Governor Josh Stein Announces US Conec Will Invest More Than $149.7 Million in Hickory Expansion: 224 New Jobs
North Carolina Governor Josh Stein announced in Raleigh on October 22 that US Conec Ltd., a global leader in the design and manufacturing of high-density optical interconnects, will add 224 new jobs in Catawba County and invest more than $149.7 million to build a 200,000-square-foot state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Hickory for advanced manufacturing, research and development, administrative operations and distribution.
Headquartered in Hickory since its founding in 1992, US Conec provides components worldwide for advanced computing infrastructure, enterprise networks, telecommunications networks, circuit board interconnects, and industrial and military markets. The state Commerce Department said the new positions, covering engineers, operators, technicians and support staff, will pay an average salary of $56,982, above the Catawba County average of $56,937, potentially creating an annual payroll impact of more than $12.7 million for the region.
A performance-based grant of $500,000 from the One North Carolina Fund will support the expansion; the company must meet job creation and capital investment targets to qualify for payment, and local governments must provide matching participation. US Conec President Tracey Horton, Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley, state Senator Mark Hollo and state Representative Jay Adams welcomed the project. Other partners include the N.C. Department of Commerce, the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, the General Assembly, the community college system, Catawba Valley Community College, Duke Energy, Piedmont Natural Gas, Catawba County, the City of Hickory and the Catawba County Economic Development Corporation. (GSM, based on the N.C. Department of Commerce release)
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: Hickory 市政大楼（北卡罗来纳州）。图片：Tylerg，CC BY-SA 3.0，来源 Wikimedia Commons
