A $740 million beverage manufacturing, filling and distribution campus will be built in Concord, NC, creating over 400 jobs with an average wage of $50,377. The average wage in Cabarrus County is $41,255. This is the largest economic development announcement in county history.
Red Bull and Rauch North America are partners on the project, which includes construction of a state-of-the-art, two million-square-foot beverage production hub at The Grounds at Concord, site of the former Philip Morris plant.
The hub includes:
- Red Bull’s 800,000-square-foot regional distribution center, which will create 90 jobs over one year with an average wage of $50,367.
- Rauch North America’s can-filling operation covering 1.4 million square feet of factory, distribution and office space. This operation will create 323 jobs over three years with an average wage of $50,387.
“These companies are bringing substantial investment and excellent jobs to our community,” said Cabarrus Economic Development Corporation (EDC) Executive Director Page Castrodale. “The Grounds at Concord has attracted a lot of interest over the years and we knew there was tremendous potential on that site. This was the kind of operation we were all hoping for.”
“I’m sure many in our community remember the Philip Morris expansion announcement in 1991 that was touted as the largest economic development announcement in the history of North Carolina,” said Cabarrus County Board of Commissioners Chair Steve Morris. “None of us could have imagined that we’d be here in 2021 talking about that same property being home to the largest economic development investment in the history of Cabarrus County. It’s a reflection on the resilience of this community.”
The operation’s location to Concord was facilitated in part by a Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG) which calls for $4.1 million to be paid over 12 years if performance targets are met. Over that same time, the project’s economic impact to the state is expected to be $1.8 billion.
Cabarrus County and the City of Concord will conduct public hearings next month regarding performance-based property tax grants on increased tax value, which are applicable if the operations meet continual performance goals.
The Cabarrus EDC worked collaboratively with the following organizations to locate the beverage campus in Concord: Cabarrus County, City of Concord, North Carolina General Assembly, Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, North Carolina Community College System, North Carolina Railroad Company, Charlotte Regional Business Alliance, WSACC, Dominion Energy and Duke Energy.
The Red Bull and Rauch North America campus will join other ventures at The Grounds at Concord, including Carvana and GoldenHome. After the new development, more than 1,000 acres remain available on the property.
“We are excited to welcome these companies to Concord and continue to energize redevelopment at the former Philip Morris property,” said Concord Mayor Bill Dusch. “With this historic investment, we will once again have a vibrant campus with high quality and good paying jobs, and it is only the beginning – with Concord’s quality of life, access to I-85, business friendly environment and more than a thousand acres still available, we look forward to even more investments and expansions in the future.”
MaxLife Expanding In Rowan County
MaxLife Industries will expand In Rowan County, NC by leasing a 46,000-square-foot warehouse space that will serve as the company’s second manufacturing plant and customer service headquarters. With this expansion in Salisbury, MaxLife seeks to immediately hire 55 local workers in its two manufacturing plants.
MaxLife Industries manufactures innovative building enclosure products that are shipped throughout North America to construct commercial, multifamily, healthcare, and many other types of buildings. Over the past three years, the 10-year-old company has won numerous national design and construction awards that have led MaxLife to forecast significant growth ahead.
“MaxLife was founded in Salisbury, most of our staff live in Rowan County, and we work with dozens of local businesses as suppliers and partners,” said Jarrett B. Davis, General Manager. “We’re proud to call Salisbury and Rowan County home and will continue to invest in our local community and workforce as our business continues to grow,” said Davis.
“We want to congratulate MaxLife on its continued growth and expansion here in Salisbury,” said Rod Crider, Rowan EDC President. “We appreciate their commitment to making a positive impact in Rowan County and are grateful for the new jobs that will be created through this expansion.”
The company’s primary product line is ArmorWall Fire-Rated Structural Insulated Sheathing™, a revolutionary exterior sheathing product that enables MaxLife’s customers to construct buildings faster and stronger. The company’s customers include designers, general contractors, building enclosure installers, and other service providers that construct innovative new buildings and perform retrofits on existing buildings.
“We’re looking to immediately hire up to 55 workers in our production, packaging, customer service, and other departments,” said Randy Hoffner, Plant Manager. “We offer competitive pay, good benefits, and bonus opportunities for workers on first and third shifts. The only thing that’s holding us back from adding a second shift is a lack of workers; we need more local people.”
MaxLife Industries is an owned subsidiary of Salisbury-based Taylor Clay Products, the nation’s largest privately-owned custom brick manufacturing business.
New Industrial Park To Be Built In Charlotte MSA
The Silverman Group, a New Jersey-based private equity and real estate development organization, has closed on approximately 198 acres in China Grove, NC for its next speculative industrial park in the region. Avison Young has been awarded the leasing of the property.
The project, dubbed 85 North Logistics Center, has the potential for upwards of 1.8 million square feet of class A industrial space in two buildings. The project is positioned as one of the largest speculative development sites in the Charlotte market. 85 North has the ability to deliver one building with approximately 1.5 million square feet as well as another building consisting of 414,000 square feet. The buildings will feature a significant amount of trailer and auto parking as well as ceiling heights of 40 feet and greater if needed. 85 North was designed with function in mind and has taken into account new market standards for industrial development.
“We are very excited about this recent acquisition and the emergence of 85 North into the Greater Charlotte industrial market. This project has the ability to satisfy larger user requirements which was our focus with 85 North from the start,” said Toby Nelson, Vice President of Leasing at The Silverman Group. “Our speed to deliver this opportunity to the market and the support of Rowan County has made 85 North a great project in this growing market.”
The Charlotte industrial real estate market is experiencing tremendous growth. In the last several months, Amazon, Pactiv, Reynolds Packaging and others have expanded in the area.
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