Press Releases

The 2024 North Carolina Main Street Conference is bringing community and economic development leaders together March 12-14 in downtown Goldsboro. The three-day annual conference, which is organized by the North Carolina Department of Commerce and its N.C.

North Carolina Commerce Secretary Machelle Baker Sanders today announced a new grant program to support the revitalization of downtown districts in the state’s rural communities.  The Department’s Rural Economic Development Division is now accepting applications from local governments for the Rural Downtown Economic Development Grant program.Grants will be awarded by the North Carolina Rural Infrastructure Authority beginning with its April 2024 board meeting and the initial application period for these grants closes at 5:00pm on Monday, April 1, 2024.

Drylock Technologies, a leading manufacturer of hygiene products, will create 113 new jobs in Rockingham County, Governor Cooper announced today. The company will invest more than $26.9 million to establish its first U.S. baby care production facility in the City of Reidsville.

Kyowa Kirin has selected Lee County to build its first North American pharmaceutical manufacturing operation, creating 102 jobs, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. The company will invest $200 million to establish a biologics manufacturing Center of Excellence in Sanford.

North Carolina Department of Commerce Secretary Machelle Baker Sanders today led a celebration of the new NCWorks Mobile Career Center, on the completion of its first year of service. The mobile unit can bring accessible workforce development services to North Carolina jobseekers and employers anywhere in the state.

The North Carolina Rural Infrastructure Authority (RIA) has approved eight grant requests to local governments totaling $1,465,000, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. The requests include commitments to create a total of 270 jobs, 150 of which were previously announced. The public investment in these projects will attract more than $365.6 million in private investment.

Seven North Carolina companies today were recognized at the 2023 Governor’s Export Awards for their growing sales success in international markets. These companies range from tactical components to bicycle wheel manufacturing and textile machinery.

Siemens Energy, Inc., one of the world’s leading energy technology companies and a long-standing North Carolina employer will expand its operations in the state, creating a total of 559 jobs, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. The project brings an investment of $149.8 million and will establish in Mecklenburg County the company’s first manufacturing site in the United States to build Large Power Transformers (LPTs), a critical component of the nation’s power grid. The expansion also adds positions to the company’s engineering operations in Wake County.

Today, Governor Roy Cooper hosted a veterans roundtable discussion focused on supporting North Carolina’s veterans during the transition to civilian life and beyond. The Governor was joined at the NCWorks Career Center in Jacksonville by North Carolina Chief Deputy Secretary of Commerce Jordan Whichard and North Carolina Department of Military & Veterans Affairs Director of Transition Services Andrea Allard along with several veterans for the discussion.

The North Carolina Taskforce for Offshore Wind Economic Resource Strategies (