Press Releases

Gov. Bev Perdue today announced that Edwards Wood Products Inc./Woodlawn will expand with a new saw mill in McDowell County.  The company plans to create 32 jobs and invest more than $1.96 million, including lease payments, during the next three years in Marion.  The project was made possible in part by a $96,000 grant from the One North Carolina Fund.  

Residential Initiative to Boost Energy Savings by 15 Percent with Energy Star, Other Certifications

Gov. Bev Perdue today announced that 25 projects in Western North Carolina have been recommended to receive more than $5.7 million in funding from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC).  The projects will help bring needed jobs and economic development to 29 counties throughout Western North Carolina. 

N.C. Commerce Secretary J. Keith Crisco today announced Jennifer L. Bumgarner as the department’s new assistant secretary for energy. Bumgarner comes to Commerce from Gov. Perdue’s policy staff, where she has served as deputy policy director with a special focus on energy and environmental issues. Bumgarner will oversee the N.C. Energy Office, the state’s weatherization program and the state’s Energy Policy Council, with a goal of creating green jobs and expanding the state’s energy economy.  

So you think your home is a star?  North Carolinians may now showcase their properties as prospective locations for a movie or TV show, thanks to a new online resource announced today by the N.C. Film Office.  The Web-based portal allows residents statewide to submit their residences, businesses, farms and other property for possible use by film crews. 

Gov. Bev Perdue announced today that auto parts supplier Magna Composites LLC plans to expand three plants in the western part of North Carolina and create 327 new jobs over the next four years. The expansion – in which Magna plans to invest $10 million in facilities in Salisbury, Lenoir and Newton – was made possible in part by a state Job Development Investment Grant. 

Gov. Bev Perdue announced today that Clearwater Paper Corp. plans to invest $260 million and hire 250 workers over the next five years to build a new manufacturing and distribution facility in Shelby. The plant will make private-label tissue products for retail grocery chains throughout the Southeast and along the East Coast. 

RALEIGH - Public comments are being accepted through July 1 on proposed amendments to the Criteria for Operation and Implementation of the Job Maintenance and Capital Development Fund program.

All the funds in North Carolina’s Energy Star Appliance Replacement and Rebate Program were reserved within four days, with consumers purchasing about 8,545 appliances during the  second phase of the program and signing up for $1.3 million in mail-in rebates.  Consumers can still register on a first-come, first-served waiting list for rebates after making purchases of eligible appliances. 

J. Keith Crisco, secretary of the N.C. Department of Commerce, today announced that Tim Crowley, deputy communications director for Gov. Bev Perdue, will become Commerce’s new assistant secretary for communications and external affairs, effective July 1.  “We are very pleased to have Tim Crowley join the Commerce team,” said Crisco. “Our Public Affairs staff has worked very closely with him, and we know his extensive experience with the news media, legislative and executive branches, and economic development will allow him to hit the ground running.”