A national construction services company has chosen Siler City, in Chatham County, for its major new manufacturing facility, citing the strength of the potential workforce there as a major factor.
Florida-based Innovative Construction Group, or ICG, was acquired in 2020 by PulteGroup, the third largest home builder in the U.S., according to its website. ICG, whose plans were announced by the governor’s office on April 23, provides design services, manufactures wall panels, roof trusses and floor systems as well as offers on-site installation.
ICG’s main customers are commercial builders of homes and apartments, according to Tim Chatlos, director of corporate communications at PulteGroup.
The company is still designing the North Carolina facility, Chatlos said over email to Carolina Public Press, but he thinks it will be between 150,000 and 200,000 square feet. ICG hopes to build the facility over the next two to three years and begin manufacturing activities in 2027, he said.
The company plans to purchase around 46 acres at the Chatham Siler-City Advanced Manufacturing industrial park, where Wolfspeed also plans to establish its future silicon carbide plant, the Chatham Economic Development Corporation said.
ICG estimates an annual payroll of $8.3 million at full build-out, according to Chatham Economic Development Corporation.
The facility will add to the company’s current manufacturing capacity, a governor’s office press release said.
The company expects to invest around $39.8 million in the project by the end of 2028 and create up to 157 new jobs by 2029, according to the N.C. Commerce Department.
The new facility will include opportunities in production, woodworking, logistics and maintenance, according to the governor’s office. The plans are still subject to approvals for local incentives and finalizing real estate negotiations, the governor’s office said.
The expected average salary for the new positions is $52,949, slightly above Chatham County’s average wage of $50,302, according to the governor’s office.
Chatlos told CPP that community college technical training opportunities and the state’s workforce development training programs were a major factor in the decision because they “point to great opportunity for a well-trained workforce.”
Information technology infrastructure and the accessibility of highways and the airport were other factors, he said. Chatham County is the state’s geographical center. Local highways including U.S. 421, U.S. 64 and U.S. 15/501 provide easy access to the Triangle and Triad, making Interstates 40 and 85 quickly accessible from Siler City.
The company also considered metro-Dallas and metro-Phoenix as potential sites, according to N.C. Commerce, evaluating labor cost, sales taxes, real estate taxes, personal property taxes and preliminary incentive savings.
Michael Smith, President of the Chatham Economic Development Corporation, told CPP in an email that the opportunity to be in the existing industrial park with infrastructure already there was a factor for the company as well.
North Carolina Railroad Company will invest $200,000 to help provide for the design and construction of a new rail spur to connect the facility to the railroad and be served by Norfolk Southern Railway, according to the railroad company’s press release.
Once the site is active, rail activity will increase by at least 75 rail cars annually, the company said.
The state approved a Job Development Investment Grant that would use new tax revenue to potentially reimburse the company up to $873,750 over 12 years. That’s contingent on the company meeting incremental job creation and investment targets.
In addition, the company was offered incentives of community college training valued at $280,000 and infrastructure support from the state department of transportation valued at $400,000, according to the N.C. Commerce Department.
Because the total award is higher than the grant statute’s general maximum ratio of withholdings in the first seven years, the state economic investment committee approved a special finding to pass the grant in its meeting April 23.
The Town of Siler City and Chatham County are offering incentives combined of around $1.1 million, according to the Commerce Department.
Those are performance based grants from potential tax revenue, Smith of the Chatham Economic Development Corporation said.
Asked by CPP whether housing in the area will be adequate for a potential new workforce, Smith said the economic development corporation is discussing new housing in Siler City with the community and development team.
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