Gov. Bev Perdue today announced that Plastek Industries, a leading maker of plastic consumer, cosmetic and pharmaceutical packaging, plans to create 250 jobs and invest $19 million in Richmond County over the next three years. The project was made possible in part by state grants from the One North Carolina Fund and the Job Development Investment Grant program.
“Our skilled workforce and highly-rated business climate continue to attract top-notch companies to our state,” said Gov. Perdue. “My number one priority is to continue to leverage these assets to create more jobs.”
Plastek Industries is a family-run business started in 1956 in Erie, Pa. Today, the company employs more than 2,000 people in the U.S., Brazil, Venezuela and the U.K. The Richmond County facility, which will be located just outside the Town of Hamlet, is the company’s first in North Carolina.
While individual wages will vary by job function, the overall average wage for the 250 new jobs will be $32,800 a year, not including benefits. That is higher than the Richmond County average of $26,600.
Company President and CEO Dennis Prischak said North Carolina's workers and convenient central East Coast location were both important factors in Plastek's decision.
"North Carolina provides Plastek a great workforce and platform to better served our varied customer base," said Prischak. "We look forward to further growing this new division of Plastek and providing more value for our customers and more jobs for the region. We are very excited about this project and thankful to all the officials in the State of North Carolina who have helped make this a reality."
Those partners include the N.C. Departments of Commerce, N.C. Community Colleges and Richmond County.
“During these tough economic times, it’s critical that we make the right investments to grow jobs and attract companies to Richmond County and North Carolina,” said Sen. Bill Purcell.
“Our tremendous workforce is a big reason why we can attract companies looking to grow and relocate to North Carolina. This is great news for Richmond County,” said Rep. Melanie Wade Goodwin.
To facilitate this project, Plastek Industries has been awarded a $250,000 grant from the state’s One North Carolina Fund. This fund assists the state in industry recruitment and expansion by providing financial assistance to attract business projects deemed by the governor to be vital to a healthy and growing state economy. One North Carolina Fund grants require a local match, and this grant is contingent upon approval of local incentives.
In addition, the state Economic Investment Committee today voted unanimously to award a Job Development Investment Grant to the company. JDIGs are awarded only to new and expanding businesses whose benefits exceed the costs to the state and which would not be undertaken in North Carolina without the grant.
Under the terms of the JDIG, Plastek Industries is eligible to receive a grant equal to 65 percent of the state personal income withholding taxes derived from the creation of new jobs for each of the nine years in which the company meets annual performance targets. If Plastek meets the targets called for under the agreement and sustains them for nine years, the JDIG could yield up to $1.98 million in maximum benefits for the company.
Through Gov. Perdue’s JobsNOW initiative, the state continues to work aggressively to create well-paying jobs, train and retrain its workforce, and lay the foundation for a strong and sustainable economic future.
For more information about Plastek Industries, including job opportunities, visit www.plastekgroup.com.