Cumberland County is in the running for a manufacturing project that could create 815 jobs — the latest major economic development deal being considered in the county.
An international maker of solar components is considering the jobs as part of a $159 million facility south of Fayetteville, according to a county notice published late last week.
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The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners is scheduled to hold a public hearing on June 17 to discuss a proposed economic incentives package, including a county grant of up to $3.5 million to be paid out over five years.
The jobs would pay an annual average wage of about $53,000, according to the county. That’s about 15.3% more than the county average for private sector jobs, according to state Department of Commerce data.
The effort is dubbed “Project Smartie” by economic development officials. The identity of the company wasn’t disclosed in the county notice. County officials and a state Department of Commerce spokesperson also declined to name the company. Economic development deals tend to be highly secretive; companies request anonymity as they weigh expansion plans, negotiate with state and local governments and work to line up real estate.
The solar company hasn’t made a final decision on where it will expand; the company is also considering locations in other states, according to Robert Van Geons, the chief executive of the Fayetteville Cumberland Economic Development Corp.
Locally, it is eyeing in an existing building on Corporation Drive, which is northeast of the intersection of Interstate 95 and N.C. 59, according to the county notice. There are several available industrial properties on Corporation Drive, including a 506,000-square-foot distribution center, which Mann+Hummel Purolator Filters LLC vacated in 2023 after it realigned its operations in the region.
Magnet for manufacturers
Regardless of the solar company's ultimate decision, the interest alone is a positive for the county, Van Geons said. “It's a sign that our message — that we're an affordable and dynamic place to do business — is starting to resonate with decision makers,” he said.
Manufacturers and distributors have been attracted to Cumberland County in part because of its strong road network — with access to north-south and east-west Interstates — and the availability of skilled talent, including thousands of soldiers who complete service at Fort Liberty and enter the civilian workforce.
“When you’re talking about coming here, you're talking about a good workforce,” said Glenn Adams, chairman of the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners.
Cumberland County's civilian labor force sunk to a 15-year low in April 2020, in the thick of the Covid-19 pandemic. It has since bounced back, climbing 8.7% to a 10-year high of 131,018 workers in March 2024 before dipping slightly in April, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
At the end of May, Amazon began hiring workers for a Fayetteville fulfillment center that is expected to employ more than 1,000 people. Meanwhile, American Titanium Metals is weighing a plan to invest more than $1 billion and hire up to 450 people for a recycling facility in Fayetteville — jobs that would pay an average annual salary of at least $120,000, according to county and city notices.
The solar panel manufacturer would be another key get for state economic developers, who have focused on luring more clean energy companies to North Carolina. Many homeowners, private businesses and local governments have shifted toward solar in recent years. North Carolina ranked No. 4 in the nation for the amount of solar energy capacity as of 2022, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association. Only California, Texas and Florida had more.
In April, Boviet Solar, which makes solar panels and photovoltaic cells for residential and commercial customers, said it plans to build its first North American plant in Greenville. The project is expected to create 908 jobs in the Pitt County city as part of a $294 million expansion.
Since 2017, the state has announced at least 17,500 jobs focused on energy efficiency or producing products that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Those jobs have been tied to projects that have brought more than $22.1 billion in capital investment to the state, according to commerce officials.
The state Commerce Department’s Economic Investment Committee was scheduled to hold its regular meeting Tuesday. Officials were expected to consider one or more economic development proposals. It was unclear if any of the Cumberland County projects would be considered. No other details were provided on a state meeting notice, and a Department of Commerce spokesman declined to provide specifics about the agenda.