BD to invest at Four Oaks Business Park

Submitted BY JOHNSTON COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

FOUR OAKS — BD, a global leader in medical devices, will invest $25 to $30 million in a new manufacturing site at Four Oaks Business Park.

The new facility will initially employ a 22-person workforce, with annual wages averaging nearly $83,600. Johnston County commissioners joined Four Oaks Town Council in approving a package of performance-based financial incentives in support of the project.

“Advanced manufacturing and life sciences are cornerstones of the 21st century economy, and these two dynamic sectors are coming together in a major way in Johnston County,” said R.S. “Butch” Lawter, Jr., chairman of the Johnston County Board of Commissioners. “BD is among the leading medical device makers in the world, and we’re proud the company has chosen Four Oaks Business Park as the backdrop for its latest round of growth.”

Founded in 1897 as Becton, Dickinson & Company, BD is one of the world’s largest medical technology companies. With operations worldwide, the company works to develop next-generation therapeutics and diagnostics that address some of the most challenging human health issues.

The New Jersey-based company maintains a global workforce of 75,000 employees. Since 2010, BD has maintained a nearly 720,000 square-foot distribution center at Four Oaks Business Park. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold Certified facility employs approximately 300 people.

Four Oaks Mayor Vic Medlin welcomed BD’s announcement. “When existing industries re-invest here with an announcement this size, it says all the right things about our community,” he said. “BD has brought new energy and economic diversification to Four Oaks since establishing their distribution operations at Four Oaks Business Park in 2010. The company’s latest investment here adds momentum to our vision for growing advanced manufacturing jobs.”

BD will construct a state-of-the-art medical device processing facility that could initially span 30,000 square feet. Construction is expected to begin next year, with operations commencing by late 2024. New jobs there will include engineers, machine operators, material handlers and other positions. Prior to its decision to invest in Johnston County, the company considered nine locations across three states.

“BD already has a strong presence in North Carolina — with four facilities and more than 1,000 employees across the state — and we look forward to growing our investment in the state and the town of Four Oaks with this new facility,” said Travis Anderton, vice president at BD. “We considered multiple locations across the United States, and a combination of our existing presence in North Carolina, proximity to one of our distribution centers and the incentives provided by Johnston County were the determining factors to locate in Four Oaks. We’d like to thank the Johnston County Economic Development Office and the county and municipal officials who helped collaborate with BD to locate our facility here.”

Construction of BD’s facility alone could spur $18 million in one-time economic impact, according to an analysis by Dr. Michael Walden, William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor Emeritus at North Carolina State University and president of Walden Economic Consulting, LLC. The site will also add $15 million to Johnston County’s annual GDP and result in more than $157,000 in county and municipal tax revenues each year, Walden found.

“This exciting announcement grows our life sciences industry and extends it to the I-95 corridor,” said Randy Jones, chairman of the Johnston County Economic Development Advisory Board. “What BD is doing will have an important impact well beyond the Town of Four Oaks, boosting the Research Triangle’s biotechnology brand and underscoring the rising prominence of the BioPharma Crescent.”