Press Releases

Lotus Bakeries, a leading producer of indulgent and natural snacking products, will expand operations in North Carolina with an investment of at least $62 million in the City of Mebane, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. The company will add up to 90 new jobs and significantly increase the size of its current facility in Alamance County.

The North Carolina Rural Infrastructure Authority (RIA) has approved 11 grant requests to local governments totaling $4,989,034, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. The requests include commitments to create a total of 964 jobs, 144 of which were previously announced. The public investment in these projects will attract more than $264 million in private investment.   

KNOLL America Inc., a supplier of conveyor and filtration systems, will create 31 new jobs in Gaston County, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. The company will invest more than $7.8 million to locate a new U.S. headquarters operations and manufacturing facility in Gaston County’s Apple Creek Corporate Park. “We are excited to have another global manufacturer choose North Carolina for its headquarters,” said Governor Cooper. “This decision affirms our state’s reputation of having a strong manufacturing workforce and great quality of life.”

The North Carolina Main Street & Rural Planning Center at the North Carolina Department of Commerce has announced that 52 North Carolina communities have been designated as a 2021 Accredited Main Street America™ program.

North Carolina’s success in winning high-impact economic development projects was recognized today with a coveted Gold Shovel Award from Area Development magazine, a leading industry trade publication covering corporate site selection and economic development.

Governor Roy Cooper today issued Executive Order No. 218 highlighting North Carolina’s commitment to offshore wind power as the state transitions to a clean energy economy.

Unemployment rates (not seasonally adjusted) decreased in 91 of North Carolina’s counties in April, increased in seven, and remained unchanged in two. Scotland County had the highest unemployment rate at 8.5 percent while Orange County had the lowest at 3.0 percent. All fifteen of the state’s metro areas experienced rate decreases. Among the metro areas, Rocky Mount had the highest rate at 6.3 percent while Durham-Chapel Hill had the lowest at 3.5 percent. The April not seasonally adjusted statewide rate was 4.4 percent.

Aeronautical Systems Incorporated (ASI), a world class provider of engineering, manufacturing and MRO services for military platforms, will create 30 new jobs in Craven County, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. The company will invest $5.6 million to expand its manufacturing footprint in New Bern. “The decision by Aeronautical Systems to expand in Craven County is good news for eastern North Carolina’s economy,” said Governor Cooper. “It speaks to our strong workforce, location, resilience and quality of life when businesses continue to invest in our state.”

Credit Karma, a personal finance technology company, will add 600 new jobs in Mecklenburg County, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. The company will invest more than $13 million to expand its Charlotte presence with a new high-tech engineering hub. “We are thrilled to have Credit Karma establish their East Coast headquarters in our state,” said Governor Cooper. “North Carolina is the ideal place for technology companies to do business, thanks to our tech-savvy talent, resilient economy and great quality of life.”

The state’s seasonally adjusted April unemployment rate was 5.0 percent, decreasing 0.2 of a percentage point from March’s revised rate. The national rate increased 0.1 of a percentage point to 6.1 percent. North Carolina’s April 2021 unemployment rate decreased 8.5 percentage points from a year ago. The number of people employed increased 4,497 over the month to 4,761,974 and increased 707,042 over the year. The number of people unemployed decreased 8,109 over the month to 250,865 and decreased 383,958 over the year.