North Carolina Commerce Secretary Sharon Decker and Assistant Secretary for Rural Development Dr. Pat Mitchell announced today that the N.C. Rural Infrastructure Authority (RIA) approved four grants or loans totaling more than $1.8 million with the commitment of more than 150 new jobs.
The RIA was established as part of the Rural Economic Development Division at the N.C. Department of Commerce to assist with the review and approval of grants for rural areas in the state. The grants-making programs of the division include assistance for building reuse and restoration as well as infrastructure including water and sewer.
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)/loans approved:
· Town of Nashville (Nash County): $479,925 to assist in the construction of sewer lines to serve two new food processing facilities to be constructed by Carolina Innovative Food Ingredients, Inc. (CIFI). The start-up company will be a subsidiary of Universal Leaf Tobacco and intends to invest $25 million in constructing and equipping the two new facilities. CIFI will produce a sweet potato juice that will be sold as a wholesale product to other food processing companies. CIFI has committed to create 64 full-time jobs.
· Town of Pembroke (Robeson County): $456,638 to construct a publicly-owned pre-treatment facility to allow Trinity Foods to discharge a greater volume of starch to the Pembroke Wastewater Treatment Plant. The company processes North Carolina sweet potatoes into fries for sale to chain restaurants and retailers. Trinity Foods has committed to creating 50 new jobs. Trinity Foods was previously awarded a One NC grant by Governor Pat McCrory.
· Davidson County: $750,000 to loan to Thomson Plastics, Inc. to support the reuse of a vacant industrial building on Highway 64 in Lexington. Thomson Plastics will invest $3 million in renovating and equipping the building for production of plastic injection molded casings for motors used in lawn mowers, golf carts, and HVAC equipment. The company was started in1996 and has a manufacturing plant in Michigan. Thomson Plastics has committed to create 38 new, full-time jobs.
The CDBG is a U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) program that provides an annual allocation of funds to the state for rural economic development and residential infrastructure projects. DENR administers the rural residential infrastructure program and the N.C. Department of Commerce administers the economic development program. CDBG economic development provides grants to local governments for creating and retaining jobs. Funding for projects is based on the number of jobs to be created and the level of distress in the community applying for the funds.
Economic Infrastructure Program grant approved:
· Town of Nashville (Nash County): $157,575 to be combined with $479,925 from the CDBG-Economic Development program to assist Carolina Innovative Food Ingredients, Inc. (CIFI). See project description under CDBG Economic Development program above.
The Economic Infrastructure Program provides grants for a variety of public infrastructure, such as water and sewer, broadband infrastructure, natural gas, access road, and rail spur improvements.