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Online pet supply retailer Chewy to bring 1,200 jobs to Rowan County

STATESVILLE, N.C. — Chewy, an online pet supply retailer, selected Rowan County for its new fulfillment center, which will create 1,200 new jobs and invest $55 million, Gov. Roy Cooper said Wednesday.

The company will be in Salisbury.

“Chewy selected North Carolina because from our infrastructure to our workforce, we have everything businesses need to succeed,” Cooper said in a news release. “These new jobs will make a positive impact on Rowan County and the surrounding area.”

Chewy was founded in 2011 and is a retailer of pet food and supplies in the U.S.

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Single dad Barry Tutson knows what it’s like to search hard for work in Rowan County. He’s grateful Chewy is on its way.

“It’s been hard for a lot of people to get work. With them bringing in jobs, it’s very good,” he said.

Commissioner Craig Pierce said the jobs fill the void left by companies like Fiber Industries.

“At one point in time, it was an employer of 3,200 people. Since then, it's dissipated. That plant is closed,” Pierce said.

Commissioners have said stiff competition from surrounding counties and a lack of infrastructure have kept them from winning needed jobs, but they’re becoming more competitive.

For example, the county offered Chewy 80 percent back on taxes paid over the first five years and 50 percent back over the next five.

"This was the first time we've done a 10-year, first of many to come,” Pierce said.

Chewy is headquartered in Dania Beach, Florida and Boston, Massachusetts, with customer service centers in Dallas, Texas and Hollywood, Florida and eight fulfillment centers around the country.

The North Carolina Department of Commerce and the Economic Development Partnership of N.C. were instrumental in supporting the company’s expansion decision, according to the news release.

A performance-based grant of $166,650 from the One North Carolina Fund will support the creation of 150 of the new jobs, facilitating Chewy’s establishment of its new facility in North Carolina.

The One N.C. Fund provides financial assistance to local governments to help attract economic investment and to create jobs.

Companies receive no money up front and must meet job creation and capital investment targets to qualify for payment.

All One NC grants require a matching grant from local governments and any award is contingent upon that condition being met.