Continental to Expand Morganton Facility

For Immediate Release BURKE COUNTY, N.C. (April 18, 2017) – North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper announced an expansion of the Continental facility located in Morganton. The company will add a new product line that results in the creation of 160 new jobs and a $40M investment in equipment and facility upgrades. “This is a great project and we’re excited to announce it,” said Jeff Brittain, Chairman of the Burke County Commissioners. “Not only are the new jobs important but solidifying the existing jobs was key to the project. We hope this means Continental will be here in Burke County for a long time to come.” The state supported the project with a Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG). A Building Reuse grant will also be considered for approval later this week. Continental began operations in Burke County in 1992 and has two facilities in the County. The main plant, where the expansion will take place, manufactures anti-lock braking systems. The new product line and reason for the expansion is Continental’s next generation MK C1 Integrated brake system. “Continental is very important to the City of Morganton,” said Mayor Ronnie Thompson. “The jobs are high tech, automated and are an example of what manufacturing is going to be in the future. We’re very proud to see them growing in our community.” Alan Wood, President and CEO of Burke Development, Inc. (BDI) had the following to say, “This project shows the importance of teamwork in economic development. The list of partners on a project of this size is impressive and I am very pleased at how they worked together to win the project for the citizens of Morganton and Burke County.” Burke Development, Inc., Burke County, the City of Morganton, the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, the NC Department of Commerce, the Western Piedmont Council of Governments (WPCOG), Western Piedmont Community College and VanNoppen Marketing assisted with the project. For the full announcement from the Governor’s office visit https://governor.nc.gov/news/governor-cooper-announces-160-job-expansion-continental-automotive-burke-county 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. ### Contact: Alan Wood 828.764.1818