Pet food manufacturer to bring 150 jobs to Caldwell Co. | Business

LENOIR - The Caldwell County Economic Development Commission will official announce the largest number of new jobs to come to Caldwell County in years on January 10.

Carolina Prime Pets, the manufacturer of premium pet food products, will move into the former NACCO Industries building at 2024 Morganton Boulevard in Lenoir in 2012, bringing 150 new positions during their first two years in operation.

The company is currently leasing a building in Murphy, NC, and will purchase and renovate the empty building in Lenoir for about $4.5 million.

The announcement will be made at 10 a.m. on January 10 in the upper level lobby area of the Broyhill Civic Center on Highway 321 in Lenoir.

Van Brown, Principal of Carolina Prime Pets, will join Caldwell County officials at the announcement.

Carolina Prime Pets plans to open sometime in mid to late 2012.

Caldwell County Commissioners agreed to provide the company with $296,000, or $2,000 per job, from the county’s Sales Tax Reinvestment Fund. In addition, with the assistance of the County, Carolina Prime Pets received financing in the form of Industrial Revenue Bonds up to $4 million through the North Carolina Department of Commerce.