Leading online pet supply retailer announces 1,200 jobs and $55 million investment near Salisbury
“We’re excited to expand Chewy’s fulfillment operations to North Carolina, our first in the state and ninth in the country,” said Pete Krilles, vice president, corporate real estate and facilities for Chewy, Inc. “We greatly appreciate the partnership with Rowan County, the Rowan EDC, North Carolina Department of Commerce, and the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina. We look forward to making a positive economic contribution to the region with the creation of 1,200 new jobs. In addition to job creation, our new fulfillment center will enhance our delivery network across the southeastern United States, allowing us to better service Chewy customers with even faster delivery times.”
NorthPoint Development has built multiple fulfillment centers for Chewy and is pleased to continue their relationship with the company in Rowan County. “In a very competitive multi-state development, Rowan County and the state of North Carolina came out on top. In the end, the outcome is simply that a great company, Chewy.com, is investing in a great community, Rowan County. We appreciate the state and the county’s efforts to reach this outcome, and we feel fortunate to be a part of this great project,” said Ian McDonald, vice president of development for NorthPoint Development.
Rod Crider, president and CEO of the Rowan EDC said “Chewy’s expansion in Rowan County is great news for the Charlotte regional economy and I am proud that the company chose to invest here. This signature win validates all of the hard work of the Rowan County Board of Commissioners and others over recent years to improve the economic competitiveness of our county. This project means more jobs, investment and momentum for our community and we couldn’t be more excited about the future. What pleases us most though is that the 1,200 new jobs that Chewy is bringing to the area will provide new opportunities to local job seekers and a chance for more Rowan County families to live their American Dream.”
Rowan County supported the project with a $2.3 million property tax incentive and a $400,000 equipment grant. Both are performance-based incentives requiring the company to meet predetermined employment goals before the incentives are granted to the company. The State of North Carolina provided a performance-based grant of $166,650 from the One North Carolina Fund along with a substantial commitment in customized training dollars. The county has also applied for Community Development Block Grant in the amount of $1.5 million to install a new sewer line to the building site. Additional funding for the project was provided by Duke Energy through its Carolinas Investment Fund.
Scott Shelton, vice president of the Rowan EDC provided project management leadership during the year-long process to gain Chewy’s investment in Rowan County. “Securing Chewy’s investment for Rowan County was a true team effort,” Shelton said. “We want to thank NorthPoint Development, Cushman Wakefield, the North Carolina Department of Commerce, the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, Duke Energy, Piedmont Natural Gas, Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, the Centralina Workforce Development Board, Salisbury-Rowan Utilities, Vernon Powell, the Trevey and Epting families and others for their assistance in bringing Chewy to Rowan County. It’s great news for our county and provides a needed boost to our economy and the communities of northern Rowan County.”
Construction of the new Chewy facility is expected to be completed by June 2020. A formal groundbreaking event will be held on May 2nd at the construction site with Governor Cooper expected to be in attendance.