UPS, the multinational package delivery and supply-chain management company, will undertake a significant expansion to its North Carolina presence with the addition of 592 jobs in Guilford and Alamance counties (an area known as the Carolina Core), Governor Roy Cooper announced. The company plans to invest a total of $316.4 million at two sites over the coming four years.
“The pandemic highlights that supply chain management and delivery services are critical during a crisis. These two expansions are a bold investment that add up to hundreds of jobs and millions in investment across North Carolina,” said Governor Cooper.
Founded in 1907, UPS [NYSE: UPS] provides logistics and supply-chain management services across 220 nations and territories, delivering approximately 5.5 billion packages and documents per year. The Atlanta-based company employs a workforce of 528,000 and operates out of more than 1,800 facilities around the world. UPS currently employs 2,461 workers in North Carolina.
“UPS appreciates the State of North Carolina for their support of these projects that will help UPS move our world forward by delivering what matters. The new and expanded facilities will increase the speed and flexibility for connecting businesses and customers throughout the state, across the country and around the globe,” said Derrick Johnson, president of UPS’s South Atlantic District. “This is an exciting time to be part of North Carolina’s economic growth and we look forward to bringing additional jobs that pay well to the Greensboro area as a partner in the community.”
UPS will expand its existing Greensboro hub with the addition of 141 new jobs and construct a new package car center at the N.C. Commerce Center in Graham, creating 451 jobs there. New positions at both facilities will come with wages averaging $65,147 per year, creating a total annual payroll impact of $38.5 million for the region. Overall wages in Alamance and Guilford counties (within the Carolina Core) average $41,611 and $49,002, respectively.
“The COVID-19 pandemic is changing the nature of global supply chains, and today’s news is early evidence that North Carolina is positioned well for the future,” said Commerce Secretary Anthony Copeland. “UPS is an iconic name in logistics and their expansion will impact the state’s economy and business community in a number of very positive ways.”
UPS’s North Carolina expansion will be facilitated, in part, by a Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG) approved by the state’s Economic Investment Committee earlier today. Over the course of 12 years, the project is estimated to grow the state’s economy by more than $1.4 billion. Using a formula that takes into account the new tax revenues generated by the new jobs, the agreement authorizes the potential reimbursement to the company of up to $10.23 million over 12 years. Payments for all JDIGs occur only after verification by the departments of Commerce and Revenue that the grantee has met its incremental job creation and investment targets.
Projects supported by JDIG must result in positive net tax revenue to the state treasury, even after taking into consideration the grant’s reimbursement payments to a given company. The provision ensures all North Carolina communities benefit from the JDIG program. Moreover, UPS’s selection of Alamance and Guilford counties (or the Carolina Core), each classified under the state’s economic tier system as Tier 2, means the company’s JDIG agreement will result in as much as $1.14 million in new funding for the state’s Industrial Development Fund – Utility Account. The Utility Account helps rural and economically distressed communities finance infrastructure upgrades necessary in attracting job creation and investment.