Press Releases

Charlotte Pipe and Foundry Company has been awarded a Job Maintenance and Capital Development Fund (JMAC) grant to support the relocation of its foundry operation from Mecklenburg County to Stanly County. In modernizing its production of cast iron soil pipe, fittings and castings, the company will retain at least 1,050 jobs in North Carolina as it invests $325 million in Stanly County.  At least 400 of these jobs will be based at the new foundry in Stanly County.

More information about the people applying for unemployment insurance benefits in North Carolina in March was published today by the North Carolina Department of Commerce.  The new data regarding claims for benefits include details about the applicants’ demographics, the industries impacted, and the number of claims received from each of the state’s 100 counties.

Unemployment rates (not seasonally adjusted) increased in 97 of North Carolina’s counties in March, decreased in two, and remained unchanged in one. Hyde County had the highest unemployment rate at 13.1 percent, while Buncombe, Alexander, and Orange Counties each had the lowest at 3.4 percent. All 15 of the state’s metro areas experienced rate increases. Among the metro areas, Fayetteville and Rocky Mount each had the highest rate at 5.5 percent and Asheville and Durham-Chapel Hill each had the lowest rate at 3.6 percent. The March not seasonally adjusted statewide rate was 4.2 percent.

Moog, Inc. (NYSE: MOG.A), a New York-based advanced technology company, will create 12 new jobs in Cherokee County, Commerce Secretary Anthony M. Copeland announced today. The company will invest more than $2.3 million to expand its manufacturing facility in Murphy.

Utah-based Focus Services LLC, a global innovator in customer contact solutions, will create up to 200 jobs at a new operations center in Tarboro, Commerce Secretary Anthony M. Copeland announced today. The company’s plans, which includes a $1 million capital investment, mark a return of the telecommunications sector to Tarboro, onetime headquarters of Carolina Telephone & Telegraph.

The state’s seasonally adjusted March unemployment rate was 4.4 percent, increasing 0.8 of a percentage point from February’s revised rate. The national rate increased 0.9 of a percentage point to 4.4 percent.

The North Carolina Rural Infrastructure Authority (RIA) approved 17 grant requests to local governments totaling $6,570,274, N.C. Commerce Secretary Anthony M. Copeland announced today. The requests include commitments to create a total of 377 jobs. The public investment in these projects will attract more than $23 million in private investment.  

GoldenHome International Inc, a maker of customized residential cabinet systems for customers worldwide, will establish its North American headquarters in Concord, North Carolina Commerce Secretary Anthony M. Copeland announced today. The company’s plans in Cabarrus County include the creation of 257 jobs over five years and a capital investment of $86 million.

Main Street America, a subsidiary of the National Trust for the Historic Preservations, has selected three North Carolina communities to participate in its Main Street Façade Improvement Grant Program. The program, made possible by a $746,900 grant administered by the National Park Service, seeks to demonstrate the power of coordinated, small-scale façade improvements on local economies, reinvigorate the image of downtown districts and attract private capital investment.

Unemployment rates (not seasonally adjusted) decreased in all 100 of North Carolina’s counties in February. Hyde County had the highest unemployment rate at 13.3 percent, while Buncombe and Orange Counties each had the lowest at 2.9 percent. All 15 of the state’s metro areas experienced rate decreases. Among the metro areas, Fayetteville had the highest rate at 4.9 percent and Asheville and Durham-Chapel Hill each had the lowest rate at 3.1 percent. The February not seasonally adjusted statewide rate was 3.7 percent.