(The Center Square) – Packages by a North Carolina city and county pending approval in November coupled with a $500,000 grant from the state could yield a multi-million package to US Conec’s $149.7 million expansion of headquarters and manufacturing.

Expected to create 224 jobs, the One North Carolina Fund grant has been awarded, the state Department of Commerce says. The Catawba County Economic Development Corp. said public hearings will precede decisions by the Board of Commissioners for Catawba County and the City Council for Hickory.

Package values have not been announced. City Council was in closed session 37 minutes with potential economic development discussion on Oct. 6.

The One North Carolina Fund is taxpayer money as appropriated by the General Assembly. The sitting governor, in this case first-term Democrat Josh Stein, has discretion for its use to recruit, expand or retain businesses. No money is paid up front; rather, specific job creation and capital investment benchmarks must be met.

The state Commerce Department billed the new jobs as average annual salary of $56,982, $45 higher than the county average. Economists question the effectiveness of financial incentives to businesses to expand or come to a new state. Context is encouraged when wages are introduced because a few corporate leaders at a site can skew the average higher while the median wage would not have the same ratio.

In a statement made available for The Center Square, Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley said in part, “Investments like these help position rural communities to compete for high-demand industries as it attracts global companies that will create more jobs and increase resiliency."

Precision components behind high-density fiber connections for advanced computing infrastructure, enterprise networks and telecommunications systems – all part of the data center industry, yet not exclusive to it – have been designed and manufactured in the Hickory headquarters since the 1992 launch. The expansion includes a 221,000-square-foot industrial building at the Catawba Commerce Center in Fairgrove Business Park, a 40,000-square-foot building in Fairgrove Business Park, and new company headquarters in downtown adjacent to headquarters for Transportation Insight.

In a statement made available for The Center Square, US Conec President Tracey Horton said in part, “This expansion will create highly skilled jobs, enhance our manufacturing capabilities in Catawba County, and help meet growing demand driven by deployments of advanced computing infrastructure. We look forward to continuing to invest in our team, our operations, and a community that has supported advanced manufacturing and our continued growth.”