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Two Burke County Manufacturers to Grow

For Immediate Release

 Two Burke County Manufacturers to Grow

$650,000 in Building Reuse Grants Announced for County

BURKE COUNTY, N.C. (June 24, 2016) – The Governor’s Office and the North Carolina Department of Commerce have announced the award of Building Reuse grants to support the growth of two Burke County manufacturers. PEDS Legwear received a $500,000 grant to support the expansion of its facility in Hildebran and will add 50 news jobs. Fonta Flora Brewery received a $150,000 grant to aid in the company’s renovations of the Whippoorwill Dairy Farm where they will create 12 new jobs. PEDS Legwear is located in Hildebran and currently has 184 full-time employees in North Carolina. The company manufactures and distributes socks under the Peds, Medi-Peds and Growing Socks brands. Major customers include Wal-Mart, Target, Sears, K-Mart, TJ Maxx, Payless, Amazon.com and Zulily.com.  The Canadian-based company has seen tremendous growth since opening its doors in Burke County in 2015. “The Town of Hildebran is excited to see PEDS continue to grow,” said Town of Hildebran Mayor Jennie Cook. “We are glad to support the project and see the company add more jobs.” PEDS will utilize grant funds to renovate a building on their campus in Hildebran. Upfits include roof repair, HVAC replacement, electrical upgrades and office renovations. Increased use of the building will support their need for additional manufacturing capabilities. The five percent local match was provided by the Town of Hildebran and Burke County. Fonta Flora Brewery is a locally owned business that has garnered national attention since opening only two and a half years ago. The Whippoorwill Dairy will allow them to increase production while maintaining their current location in downtown Morganton. The Dairy Farm, which is located adjacent to the North Carolina State Park at Lake James, has buildings that date back to the 1940s. Grant funds are for various renovations including HVAC, plumbing, electrical, flooring, doors and finish hardware. The facility will be used for brewing, storing of brewing equipment and materials, and barrel aging. The five percent local match was provided by Burke County. “We are very happy to see Fonta Flora expanding,” said Wayne Abele, Chairman of the Burke County Board of Commissioners. “This builds on everything happening in the county right now for travel and tourism with the growth of Lake James State Park and the Burke County Fonta Flora Trail. It is a great project.” Burke Development, Inc. and the Western Piedmont Council of Governments (WPCOG) assisted with the grants. For the full announcement from the Governor’s office visit http://governor.nc.gov/press-release/governor-mccrory-announces-more-104-million-infrastructure-funding-supporting-622-new. 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.

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Contact: Alan Wood 828.764.1818


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