SynergyLabs, a fast-growing manufacturer of specialty pet products, has selected Burke County as the location for a new company that will create 237 jobs. The enterprise will invest $11.2 million to ramp up a new manufacturing plant in Hildebran.
“Pets are family too, and we are committed to providing pet parents with world-class products that deliver the same high levels of quality they’d provide other family members,” said Richard Ticktin, founder and CEO of SynergyLabs. “North Carolina’s reputation for manufacturing excellence gives us complete confidence we’ll be able expand our operations while maintaining the high standards our customers have come to expect. We are so pleased to call North Carolina home.”
SynergyLabs, headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is a “concept-to-shelf” manufacturer of more than 150 branded and private brand products for pets. The company sells and distributes products across pet-specialty, veterinary, grocery, farm and feed, mass-merchandisers and big-box channels in over 50 countries. The company’s pet merchandise lines include grooming aids, stain and odor products, training aids, flea and tick controls, and nutritional supplements.
“North Carolina offers high-tech manufacturers like SynergyLabs the right ingredients for success, from our skilled workers to our transportation networks,” Gov. Roy Cooper said. “We are excited to see this infusion of jobs in Burke County, and will continue to work to bring jobs and economic growth to our state’s rural communities.”
The North Carolina Department of Commerce and the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina (EDPNC) led the state’s support for the company’s decision.
Although wages will vary depending on position, the average salary for all the new positions will reach $40,568. The current average wage in Burke County is $35,759.
The new company’s project in Burke County, backed by SynergyLabs, will be supported in part by a state Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG). Over the course of the 12-year term of this grant, the project will grow the state’s economy by an estimated $968 million. Using a formula that takes into account the new tax revenues generated by the new jobs, the JDIG agreement authorizes the potential reimbursement to the company of up to $2,081,700, spread over 12 years. State payments only occur after the company has met its incremental job creation and investment targets.
Because SynergyLabs chose a location in Burke County, classified by the state’s economic tier system as Tier 2, the company’s JDIG agreement also calls for moving as much as $231,300 into the state’s Industrial Development Fund – Utility Account. The Utility Account helps rural communities finance necessary infrastructure upgrades to attract future business. Even when new jobs are created in a Tier 2 county such as Burke, the new tax revenue generated through JDIG grants helps more economically challenged communities elsewhere in the state.
Partnering with state Commerce and the EDPNC on this project were the North Carolina General Assembly, the North Carolina Community College System, the North Carolina Department of Agriculture, Western Piedmont Council of Governments, Burke County, the Town of Hildebran, and Burke Development, Inc.