Pipeline Plastics Holdings, LLC, a leading manufacturer of high-performance industrial pipeline systems, will create 44 new jobs in Columbus County, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. The company will invest $4.6 million in a new production facility in Fair Bluff.
“North Carolina’s appeal as a center for manufacturing continues to attract companies from many different industries,” said Governor Cooper. “Our focus on building a well-trained workforce, combined with North Carolina’s outstanding transportation networks and East Coast market access, offers companies like Pipeline Plastics the right ingredients for success.”
Pipeline Plastics specializes in engineered solid wall polyethylene pipe, with a size range up to 65” diameter utilized in all aspects of infrastructure construction. The company is a recognized leader to a wide variety of end uses, from municipal water and wastewater, industrial, agriculture, irrigation, and mining, to energy and natural gas distribution. With three existing production plants in Texas and South Dakota, the new facility in Fair Bluff will enable the company to expand its geographical presence on the East Coast.
“We are excited to bring our culture, reputation, and methodology as one of the safest, sustainable, and most efficient companies in the industry,” said Mike Leathers, President & COO, Pipeline Plastics. “This facility will not only create jobs and careers for this location, but be a significant multiplier for the local economy, from jobs to suppliers and transportation.”
“We welcome Pipeline Plastics to North Carolina’s growing portfolio of manufacturing companies,” said North Carolina Commerce Secretary Machelle Baker Sanders. “Our state remains committed to delivering the skilled workers manufacturers need, through the programs and services of the NCWorks system, one of the best workforce development systems in the country.”
The company’s new jobs will yield an average salary above the Columbus County average wage of $35,138. Once the projects’ new jobs are in place, the local region will benefit from a nearly $1.6 million payroll impact in the community, each and every year.
A performance-based grant of $125,000 from the One North Carolina Fund will help facilitate Pipeline Plastics’ expansion in Columbus County. The OneNC Fund provides financial assistance to local governments to help attract economic investment and to create jobs. Companies receive no money upfront and must meet job creation and capital investment targets to qualify for payment. All OneNC grants require a matching grant from local governments and any award is contingent upon that condition being met.
Partnering with the North Carolina Department of Commerce and the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina on this project were the North Carolina General Assembly, the North Carolina Community College System, Duke Energy, CSX Railroad, the RJ Corman Railroad Company, Southeastern Community College, the Columbus Jobs Foundation, the Columbus County Board of Commissioners, the Town of Fair Bluff, North Carolina’s Southeast, and the Columbus County Economic Development Commission.
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