Gov. Bev Perdue announced today that Clearwater Paper Corp. plans to invest $260 million and hire 250 workers over the next five years to build a new manufacturing and distribution facility in Shelby. The plant will make private-label tissue products for retail grocery chains throughout the Southeast and along the East Coast.
“Paper making is a heritage industry in North Carolina dating back to colonial times,” said Gov. Bev Perdue. “We remain a leader in this field and others because of our top-rated business climate, our outstanding workforce, and excellent infrastructure. We welcome Clearwater Paper to North Carolina.”
Clearwater Paper (NYSE:CLW) makes pulp and paperboard, private-label tissue and wood products. Its Consumer Products Division supplies more than half of the retail grocery store brand bathroom tissue, paper towels, facial tissue and napkins in the United States.
The company has private-label tissue manufacturing facilities in the West and Midwest but not in the Southeast. This new manufacturing and distribution facility is intended to help the company serve the Eastern Seaboard more cost effectively and meet growing demand.
While individual wages will vary according to job responsibilities, the overall average wage for the 250 new jobs will be approximately $38,000. That is higher than the Cleveland County average of $31,200.
“After an exhaustive and thorough search of more than 100 sites in multiple states, Shelby, North Carolina, became the clear choice for Clearwater Paper’s newest manufacturing facility,” said Gordon Jones, company chairman, president and CEO. “The critical combination of reasonable taxes, good highway access to our customers, available workforce and a very good working relationship with city, county and state agencies made North Carolina the excellent choice for us.”
“During these tough economic times, it’s critical to make the right investments to create jobs in Cleveland County and in North Carolina,”said Rep. Bob England. “We welcome these new jobs to the Shelby area.”
The state’s Economic Investment Committee today voted to award a Job Development Investment Grant to Clearwater Paper. JDIGs are awarded only to new and expanding businesses and industrial projects whose benefits exceed the costs to the state and which would not be undertaken in North Carolina without the grant.
Under the terms of the JDIG, the company is eligible to receive a grant equal to 65 percent of the state personal income withholding taxes derived from the creation of new jobs for each of the 12 years in which the company meets annual performance targets. If Clearwater Paper meets the targets called for under the agreement and sustains them for 12 years, the JDIG could yield up to $3.48 million in maximum benefits for the company.
The company also has been awarded $500,000 from the One North Carolina Fund, which assists the state in industry recruitment and expansion by providing financial assistance through local governments to attract business projects deemed by the governor to be vital to a healthy and growing state economy. One North Carolina Fund grants require a local match, and this grant is contingent upon approval of local incentives.
Other partners who assisted with this project include: the N.C. Departments of Commerce and Transportation, N.C. Community Colleges, Cleveland County, City of Shelby, Cleveland County Economic Development Partnership, Golden LEAF Foundation, Duke Power and Gardner-Webb University.
Through Gov. Perdue’s JobsNOW initiative, the state continues to work aggressively to create well-paying jobs, train and retrain its workforce, and lay the foundation for a strong and sustainable economic future.
For more information about Clearwater Paper Corporation, including job opportunities, visit www.clearwaterpaper.com.