Press Releases

Prepac Manufacturing Ltd., a North American manufacturer of Ready-to-Assemble (RTA) furniture will locate a new east coast furniture factory in Guilford County, creating 201 jobs, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. The company will invest $27.1 million in a new 260,000 square foot factory in Whitsett. "Even in a pandemic, North Carolina continues to grow jobs with companies like Prepac because of our great workforce, strategic location and reliable transportation,” said Governor Cooper.

World Cat, a manufacturer of outboard power catamarans for recreational boaters worldwide, will expand its North Carolina operations with a new production facility in Pitt County, Commerce Secretary Anthony Copeland announced today. The company plans to add 60 jobs and invest $8,879,000 at a site in Greenville.

Select Products Holdings, LLC, a manufacturer of tissue products, will invest $4 million and create 73 jobs in Vance County, North Carolina Commerce Secretary Anthony M. Copeland announced today.  The decision marks a major expansion for the company as it increases operations to meet growing demand.

The North Carolina Main Street and Rural Planning Center has selected Asheboro, Dunn and Henderson as the latest “North Carolina Main Street Communities,” a designation that municipalities earn after meeting rigorous national downtown development criteria. The designation becomes effective July 31, 2020.

Unemployment rates (not seasonally adjusted) decreased in all 100 of North Carolina’s counties in June. Scotland County had the highest unemployment rate at 11.5 percent, while Duplin had the lowest at 5.4 percent. All 15 of the state’s metro areas experienced decreases. Among the metro areas, Fayetteville had the highest rate at 10.0 percent and New Bern had the lowest at 6.7 percent. The June not seasonally adjusted statewide rate was 7.9 percent.

The state’s seasonally adjusted June unemployment rate was 7.6 percent, decreasing 5.2 points from May’s revised rate. The national rate decreased 2.2 percentage points to 11.1 percent. North Carolina’s June 2020 unemployment rate increased 3.6 percentage points from a year ago. The number of people employed increased 227,498 over the month to 4,428,221 and decreased 444,125 over the year. The number of people unemployed decreased 252,047 over the month to 363,465 and increased 160,976 over the year.

Governor Roy Cooper introduced the new NCcareers.org today, an integrated career information system that offers North Carolinians ways to explore careers and job opportunities. Governor Cooper praised the portal earlier today's during video remarks at the annual Career & Technical Education Conference. “North Carolinians need resources to navigate the quickly changing job market,” Governor Cooper said. “The new NCcareers.org helps people research the education and training options that lead them to find good, high paying jobs available right now across our state.”

The N.C. Main Street Center & Rural Planning Center at the N.C. Department of Commerce announced that 48 North Carolina communities have been designated as a 2020 Accredited Main Street America™ program. Accredited status is Main Street America’s highest tier of recognition, signifying a demonstrated commitment to comprehensive commercial district revitalization and showcasing a proven track record of successfully applying the Main Street Approach.

Unemployment rates (not seasonally adjusted) increased in 65 of North Carolina’s counties in May, decreased in 34, and remained unchanged in one. Swain County had the highest unemployment rate at 19.7 percent, while Bertie and Chowan Counties each had the lowest at 8.1 percent. Nine of the state’s metro areas experienced rate increases, five decreased, and one remained unchanged. Among the metro areas, Asheville had the highest rate at 16.1 percent and Goldsboro had the lowest at 10.1 percent. The May not seasonally adjusted statewide rate was 12.7 percent.

Today, Governor Roy Cooper announced that Centene Corporation, a Fortune 50 provider of managed care services for public and private health plans, will create an East Coast regional headquarters and technology hub in Charlotte. This move will bring 3,237 new jobs to North Carolina and an investment of $1,034,900,790 by 2032. Centene’s 3,237-job commitment makes the company’s new Mecklenburg County campus the largest job creation project in the 18-year history of the Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG) program.