CATAWBA COUNTY, N.C. — Governor Roy Cooper announced Tuesday Corning Incorporated will invest $150 million to expand operations in Catawba County and create 200 jobs in Hickory.
Salaries will vary based on position, but the average wage for all the new jobs will be $55,000, the state explained. The average salary in Catawba County, according to state data, is $43,920.
Tuesday's announcement comes as the state celebrates North Carolina Manufacturing Week between Sept. 26 and Oct. 2.
“As we celebrate Manufacturing Week in our state, it’s exciting to see a global manufacturer like Corning expand yet again in a great rural county like Catawba," Cooper said in a released statement.
North Carolina is home to the largest manufacturing workforce in the southeastern United States, according to the state.
Earlier Tuesday, Governor Cooper issued a proclamation stating the importance of the state’s manufacturing sector, which the state said employs more than 452,000 North Carolinians representing over 12 percent of the state’s workforce.
"We believe the industry is in the early stages of a major growth cycle, and we’re turning once again to the highly skilled local workforce in Catawba County to help us meet the demand," Michael A. Bell, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Corning Optical Communications, said.
The project will be facilitated by a Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG), which could move as much as $226,800 into a fund that helps rural communities across the state and attract business in the future.
Corning's business operates cable facilities in Hickory, Newton, and Winston-Salem, and optical fiber facilities in Wilmington and Concord.
Optical Communications headquarters is based in Charlotte.
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