April 7. SouthCorr, a corrugated packaging material manufacturer, will invest $6.7 million in its plant in Asheboro, creating 22 new jobs.  A performance-based grant of $50,000 from the One North Carolina Fund will help facilitate the expansion, Gov. Roy Cooper said.  “North Carolina leads the southeast in manufacturing. The state’s strong commitment to workforce training guarantees we can provide the talent companies need today and in the future,” he said.

SouthCorr Packaging, established in 1994, is owned by Interstate Resources, a privately owned manufacturing group with 18 plants located in nine states across the eastern United States.  Interstate’s SouthCorr facility manufactures custom corrugated sheets that are converted into boxes, displays and a wide variety of packaging materials.

While compensation will vary by position, average salaries for the new jobs will be $36,200, above the current average annual wage in Randolph County of $33,974.

Demand for paper packaging is steadily growing as consumers look for products that are more environmentally friendly. “These investments will help the company grow its manufacturing workforce and keep good paying jobs here in the U.S.,” said Jeff McNeill, operations manager for SouthCorr.

The One NC Fund provides financial assistance to local governments to help attract economic investment and to create jobs. Companies receive no money upfront and must meet job creation and capital investment targets to qualify for payment. All One NC grants require a matching grant from local governments and any award is contingent upon that condition being met.

In addition to North Carolina Commerce and the Economic Partnership of North Carolina, other key partners in the project included the North Carolina General Assembly, the North Carolina Community College System, the Regional Partnership Workforce Development Board, the City of Asheboro, Randolph County and the Randolph County Economic Development Corp.