CHARLOTTE, N.C.,None — Appliance giant Electrolux opened its North American headquarters in Charlotte Thursday, bringing hundreds of jobs to the Queen City.
Almost one year after the appliance manufacturing company announced it would be relocating its North American headquarters, Gov. Bev Perdue helped the company officially open its new facility in northeast Charlotte.
"This is a global company and this brand is really important to North Carolina," Perdue said.
She said her main goal is creating more jobs in North Carolina. Charlotte alone has seen more than 8,000 jobs come to the city since January.
Electrolux hopes to bring hundreds more. The new facility will employ 450 people to start and hopes to grow that number to more than 700 over the next five years.
All the optimism comes just before the state is expected to release its unemployment numbers.
"We can't brag about anything as long as you have a 9.6, 9.7 (percent) unemployment rate," Perdue said.
Mayor Anthony Foxx said one of his priorities is ensuring the city keeps companies who call Charlotte home.
"We're knocking on the doors of the companies who are already here and we're going out across the world looking for new opportunities," he said.
He said the city's existing infrastructure and lower cost of living helps Charlotte compete with other major cities looking to bring in big-name companies.
Electrolux took over the Fifth-Third Bank office building in University Research Park after the company moved its headquarters to uptown Charlotte.
Electrolux is not the only big-name company expanding in Charlotte. Power tool maker Husqvarna is moving its headquarters to the Queen City. Also, gas turbine manufacturer Siemens is expanding its headquarters and is expected to creating hundreds of jobs.