Furniture Manufacturer Ekornes Plans for Operation in Burke County

BDI announced last week that furniture manufacturer Ekornes ASA plans to open their first US manufacturing operation in Burke County. Fifty-eight jobs will be created when operations begin in a 100,000 square foot facility in Morganton. Ekornes ASA, Scandinavia’s largest furniture manufacturer, plans to open their first US manufacturing operation in Burke County, North Carolina. The company will begin operations in a 100,000 square foot facility in Morganton, creating 58 jobs. Salaries will vary by job function, but the projected average annual wage is $30,464 plus benefits. The company plans to invest $1.3 million. “Many people have been working on this project for many months and it is a positive testament to all involved to reach this point of formally welcoming Ekornes ASA to Burke County,” said Burke County Commission Chairman Wayne Abele. “Furniture manufacturing has a renowned and established history in Burke County and we will continue to support this industry as one of our target sectors for job creation in Burke County. We are elated that a company of this caliber has chosen Burke County and has entrusted their world class operations to our community. It’s a win-win to welcome another strong corporate entity to Burke County, a region comprised of many skilled and experienced workers in the furniture industry.” “The City of Morganton is pleased that Ekornes has chosen our community as their first US location. We realize that each and every project is extremely competitive in today’s environment and that we are competing with thousands of other communities every time a project looks at our community. Thus, we are very honored to have Ekornes choose Morganton and we are looking forward to working with them for many years to come,” adds Mayor Mel Cohen. Ekornes ASA, headquartered in Ikornnes, Norway, has 1600 employees worldwide, most of who work at the 6 factories in Norway. It owns such brand names as Ekornes?, Stressless? and Svane? that are manufactured in Norway and marketed and sold all over the world. According to the Ekornes website, Stressless? is one of the world’s most famous furniture brands. Mr. ?yvind T?rlen, CEO of Ekornes ASA, states “Ekornes is happy to be calling Burke County its new home in the United States.” “We are excited to welcome another successful, high end furniture company to our community,” said Mike Watts, Board Chair of Burke Development, Inc. Burke Development Inc., would like to extend a special thanks for the assistance of Representative Mitch Gillespie, Senator Warren Daniel, and Representative Hugh Blackwell for their support and efforts to make this project a success. Burke Development Inc. partners that helped make this announcement possible include: North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center, North Carolina Department of Commerce, Burke County Commissioners, City of Morganton, Western Piedmont Community College, Western Piedmont Council of Governments, Committee of 100, Electricities, Red Rock Developments, and NC Employment Security Commission. For more information about Ekornes, visit www.ekornes.com.

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Burke Development Incorporated, BDI, is a nonprofit 501c3 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, existing businesses, government agencies and other entities to promote growth, innovation and sustainability in Burke County. For more information about BDI visit www.BurkeDevInc.com.