WASHINGTON A delegation of Charlotte business leaders met with White House officials Wednesday to share ideas about boosting the economy and creating jobs in North Carolina and across the country.

The local group consisted of more than 20 business and civic leaders representing a swath of local industries, including energy, finance and transportation.

Ned Curran, CEO of developer The Bissell Companies, described the four-hour session as a healthy exchange of ideas.

The visit was part of a series of conversations the White House is hosting with community leaders from across the country. Last month, Triangle business leaders visited the White House to talk about economic opportunities.

The Charlotte leaders met with eight administration officials, including Deputy Treasury Secretary Neal Wolin and Deputy Director of the National Economic Council Danielle Gray. They got firsthand knowledge from those who helped write the president's corporate tax reform plan. They also discussed transportation, energy and the military, among other topics.

The White House described the meeting as an opportunity to speak directly with business and civic leaders.

"This is not the first time we've talked to business and civic leaders from Charlotte and certainly it won't be the last," said Ari Matusiak, executive director of the White House Business Council. "The hope here is it's part of an ongoing effort ... so we can continue to get the benefit of their insight and experience and we can use that to inform our work as we try to support job creation across the country."

Dan Roselli, co-founder of Packard Place, which advises and supports local entrepreneurs, said he was surprised by the level of engagement.

"We often have this impression of folks in Washington being 'out of touch' with average Americans," he said. "I can't say that is true based on our conversations today. The folks we met with today deeply care about driving economic growth."