HICKORY, N.C. — US Conec Ltd. will invest more than $149.7 million to build a 200,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Hickory, bringing 224 new jobs to Catawba County, Gov. Josh Stein announced Thursday.
Headquartered in Hickory since its founding in 1992, US Conec makes components used in telecommunications, enterprise networks, circuit boards and industrial and military applications.
The company said it will soon be looking to hire engineers, operators, technicians and support staff. While individual wages will vary, the new positions will carry an annual average salary of $56,982, which is more than the Catawba County average of $56,937.
To support the project, the state also awarded a $500,000 performance-based grant from the One North Carolina Fund. The grant provides financial assistance to local governments to help attract economic investment and job growth. Under the terms of the program, the company won’t receive any funding until it hits specific job creation and investment goals.
Tracey Horton serves as president of US Conec. She said the new facility will expand production to address the growing needs of the industry.
“The support of our state leaders for US Conec’s expansion is great news for North Carolina, for Catawba County and for our industry,” Horton said in a release Thursday. “The expansion will create highly skilled jobs, enhance US Conec’s manufacturing capabilities in Catawba County and help meet growing demand driven by deployments of advanced computing infrastructure.”
State officials estimate the expansion could generate an annual payroll impact of more than $12.7 million for the region.
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