Manufacturer Coming to Concordpg

Aluminum Can Manufacturer Hub Coming to Concord

Aluminum can maker promises high wages as it joins corporate partners at site of former cigarette plant. By Arturo Pineda, Carolina Public Press

The entrance to The Grounds, an industrial site in Concord that formerly housed a cigarette plant but is slated to soon host a trio of corporate markers producing canned beverages. Photo: Arturo Pineda / Carolina Public Press

A new 800,000-square-foot aluminum can plant that Ball Corp. recently announced in Cabarrus County is expected to bring more than 200 jobs, strengthening the county’s standing as one of the most rapidly growing economies in the state and allowing Concord to step further out of neighboring Charlotte’s shadow.

Ball Corp., a global aluminum beverage packaging company based in Broomfield, Colo., announced plans July 27 to expand its operations to North Carolina stating that the new facility will be up and running by the start of 2023. The facility, at 2321 Concord Parkway South, is expected to represent a $383 million investment from the company.

The manufacturing plant will be part of a vertically integrated beverage manufacturing hub consisting of Ball Corp., Red Bull and Rauch North America on The Grounds, the former Philip Morris cigarette manufacturing site. Red Bull and Rauch filed their plans jointly, whereas Ball filed separately, but will manufacture cans for Red Bull.

The overall hub is predicted to bring in more than $1 billion in investment and more than 600 jobs by 2027, according to a news release from the governor’s office. If successful, it would be the largest economic development in Cabarrus County history, according to the Cabarrus Economic Development Corp. The overall average wage for the three companies is projected at $57,393.

In early July, Red Bull and Rauch announced plans to build a 2 million-square-foot beverage manufacturing site, adding 413 jobs and investing $740 million by 2027, according to a news release.

Red Bull’s 323 jobs will have an average salary of $50,367, and Rauch’s 323 jobs will have a comparable average salary of $50,387.

Ball Corp.’s average salary will be $70,555 for their 220 jobs. Ball Corp. did not disclose the median salary, so it’s not clear whether high-paying executive jobs are skewing that average. Regardless, these average salaries would be well above Cabarrus County’s average of $41,255.

“We are not content to be a bedroom community to Charlotte,” Concord City Manager Lloyd Payne said.

“Continued development such as this project enables us to become more independent and perpetuate our ability to operate as a full-service city.”

Cabarrus County has one of the strongest county economies in the state with the average salary being the seventh-highest in the state and the fifth-highest median household income of $69,297 in 2018, according to the Department of Commerce. The

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