Morganton Company Receives Grant Funding to Aid Expansion: Project Bravo
Morganton, N.C. (February 11, 2022) – 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 and 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.
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.
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.
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
828.764.9372