Press Releases

POLYWOOD, a manufacturer of outdoor furniture made from recycled plastics, will expand its operations in Person County to create 300 jobs over five years, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. The company will invest $61.6 million to build additional capacity at its manufacturing and distribution center in Roxboro.

Glen Raven, Inc., a leading provider of innovative performance textiles with widely recognized brands including Sunbrella® and Dickson®, will create 205 new jobs as it expands its Custom Fabrics operations in Warren County, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. The company will invest up to $82 million in Norlina.

The state’s seasonally adjusted June unemployment rate was 4.6 percent, decreasing 0.2 of a percentage point from May’s revised rate. The national rate increased 0.1 of a percentage point to 5.9 percent. North Carolina’s June 2021 unemployment rate decreased 4.2 percentage points from a year ago. The number of people employed increased 12,600 over the month to 4,769,929 and increased 365,146 over the year. The number of people unemployed decreased 8,422 over the month to 231,636 and decreased 192,329 over the year.

The North Carolina Department of Commerce today released the Economic Development Strategic Plan for the State of North Carolina. The plan, titled First in Talent, recognizes that investing in North Carolina’s workforce is the key to building a more prosperous and resilient economy for all North Carolinians. The comprehensive economic development plan is a four-year plan that identifies three key goals critical to the state’s economic development strategy:

One year after Governor Roy Cooper announced the launch of NCcareers.org, a comprehensive career information system, NCcareers.org has experienced 1.3 million page views with more than 178,300 unique users exploring occupations in North Carolina.

Metal Specialist LLC, a custom metal fabricator, will create 33 new jobs in Duplin County, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. The company will invest more than $2.9 million to build a new headquarters operations and manufacturing facility in the Town of Wallace. “We are excited to announce that Metal Specialist has made the deliberate decision to expand in rural North Carolina," said Governor Cooper. “North Carolina-based companies know that our resilient economy, our great quality of life and our skilled workforce will continue to support their growth trajectory.”

Red Bull and filling company Rauch will partner to build a new beverage manufacturing, filling and distribution center in Cabarrus County, creating more than 400 new jobs, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. The combined project will invest more than $740 million in the City of Concord by 2027.

The North Carolina Rural Infrastructure Authority (RIA) has approved a $150,000 grant to Davidson County, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. A commitment to create 21 new jobs and a private investment of $192,155 are tied to the grant.

The North Carolina Department of Commerce has awarded grants totaling almost $288,000 to support three innovative youth workforce development projects, N.C. Governor Roy Cooper announced today. “Business leaders tell me their number one need is skilled talent, especially as we emerge from the pandemic. These Youth Initiative Grants will help those businesses by preparing young people with the experience and training they need to get the good paying jobs they provide,” said Governor Cooper.

Roseburg Forest Products, an innovative U.S. forest products manufacturer, will create 137 new jobs in Halifax County, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. The company will invest a total of $200 million to develop a sustainable high-tech sawmill operation in the Town of Weldon. “We are continuing our efforts to bring good paying jobs to rural North Carolina and it will be great to have Roseburg Forest Products in Halifax County,” said Governor Cooper. “This decision underscores the confidence companies have in our state, our location, our workforce and our quality of life.”