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21 <br />State grant helps advanced manufacturer <br />expand in Western N.C. <br />Governor Bev Perdue announced Dec. 8 that American <br />Roller Bearing Industries Inc. (A.R.B.), a manufacturer of <br />anti - friction bearings for industrial equipment, will expand <br />its operations in Burke and Alexander counties. A.R.B. <br />expects to create 231 new jobs over the next five years <br />and invest between $3 million and $5 million per year in <br />land, buildings, machinery and equipment. The <br />announcement was made possible in part by a state Job <br />Development Investment Grant The N.C. Department of <br />Commerce's Bill Payne was the developer on this project. <br />"My top priority is creating jobs, and our top- ranked <br />business climate continues to attract new, high -tech <br />manufacturers and help existing ones expand," Perdue <br />said. "Companies, such as A.R.B., continue to choose <br />North Carolina because our past investments in education <br />have created a highly - skilled workforce." <br />A.R.B.'s first manufacturing plant was located in <br />Pittsburgh, Pa. in the 1920s. All manufacturing operations <br />for the company moved to North Carolina in the early <br />1980s and the corporate office relocated to Hickory in <br />2007. A.R.B. manufactures anti - friction bearings for <br />industrial equipment used in electrical power generation, <br />mining and rock crushing, primary metal making and <br />rolling mills, oilfields, construction, railroads, gear drives, <br />corrugated box and papermaking, and wind energy. The <br />company currently employs more than 340 people in <br />North Carolina. <br />"North Carolina has dedicated skilled workers who will <br />make our expansion in North Carolina successful," said <br />Ben Succop, President of American Roller Bearing. "We <br />look forward to continuing our long- standing partnership <br />with the State of North Carolina and those we have in <br />Burke and Alexander counties. This grant will enable us to <br />strengthen our operations and to support the needs of our <br />customers." <br />The total payroll for the new jobs is estimated to be <br />between $8 million and $8.9 million. The overall annual <br />wages will exceed the Burke County annual average <br />wage which is $30,784 and the annual average wage in <br />Alexander County which is $26,728. Read more <br />1 -1 <br />Wyckoff <br />Garrett Wyckoff joined the N.C. Department <br />of Commerce in 2000 as a community <br />planner. In 2003 he joined the Commerce <br />Finance Center staff as an industrial finance <br />specialist and has extensive experience <br />working with the different industrial incentive <br />and tax programs offered through Commerce. <br />In 2008 he became a member of the <br />Business and Industry Division as a statewide <br />economic developer. In his current role, <br />Garrett's main focus is on recruiting <br />companies to North Carolina that are in the <br />life sciences or food /agricultural industry <br />sectors. <br />Garrett is originally from Princeton, N.J., and <br />received his BA and MPA from Bowling <br />Green State University in Ohio. Currently, <br />Garrett and his wife, Renee, reside in Raleigh <br />and have three children: Garrett III, Stella and <br />Everett. When not working, Garrett enjoys <br />spending time with his family and working out. <br />Garrett says North Carolina is a great fit for <br />companies in both the bio /life sciences and <br />food /ag industry sectors for different and <br />various reasons. He says bio /life sciences <br />companies are attracted to our long standing <br />state -wide commitment to the industry as a <br />whole, availability of a skilled labor force, <br />quality of life, world class community college <br />and university systems, and the lower cost of <br />doing business as compared to our main <br />competitors in California and Massachusetts. <br />The food industry is attracted to the state <br />because of our central location on the East <br />Coast, our excellent highway /transportation <br />system, labor availability, and the agricultural <br />knowledge /research coming out of our <br />universities. <br />Garrett also says the department does a very <br />good job of selling our state and praises our <br />great network of partners and allies <br />throughout North Carolina whom we can call <br />on to assist with a company's location needs. <br />Attachment number 1 <br />Page 431 <br />