LUMBERTON – Elkay Manufacturing, a sink and water delivery product manufacturer, will invest $5.5 million to expand operations in Lumberton, North Carolina, creating an additional 20 jobs.
The expansion was announced today in Robeson County, and the company will become the first tenant in the Lumberton/Robeson County I-95/I-74 Industrial Park.
“Elkay’s expansion plus its selection of the new Robeson County industrial park brings twice the good news,” said Governor Cooper in a statement. “Rural North Carolina can offer the industrial sites, workforce, and transportation systems that manufacturers expect to find in a world-class business location.”
The family-owned company was founded in 1920 and is headquartered in Illinois, with 27 locations in the United States, China, and Mexico. The facility in Robeson County serves as a central production hub for the Eastern United States, according to a statement.
“We are blessed to be experiencing a period of significant business growth, with much of this product manufactured right here in our Lumberton facility,” said Ken Blazer, Director, Global Distribution & Logistics for Elkay. “In order to support this expansion, we are moving our distribution function from the Lumberton facility to this new location, freeing up space for additional manufacturing capacity.”
The additional capacity will allow for new jobs, and the company expects to hire 20 additional people, with average annual salary of $48,960.
“Once the new distribution site is operational, we expect to be able to add manufacturing and distribution roles to our workforce to support our five-year growth strategy,” said Blazer.
California aerospace firm picks Wilmington area for new HQ, manufacturing jobs
Assuming the company meets these targets, the State of North Carolina estimates that the local region will benefit from nearly $1 million in “payroll impact in the community,” annually.
A performance-based grant of $50,000 provided by the One North Carolina Fund is a part of the deal.
According to the Governor’s statement, the OneNC Fund provides financial assistance to local governments to help attract economic investment and to create jobs, and each grant under the program require a matching grant from local governments.
