Gov. Bev Perdue today announced that EcoVolt Power Corporation, a designer and manufacturer of environmentally friendly batteries, will locate a new manufacturing facility in Yadkin County. The company plans to create 61 jobs and invest $20 million during the next three years in East Bend. The project was made possible in part by a $200,000 grant from the One North Carolina Fund.
“This company is another feather in the cap for our rapidly expanding green economy,” Gov. Perdue said during remarks at the company’s new location in East Bend. “I’ve said it many times before, green can be gold for North Carolina.”
EcoVolt utilizes environmentally friendly, German engineered technologies licensed from iQ Power AG to design and manufacture next generation lead acid batteries for the automotive markets in North America and regenerative energy (solar and wind) storage and appurtenances for the North, Central and South American markets. Within three years, the company is expected to have the capacity to manufacture or process approximately 6 million automotive starter batteries per year. EcoVolt plans to move into the former DAC Products furniture building in East Bend.
Salaries will vary by job function, but the average annual wage for the new jobs will be $27,982 plus benefits. The Yadkin County average annual wage is $27,716.
“It is with great pleasure that we announce our decision to locate our operations in East Bend, North Carolina,” said Mark E. Leininger, EcoVolt’s Chairman and CEO. “The central location within the eastern United States, highly skilled workforce, attractive facilities, local cost of living, a strong education system including the Community College system and the beauty of North Carolina and its pro-business environment, led through the efforts of Governor Perdue and the North Carolina Department of Commerce along with local business groups, we believe will provide the fertile environment for the profitable growth of our business. With our focus of putting American workers back to work, we are most appreciative of the grant from the One North Carolina Fund, the Governors’ and local efforts to bring EcoVolt to the area, and we are most appreciative to the citizens of North Carolina for this welcomed opportunity to be a part of the fabric of their community.”
The One NC Fund provides financial assistance, through local governments, to attract business projects that will stimulate economic activity and create new jobs in the state. Companies receive no money up front and must meet job creation and investment performance standards to qualify for grant funds. These grants also require and are contingent upon local matches
North Carolina continues to have a top-ranked business climate. Through Gov. Perdue’s JobsNOW initiative, the state works aggressively to create jobs, train and retrain its workforce, and lay the foundation for a strong and sustainable economic future. As North Carolina gains attention for leading the nation out of the recession, Gov. Perdue remains focused on her core priorities of creating jobs, strengthening education and setting government straight.
Through use of the One NC Fund, more than 50,000 jobs and $9 billion in investment have been created since 2001. Other partners that helped with this project include: the N.C. Department of Commerce, N.C. Community Colleges, the Yadkin County Economic Development Partnership, the Town of East Bend and Yadkin County.
For more information about EcoVolt including job opportunities, go to ecovoltpower.com.