Martin Marietta gift fuels Duke Health expansion

Martin Marietta and its chief financial officer, Michael Petro, are placing community investment at the center of a major new partnership with Duke Health.

Earlier this year, the company made a gift to support the development of a new inpatient hospital at Duke Health Cary, a donation that aims to expand hospital services in one of North Carolina's fastest-growing regions.

For Petro, the decision reflects broader values about the company's role in the communities it serves.

"We view our business through the lens of stewardship and feel that it's our responsibility to improve our communities," said Petro, who earned his MBA at Duke and frequently returns to the Fuqua School of Business as a guest lecturer. "With this in mind, the decision to support Duke Health was incredibly easy. This is an important project for the Triangle and its people, and we're proud to have a small role in bringing it to life."

The contribution is part of a broader vision for an 85-acre site designed to become a vibrant mixed-use community. When complete, the Cary hospital campus is expected to employ about 1,600 people, creating both health care access and economic opportunity.

Petro said the anticipated job growth was a key consideration in Martin Marietta's decision to invest.

"When we think about these positions, we see people who will use local services, shop in local businesses, volunteer with local charities, and generally strengthen the community," he said. "The Duke Health Cary expansion will create significant economic activity throughout the area, but its total value will be much greater. The project will provide more than health care alone. It will expand the community's foundation and enable the area's incredible growth to continue."

The impact of the new facility will be felt close to home for Martin Marietta employees as well.

Several hundred team members live in the Cary area and work either at the company's local quarries or its corporate headquarters less than 20 miles down the road in Raleigh.

Petro emphasized that community partnerships are most meaningful at the local level.

"Our support of Duke Health is a perfect example," Petro said. "Similar to Duke Health, we consider Martin Marietta to be a world-class enterprise that strives to create a better tomorrow. This Cary expansion will do just that."

Duke Health leaders applauded the company's initiative, noting that working together is essential to meeting the needs of a rapidly growing population.

"Martin Marietta's meaningful contribution in support of Duke Health Cary reflects their commitment to giving back to the communities we serve," said Gregory Pauly, president of Duke University Hospital, executive vice president and chief acute care services officer of Duke University Health System, and vice dean of Clinical & Academic Integration at Duke University School of Medicine. "Partnerships like this make it possible for us to expand access to high-quality care closer to home, and this significant investment will have an impact on families in Cary and the surrounding region for years to come."

Duke Health broke ground on the new facility in June 2025. The first phase of the inpatient hospital campus will include an emergency department, surgical services and imaging, along with gastrointestinal endoscopy, cancer care and infusion services.

The building is expected to be completed in 2027.