Morganton, NC — Governor Roy Cooper’s Office announced funding today to aid in the expansion for Project Bravo in Burke County. The company has been approved through the North Carolina Department of Commerce to receive a $75,000 One NC Grant with a $200,000 Building Reuse Grant to be reviewed by the Rural Infrastructure Authority in February. The grants support expansion and restoration of the 341k sq. ft. building they currently occupy at 105 Wamsutta Mill Road in Morganton. Project Bravo is slated for public hearings by Burke County and The City of Morganton to consider local grants to support the project.
The expansion, code named Project Bravo, is set to support Meritor, Inc. a leading global supplier of drivetrain, mobility, braking, aftermarket and electric powertrain solutions for commercial vehicle and industrial markets. With more than a 110-year legacy of providing innovative products that offer superior performance, efficiency aand reliability, the company serves commercial truck, trailer, off-highway, defense, specialty and aftermarket customers around the world. Meritor is based in Troy, Michigan, United States.
Meritor has a unique opportunity to grow their overall market penetration and increase the amount of axles provided in the North American semi-trailer market. Meritor has recently contracted with CIE to provide all their trailer axle needs for the North American market. The Morganton facility is competing with two other Meritor trailer facilities for a portion of this investment and resulting incremental jobs. Meritor requested assistance from the State of North Carolina in the form of economic incentives to assist them in their competition with their sister plants to bring this business to the Burke County facility.
In anticipation of approval of Project Bravo, Scott Mulwee, Chairman, Burke County Commissioners stated “Landing this expansion project will highlight Burke County’s excellent location in North Carolina which provides advantageous access to markets throughout the Southeast. We appreciate Meritor choosing to expand in our community and contributing to the growth of Burke County.”
Projects supported by these grants must lead to the creation of private sector jobs by new or expanding businesses. The company, who has been based in Morganton since 2015, currently employs approximately 95 temporary and permanent full-time employees and plans on adding an additional 25 new jobs over the next 18 months. These jobs include Supervisor and Engineer positions, Fabrication Technicians, Maintenance Technicians and Line Trainers and are projected to pay on average $63,200/per year which is higher than the county average.
“We are very delighted Meritor has chosen to expand their operation in our community”, said Ronnie Thompson, Mayor of Morganton. “Morganton has always been committed to creating opportunities for everyone. We feel this project will only further meeting our goals for the citizens of the community.”
This effort, as with most projects is only possible with the assistance of multiple partners, including: Burke County, The City of Morganton, North Carolina Department of Commerce, Economic Partnership of North Carolina (EDPNC), Western Piedmont Community College, Western Piedmont Council of Governments, Burke Development, Inc. and others.
To view the announcement from the Governor’s office click (here).
About Burke Development, Inc.
Burke Development, Inc. (BDI) is a nonprofit organization supported by private and public funding that is charged with accelerating economic growth in Burke County. BDI works with industry leaders, site selection consultants, government agencies and other entities to facilitate expansion strategies for existing businesses and recruit target industries to Burke County. For more information about BDI visit www.BurkeDevInc.com.
Contacts:
Alan Wood
Burke Development Inc.
President and CEO
828-764-1818
alan@burkedevinc.com
