Here's an excerpt from the Carolina Public Press article:

An influential corporate lobbying organization prepares to hold its spring summit meeting in Charlotte on May 11, and lawmakers from around the state will be among the most-desired invitees.

The group – the American Legislative Exchange Council, known as ALEC – is a particularly effective group of corporate advocates who have united sympathetic legislators with free-market enthusiasts.

The news this month that Coke, Pepsi, Kraft, McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Intuit and others have dropped their membership in ALEC helped bring the obscure world of corporate political influence into better focus.

ALEC’s efforts could influence everything from torte reform to medical drug regulation, say observers at North Carolina Advocates for Justice, a nonprofit, nonpartisan association of attorneys.

And, according to Sourcewatch, from the Center for Media and Democracy, several WNC legislators and other lawmakers with mountain influence are members of ALEC.