KINGS MOUNTAIN, N.C. -- In Gaston County, the unemployment rate stands at 15.1 percent, but a plant in Kings Mountain is adding jobs and promising to put a dent in that figure.

The Baldor Co. plant is expanding its operations and adding 114 jobs paying an average of $38,000 per year over the next three years.

Local resident J.R. Lockhart said, “That’s great, because we really need it. We really do.”

Lockhart and his neighbors feel bad luck is drawn to them. Last week, they were battered by the tornadoes that swept through the area, and plant closings have left many of them without work.

Eddie Houser owns a company that provides machinery parts, and he’s looking forward to having a new business to sell to. His company had 15 workers at its peak, and now only one remains on the payroll.

“We are devastated right at this particular time,” he said. “With all the doors closing, here is the possibility of one opening.”

Kings Mountain Mayor Rick Murphey is also looking forward to the plant adding new jobs. He said city officials have worked hard to keep the tax rate low and other major expenses down.

“It’s so we can position ourselves so when these opportunities come along, those corporations can move to Kings Mountain,” he said.