time employees in North Carolina, including more than 700 based in its existing offices in Raleigh. With the expanded operations and HQ in Raleigh, Advance also will add up to 435 new jobs over the next five years, according to Gov. Roy Cooper.