RALEIGH, N.C. (WGHP) – The North Carolina Department of Commerce’s Economic Investment Committee approved two development grants during its semimonthly meeting on Thursday.
Combined the grantees are committed to adding about 571 jobs to new facilities in Scotland and Richmond counties. Both incentives passed unanimously.
Sopacko, based in South Carolina and described as one of the largest suppliers of meals ready to eat (or MREs) for the military, will open a packaging-and-distribution facility that will bring 440 jobs to Scotland County by 2027.
Sopacko would invest $85 million by the end of 2025 to expand its ability to conceive, cook, process and freeze-dry for distribution meals for the military. The average minimum salary would be $45,023, which is about $5,000 more than the average in Scotland Count.
To beat out a bid by Laurinburg and two sites in Bentonville, South Carolina, the EIC authorized a Job Development Investment Grant of $7.7 million, including $2.2 million from the NC Department of Transportation for roadwork and $585,000 from the community college fund. Scotland County is adding $6.1 million in incentives.
Sopacko by 2035 is expected to add $1.5 billion to the state’s gross domestic product and $37.4 million in state tax revenue.
American Woodmark, the company that constructs cabinets sold at both Home Depot and Lowes, among other outlets, wants to open a third facility in the state, adding 131 jobs in the next five years in the town of Hamlet.
American Woodmark has 18 manufacturing-and-distribution facilities, and North Carolina is beating out bids by Mexico and locations in South Carolina and Pennsylvania. American Woodmark has an existing facility in Hamlet and another in Lincoln County, where about 800 are employed.
"Strong rural communities like Hamlet provide manufacturing companies a great environment for expansion and growth,” NC Gov. Roy Cooper said in an announcement by the state. “From our skilled workforce to our superior transportation network, American Woodmark knows North Carolina well and their decision shows that we have the right ingredients for success.”
Most of the new jobs would be hourly employees working in assembly, but there would be an unspecified number of salaried positions in engineering and management. The average minimum annual salary would be $44,748.
American Woodmark would be investing $36.275 million by the end of 2024 and agrees to retain its workforce at the other two facilities, or as many as 948 total.
The state is awarding $1.7 million, including a $450,000 historical building reuse grant and $170,000 from the community college training program. Richmond County is throwing in $1.16 million.
By the end of 2035, this investment is expected to add $186 million to the state’s GDP and about $3.1 million in new revenue.
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