The North Carolina Rural Infrastructure Authority (RIA) has approved 20 grant requests to local governments on Thursday, June 20, with three of those grants going to applicants from Pitt County.
“Continued investments in building capacity and utility infrastructure are critical for attracting more economic opportunities to rural North Carolina,” Governor Roy Cooper said. “With these grants, all North Carolinians can access a better quality of life and increased economic prosperity.”
Two existing Pitt County industries will receive grants from the Building Reuse Program. The Building Reuse Program provides grants to local governments to renovate vacant buildings, renovate and/or expand buildings occupied by existing North Carolina companies, and renovate, expand or construct health care facilities that will lead to the creation of new jobs in Tier 1 and Tier 2 counties, as well as rural census tracts of Tier 3 counties.
An $80,000 grant under the Vacant Building Category will support the reuse of a 62,793-square-foot building, where UNX-Christeyns plans to locate. The company specializes in commercial quality cleaning chemicals for the laundry, housekeeping, and dry and wet cleaning markets, and it also manufactures the dispensing equipment supporting those products. Through the overall project, the company plans to create 21 jobs with an investment of $703,057 being tied to this grant. The company has also been awarded a grant of $40,000 from the state’s One North Carolina Fund for the project.
Under the Existing Business Building Category, a $250,000 grant will support the renovation of a 666,000-square-foot building in Greenville that is occupied by Attindas, which designs and manufactures high-quality absorbent hygiene products for the U.S., Canada and Europe. The company plans to create 25 jobs, with an $11 million investment tied to this grant. The company has also been awarded today a grant of $75,000 from the state’s One North Carolina Fund for the project.
The RIA also approved a grant request under the state’s Industrial Development Fund - Utility Account program for a recent company announcement in Greenville-Pitt County. A $2 million grant will assist in adding a substation to support Boviet Solar Technology’s expansion in Pitt County. In the overall project, the company is expected to create 908 jobs and invest more than $294 million.
“I appreciate the collaboration that our Rural Economic Development Division and the RIA does to help local leaders spur growth in their communities,” said N.C. Commerce Secretary Machelle Baker Sanders. “This work improves our economic conditions and competitiveness as a state and creates additional jobs and investments for a more inclusive future.”
The RIA is supported by the rural economic development team at the North Carolina Department of Commerce. RIA members review and approve funding requests from local communities. Funding comes from a variety of specialized grant and loan programs offered and managed by N.C. Commerce’s Rural Economic Development Division. Grants support a variety of activities, including infrastructure development, building renovation, expansion and demolition, and site improvements.
learn more about other grants awarded to Rural Communities in North Carolina on the NC Department of Commerce website.
