The expansion of a poultry company's operation in Mocksville means more than just 103 new jobs over three years.
It also represents about a $3 million investment in the community, local and state officials said.
Townsends Inc., based in Georgetown, Del., said yesterday that it is expanding the Mocksville operations of its Crestwood Farms division, where it already has 267 employees.
With the expansion, Crestwood becomes one of the top 10 employers in Davie, said Terry Bralley, the president of the Davie County Economic Development Commission.
"The expansion not only stabilizes a sizable work force in the community, but also provides a stabilizing force for local chicken producers," Bralley said.
As part of the package for securing the expansion, the local community is receiving a $1 million grant from the N.C. Rural Center and a $1 million grant from the federal Community Development Block Grant program for public water and sewer infrastructure upgrades.
Mocksville is putting another $700,000 toward the water and sewer upgrades.
The Golden LEAF Foundation issued a $700,000 grant to Mocksville. The town will use the grant to buy new production equipment for Townsend and lease it back to the company through an interest-bearing loan, said Dan Gerlach, the president of the foundation.
"As the money is paid back, we will be able to use it for other projects," Bralley said. "I've never felt more supported by state and federal officials than this effort."
Townsends also is eligible for a $250,000 grant from the One North Carolina Fund.
"Food production and economic growth go hand in hand in North Carolina, a tradition underscored by Townsends' expansion in Mocksville," Gov. Bev Perdue said.
Salaries for the 103 jobs will vary by job function, but the overall average wage will be $21,496 a year, not including benefits.
Townsends, founded in 1891, supplies pre-cooked chicken products to the domestic and international food service and retail markets.
The company has about 1,500 employees in plants in Mocksville, Pittsboro and Siler City. Its poultry operations support an extensive grower base in the region. The company plans to buy an additional 6 million pounds of chicken in the state because of the Mocksville expansion, Gerlach said.
"Agribusiness is so important to North Carolina and under pressure, so this helps not only Davie County but the state along the way," Gerlach said.
John Pastrana, a vice president of operations for Townsends, said that the Mocksville plant represents the core of its expansion into value-added products.
In December, Townsends expanded the Mocksville plant with the installation of a high-capacity, oven-cooking system. With the new production line, capacity is expected to rise by 25 percent, or 12 million pounds annually.
"It just made sense to expand in Mocksville since it is one of our most efficient and versatile plants," Pastrana said.
Pastrana said that the company plans to hire up to 25 employees by mid-November. The company will place help-wanted ads in local newspapers when it is ready to hire, he said.
rcraver@wsjournal.com
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