The North Carolina Rural Infrastructure Authority (RIA) has approved 30 grant requests to local governments totaling $12,969,015, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. The requests include commitments to create a total of 839 jobs, 464 of which were previously announced. The public investment in these projects will attract more than $528 million in private investment.
“Rural Infrastructure Authority grants help our cities, towns and counties address critical infrastructure needs like buildings, water and sewer so they can attract new, good-paying jobs,” Governor Cooper said. “When we invest in rural communities, we are demonstrating that North Carolina is open for business with the tools and workforce to help companies compete globally.”
The North Carolina Department of Commerce’s team of rural economic development professionals supports the RIA’s work. RIA members review and approve funding requests from local communities. Funding comes from a variety of specialized grant and loan programs offered and managed by N.C. Commerce’s Rural Economic Development Division, led by Assistant Secretary for Rural Development Kenny Flowers. Grants can support a variety of activities, including infrastructure development, building renovation, expansion and demolition, and site improvements.
“With the projects approved today, rural areas of North Carolina have new resources to help attract jobs, support business expansion and prepare sites for future development,” N.C. Commerce Secretary Anthony Copeland said. “Despite the pandemic, our department’s Rural Economic Development Division and the RIA have worked closely with local leaders this year to successfully facilitate opportunities for economic growth.”
The RIA approved 24 grant requests under the state’s Building Reuse Program in three categories:
Vacant Building Category
- Burke County: A $100,000 grant will support the reuse of a 377,000-square-foot building in Hildebran, where East Coast Bedding, LLC, plans to locate operations. The company, a supplier of high-quality goose down to luxury apparel brands, expects to create 19 jobs and invest $2,205,000 in this project.
- Caswell County: A $250,000 grant will support the reuse of a 294,394-square-foot building in Gibsonville. At this location, Riverside Furniture Corporation, a furniture and home furnishings manufacturer, plans to locate a warehouse and distribution center. The overall project is expected to create 50 new jobs with a $5.4 million investment, while 29 jobs and an $800,000 investment are tied to this grant.
- City of Fayetteville (Cumberland County): A $55,000 grant will support the reuse of a 42,965-square-foot building, where Showcase Restoration, Inc., plans to establish operations. The company offers residential, commercial and industrial cleanup and disaster repair services. Through this project, the company plans to create 11 jobs while investing $243,501.
- City of Rocky Mount (Edgecombe County): A $500,000 grant will support the reuse of a 47,000-square-foot building. Wolf and Flow X-Ray, a medical imaging manufacturer, plans to relocate their New York operations to this location. The company expects to create 68 jobs in the overall project, while 58 jobs and an investment of $4,988,226 are tied to this grant.
- City of Rocky Mount (Nash County): A $90,000 grant will support the reuse of a 196,671-square-foot building, where The Jay Group, Ltd., a wholesaler of discount footwear, plans to locate. The company is expected to create 15 jobs and invest $2,560,383 in this project.
- City of Rocky Mount (Nash County): A $200,000 grant will support the reuse of a 220,000-square-foot building, where Cornerstone Building Brands, Inc., a subsidiary of Ply Gem Industries, plans to locate operations. The company, a manufacturer of exterior building products for commercial and residential use, plans to create 38 jobs and invest approximately $25 million in the overall project, while 22 jobs and an investment of $3,107,581 are tied to this grant.
- City of Asheboro (Randolph County): A $100,000 grant will support the reuse of a 60,628-square-foot building, where Sedia Systems, Inc., plans to locate. The company, a manufacturer of lecture hall and auditorium furniture for the education, corporate, healthcare, government and public assembly markets, is set to create nine jobs and invest $900,000 in the project.
- Randolph County: A $90,000 grant will support the reuse of a 42,000-square-foot building in High Point. Platinum Collection Furniture, Inc., plans to establish operations at the facility. The company, which develops and manufactures furnishings for hospitality and commercial properties, plans to create 15 jobs and invest $1,093,930 in this project.
- City of Eden (Rockingham County): A $100,000 grant will support the reuse of a 111,693-square-foot building, where Night Owl National Contractors, Inc., plans to locate. The company, a commercially licensed general contractor providing interior and exterior renovation, restoration and construction services, expects to create 18 jobs while investing $1,565,000 in the project.
- Rowan County: A $400,000 grant will support the reuse of a 65,000-square-foot building in Salisbury. Eastern Wholesale Fence, LLC, an extruder, manufacturer, and distributor of commercial and residential fence products, is locating operations at the facility. The overall project is expected to create 142 jobs with an investment of $17.5 million, while 106 jobs and an investment of $15,944,908 are tied to this grant.
- City of Mount Airy (Surry County): A $45,000 grant will support the reuse of a 215,019-square-foot building, where Texwipe, a manufacturer of contamination control supplies and critical cleaning products, plans to locate. The company expects to create 33 jobs and invest more than $4.5 million in the overall project, with an investment of $234,940 tied to this grant.
- Wayne County: A $500,000 grant will support the reuse of a 60,000-square-foot building in Fremont. Sanctuary Systems, LLC, plans to locate operations at the facility. The company, which develops specialty fibers and nonwoven materials for applications in various markets and applications such as beauty products, apparel and medical products, plans to create 85 jobs and invest $500,000 in the project.
Existing Business Building Category
- Alexander County: A $40,000 grant will support the renovation of a 170,000-square-foot building in Taylorsville that is occupied by Piedmont Composites, LLC. The company manufactures composite products that include church steeples, wall and ceiling panels, and a wide variety of OEM parts for the marine industry. Through this project, the company plans to add 10 jobs and invest $523,246.
- City of Thomasville (Davidson County): A $300,000 grant will support the expansion of a building, occupied by Whitewood Industries, Inc., a manufacturer and supplier of solid wood, ready-to-finish furniture. The company has expanded operations to produce personal protective apparel, and plans to add 80,000 square feet to the existing facility. This project is set to create 39 jobs, with an investment of $4,649,657 by the company.
- Davidson County: A $125,000 grant will support the renovation of a 108,891-square-foot building in Lexington that is occupied by BMK Americas, LLC. The company, which supplies surface coated films for the laminate flooring industry, plans to add a production line through this project, creating an expected 25 jobs and investing $787,750.
- Granville County: A $35,000 grant will support the expansion of a building in Butner that is occupied by Product Recovery Management. The company, a manufacturer of remediation and filtration equipment, plans to add 18,000 square feet to the existing property. With this project, the company expects to create 10 jobs and invest $773,500.
- City of Rocky Mount (Nash County): A $190,000 grant will support the renovation of a 100,000-square-foot building in Battleboro that is occupied by LS Tractor USA, LLC. The company, which distributes tractors and associated agricultural equipment through a network of 350 dealers in the United States and Canada, is expected to create 21 jobs and invest $3,348,793 in this project.
- Perquimans County: A $190,000 grant will support the expansion of a building in Hertford, where East Coast Steel Fabrication, Inc., plans to add 14,000 square feet to the existing facility. The company designs and manufactures custom marine structures, buildings and boats, and plans to create 28 jobs in this expansion. The overall project represents an investment by the company of $482,202, of which $393,029 is tied to this grant.
- City of Asheboro (Randolph County): A $100,000 grant will support the expansion of a building that is occupied by StarPet, Inc., a manufacturer of post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate (PET) flakes used in raw material for the production of bottles, films, fibers and other specialty products. The company will add 44,000 square feet to the existing facility, while adding 11 jobs and investing $17.3 million.
- Rockingham County: A $200,000 grant will support the reuse of a 188,000-square-foot building in Mayodan that is occupied by Blow Molded Solutions, LLC. The company, a custom blow molder for the recreation, agricultural, large truck, construction and consumer markets, is expected to create 28 jobs and invest $1,680,000 in the project.
- Rockingham County: A $500,000 grant will support the renovation of a 250,000-square-foot building in Mayodan that is occupied by Sturm, Ruger, & Co., Inc., a manufacturer of rugged firearms for the commercial sporting market. The company plans to add 60 jobs and invest $10,330,000 in this project.
- City of Salisbury (Rowan County): A $120,000 grant will support the renovation of a 42,500-square-foot building that is occupied by Integro Technologies Corporation. The industrial automation company, which designs and develops custom machine vision inspection solutions, expects to add 30 jobs and invest $2.67 million in the overall expansion project, with 18 jobs and an investment of $1,757,500 tied to this grant.
- Scotland County: A $70,000 grant will support the expansion of a building in Maxton that is occupied by Huvepharma, a pharmaceutical company with a focus on developing, manufacturing and marketing human and animal health and nutrition products. The company plans to add 7,200 square feet to the existing facility, which will produce poultry vaccines. The project is expected to create 10 jobs and attract $1,881,584 in private investment.
Rural Health Category
- Forsyth County: A $130,000 grant will support the reuse of a vacant, 65,000-square-foot building in Winston-Salem. Addiction Recovery Care Association, Inc., a nonprofit organization that provides drug and alcohol treatment services, will expand by establishing a new facility at this location. The organization expects to create 13 jobs and invest $1,129,874 in the project.
The Building Reuse Program provides grants to local governments to renovate vacant buildings, renovate and/or expand buildings occupied by existing North Carolina companies, and renovate, expand or construct health care facilities that will lead to the creation of new jobs in Tier 1 and Tier 2 counties and in rural census tracts of Tier 3 counties.
The RIA approved one request under the state’s federally-funded Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) - Economic Development program:
- Rockingham County: A $2 million grant will support the reuse of a site at which Nestlé Purina PetCare Company, the leading pet care company in the United States, plans to establish new manufacturing and distribution operations that will become operational in 2022. The overall project is set to create up to 300 jobs, while 100 jobs and an investment of $450 million are tied to this grant.
The Community Development Block Grant program is a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) program administered in part by N.C. Commerce. CDBG’s economic development funds provide grants to local governments for creating and retaining jobs. Project funding is based on the number of jobs to be created and the level of economic distress of applicant communities.
The RIA approved five requests under the state’s Industrial Development Fund - Utility Account program:
- Town of Warsaw (Duplin County): A $400,000 grant will support the Town in extending sewer infrastructure to upgrade the site of Carbon Cycle Energy (C2e), a renewable energy development company. This project will support the creation of 46 jobs.
- Town of Holly Ridge (Onslow County): A $605,000 grant will support the Town in a second phase of development at the 160-acre Camp Davis Industrial Park. The project will include water and sewer infrastructure as well as road access, opening an additional 60 acres for future economic development at a park that is currently at capacity.
- Perquimans County: A $1.5 million grant will help the County provide industrial access at the Perquimans Marine Industrial Park. Enhancements to the infrastructure at the park are intended to take maximum advantage of the County’s waterway assets (Perquimans River and Albemarle Sound) and geographic location to attract marine-related companies, such as boat builders and marine supply/service companies.
- City of Lumberton (Robeson County): A $3,745,640 grant will help the City and Robeson County provide infrastructure to develop a planned 215-acre town/county-owned industrial park. Funds would be used to provide water, sewer and industrial access to this strategically-located site at the intersection of I-95 and I-74.
- Yadkin County: A $288,375 grant will support the County in extending water service to a site in Yadkinville, where Advantage Machinery Services intends to expand by building an 80,000-square-foot facility. The company specializes in industrial machinery and equipment installation, relocations and short-term storage.
The Industrial Development Fund – Utility Account provides grants to local governments located in the 80 most economically distressed counties of the state, which are classified as either Tier 1 or Tier 2. Funds may be used for publicly-owned infrastructure projects that are reasonably expected to result in new job creation. The IDF – Utility Account is funded through a process tied to the state’s signature Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG) program. When JDIG-awarded companies choose to locate or expand in a Tier 2 or Tier 3 county, a portion of that JDIG award is channeled into the Utility Account.
In addition to reviewing and approving funding requests, the N.C. Rural Infrastructure Authority formulates policies and priorities for grant and loan programs administered by N.C. Commerce’s Rural Economic Development team. Its 17 voting members are appointed by the Governor, Speaker of the House and Senate President Pro Tem. The North Carolina Secretary of Commerce serves as a member of the Authority, ex officio.
For additional information about N.C. Commerce’s Rural Economic Development Division, visit www.nccommerce.com/rd.