A maker of brake systems and components will add 338 jobs in Henderson County over the next five years, Gov. Bev Perdue announced here this morning.
Continental Teves, a wholly owned subsidiary the German auto parts conglomerate Continental AG, will invest $30 million to expand its plant here.
“Established companies continue to grow here because they know the value of our top business climate and skilled workforce,” Perdue said at a press conference this morning.
Wages for the new jobs will be about $36,000 annually, not counting benefits. The plant currently employs 288. The company also employs 367 at a plant in Morganton.
If Continental Teves makes the plant investment, creates the jobs and sustains them for nine years, it could be eligible for up to $2.16 million in funds through a Job Development Investment Grant offered through the N.C. Department of Commerce, the governor’s office said.
Job Development Investment Grants are awarded for projects whose benefits exceed the costs to the state and which would not be undertaken in North Carolina without the grant.
State Commerce Secretary Keith Crisco and Bobby Nelon, Continental’s Fletcher plant manager, met with officials at Continental AG’s German headquarters in June during an economic development trip.
“The employees in the Henderson facility today make a strong foundation for growing the plant,” Nelon said in a statement. “The incentive package also was a major determining factor in selecting the Henderson plant for the expansion. This is a great situation of government and business working together to secure jobs in North Carolina.”
Source: Asheville Citizen Times
