General Tobacco will open a manufacturing facility in Rockingham County, N.C., creating 199 jobs and investing $50 million over the next three years. The state will support the project with a $400,000 One North Carolina Fund grant.

General Tobacco, headquartered in Miami, Fla., makes cigarettes and tobacco products. The company was founded in 1997 and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Vibo Corp. While wages will vary by job function, the average weekly wage of the new jobs will be $750 plus benefits, which is higher than the Rockingham County average weekly wage of $555 not including benefits. The company will open a manufacturing facility in Mayodan in the former Unifi building.

"With the support provided by the state, Rockingham County and the city of Mayodan, North Carolina provides a fantastic opportunity for General Tobacco to begin manufacturing its nationally known brands — Bronco, GT One, Silver, 32°, and Vaquero Little Cigars — in the U.S.A.," said General Tobacco's Executive Vice President J. Ronald Denman. "North Carolina is historically known for producing some of the best tobacco products in the country and we look forward to bringing jobs and industry to an area of North Carolina that appears to be suited to General Tobacco's needs."

The One North Carolina Fund assists the state in industry recruitment and expansion by providing financial assistance through local governments to attract business projects that will stimulate economic activity and create new jobs. One North Carolina Fund grants require and are contingent upon a local match. Through the use of this Fund, more than 25,000 jobs and $3.5 billion in investment have been created since 2001.

For MORE NEWS BRIEFS, click here.

For a FREE SUBSCRIPTION to Expansion Management magazine, click here.

For MORE NEWS BRIEFS SORTED BY STATE, click here.

For MORE NEWS BRIEFS SORTED BY INDUSTRY or FUNCTION, click here.

For MORE NEWS BRIEFS SORTED BY COUNTRY, click here.