Fortune 500 company bringing more than 1,200 jobs to Charlotte

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — For the second day in a row, a New Jersey company said it's bringing hundreds of jobs to Charlotte.

Sealed Air Corporation announced Wednesday it will move its global corporate headquarters to Charlotte later this year. The company manufactures protective packaging and invented bubble wrap.

Over the next two years it will bring 1,262 new jobs to Charlotte and build a $50 million corporate campus in South Charlotte. 

"We're going to have some people who are going to be coming from overseas, some people coming from Wisconsin, Connecticut, New Jersey and South Carolina," said Sealed Air CEO Jerome Peribere. 

He said Charlotte beat out cities in five other states. 

"The cost of living is affordable, schooling is good and the airport is international," Peribere said.  He added, "I spend 200 days a year on the road. I don't have a corporate jet and i do not plan to buy one."

NC's Commerce Department is offering $36 million in incentives to the company in exchange for delivering on the 1,262 jobs. Those jobs will be executive, front office and research and development positions paying an average salary of nearly $122,000 per year.

The news comes on the heels of Gov. Pat McCrory's announcement Tuesday that the Spectra Group will open a Charlotte office in August. Over the next three years it hopes to create 250 new jobs and the average salary will be nearly $86,000 per year.

Local business leaders said after several high profile losses in job recruiting battles with South Carolina this year, Wednesday's announcement is satisfying. 

"This is an affirmation of Charlotte as a headquarters destination," said Bob Morgan, of the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce.  

Sealed Air says it plans to bring its first employees to Charlotte later this year and will move the entire 1,262 jobs here in waves.

Peribere said he's not sure yet how many of those jobs will be filled by current employees transferring to Charlotte. He said he's intent on staying in Charlotte indefinitely.

"We're here to build. We're here to stay," Peribere said.

Click here to view job opportunities with Sealed Air.

Here is some background on Fortune 500s in the Charlotte area:

Rank/Company/Revenue ($ billions)

21. Bank of America ($101.7)

52. Lowe's* ($53.4)

123. Duke Energy ($24.6)

150. Nucor ($19.1)

271. Family Dollar Stores ($10.4)

309. Sonic Automotive ($8.8)

469. Domtar* ($5.4)

*Lowe's and Domtar are located outside of Mecklenburg County but in the Charlotte region, so they are not included in the headquarters ranking. The ranking does include Family Dollar in Matthews, N.C., which is in Mecklenburg County.


Top Cities (with 5 or more HQ)

1. New York (47)

2. Houston (25)

3. Atlanta (11)

4. Dallas (8)

5. St. Louis (7)

5. San Francisco (7)

5. Minneapolis (7)

8. Milwaukee (6)

8. Cincinnati (6)

10. Charlotte (5)

10. Los Angeles (5)

WSOC