BENSON – Berry Global plans to expand its facility in the Town of Benson, in Johnston County, investing about $70 million in the region and creating 63 jobs by the end of 2023 in addition to the 217-person workforce it already employs in the county, after join approval of an economic development grant from the Town of Benson and Johnston County, after a joint special meeting to allow public comment on the proposal was held today.
“Nothing empowers a person more than a good paying job with a living wage,” said Chris Johnson, the economic development manager for Johnson County in presenting the plan, calling it a generational project for the Town of Benson and for Johnston County. “Because this company, and now this project, has the ability to transform the working lives of many residents in many generations.”
The return on investment, according to the presentation from Town of Benson staff, which was made on Facebook Live on the Johnston County Facebook page, will be about $5 million annually.
“These jobs and ancillary job growth are projected to be over $5.2 million annually,” said Johnson. The grant is a seven-year cascading cash grant, as proposed. “This project will allow the county and the town to seek other grants at federal and state level for further job growth,” added Johnson.
“We’ve been here for over 50 years at this point,” said Paul Harmon, EVP North America Commercial & Product Development, Health, Hygiene & Specialties Division, Berry Global. “As we developed plans to expand our footprint, we considered a lot of locations, both in state and out of state.” Ultimately, the company has chosen to expand in the Town of Benson, said Harmon.
Once operational, the company’s Benson expansion is expected to add nearly $21.5 million in annual output to Johnston County’s economy, according to an analysis by Dr. Michael Walden, William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor Emeritus at North Carolina State University. The facility will add $71,116 and $160,872 in annual tax revenues for the Town of Benson and Johnston County, respectively, according to a statement released by Johnston County Economic Development..
The company plans to expand, adding new buildings, additional infrastructure, additional equipment, and also an additional production line, that together will allow the company to hire the 63 employees, who will be benefits-eligible, full-time employees, earning an average salary of about $45,000, which Johnson said is above the current median salary in Johnston County.
“We look forward to continuing our relationship with the City of Benson and the County of Johnston for future investments in the Berry site,” said Harmon.
Terms are still going to be negotiated, and a draft agreement, with an allowance for the Town Manager to negotiate a final version that would not be materially different from the draft agreement, was approved unanimously by each of the Town of Benson Board of Commissioners and the Johnston County Board of Commissioners at the conclusion of the special meeting.
Berry Global, a publicly traded Fortune 500 company headquartered in Evansville, Indiana, is expanding the facility in Benson in order to meet the growing demand for sanitizing wipes, and noted in a statement that global demand for sanitizing wipes has grown at six percent year-over-year between 2014 and 2019, then surged in response to the global coronavirus pandemic. The company also has facilities in Ahoskie, Charlotte, Matthews, Mooresville, Rocky Mount, and Statesville.
Berry’s plant in Johnston County. Berry corporate photo.
The return on investment, according to the presentation from Town of Benson staff, which was made on Facebook Live on the Johnston County Facebook page, will be about $5 million annually.
“These jobs and ancillary job growth are projected to be over $5.2 million annually,” said Johnson. The grant is a seven-year cascading cash grant, as proposed. “This project will allow the county and the town to seek other grants at federal and state level for further job growth,” added Johnson.
“We’ve been here for over 50 years at this point,” said Paul Harmon, EVP North America Commercial & Product Development, Health, Hygiene & Specialties Division, Berry Global. “As we developed plans to expand our footprint, we considered a lot of locations, both in state and out of state.” Ultimately, the company has chosen to expand in the Town of Benson, said Harmon.
The company plans to expand, adding new buildings, additional infrastructure, additional equipment, and also an additional production line, that together will allow the company to hire the 63 employees, who will be benefits-eligible, full-time employees, earning an average salary of about $45,000, which Johnson said is above the current median salary in Johnston County.
“We look forward to continuing our relationship with the City of Benson and the County of Johnston for future investments in the Berry site,” said Harmon.
Final terms are still going to be negotiated, and today, the Johnston County Board of Commissioners were asked to approve the grant, and a draft agreement, with the allowance for the Town Manager to negotiate a final version that would not be materially different from what would otherwise be approved.
