Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. has chosen a site 12 miles south of Asheville, in western North Carolina, for an east coast production and distribution operation as well as a proposed restaurant. The site is located on approximately 90 acres in the Henderson County Town of Mills River.

Sierra Nevada, the second largest privately-owned brewery in the U.S., plans to create 95 full-time and 80 part-time jobs and invest $107.5 million during the next five years. In addition, the company expects to create about 60 construction and mechanical jobs during the 24-month building phase. The company anticipates the brewery being operational by early 2014.

According to it's press release, Sierra Nevada chose the Asheville area, in part, due to the quality of water (a key element in the beer making process) and ease of shipping. Quality of life factors were also mentioned as an important part of the location-decision criteria.

"We are thrilled to have found an ideal location in western North Carolina for our second brewery," says Ken Grossman, founder of Sierra Nevada. "The beer culture, water quality and quality of life are excellent. We feel lucky to be a part of this community."

AdvantageWest, a regional economic development group, worked closely with Sierra Nevada, the Town of Mills River, Henderson County, and the N.C. Department of Commerce in finding a site that matched the requirements of the project.

"We're delighted that Sierra Nevada has chosen Mills River in Western North Carolina for their East Coast manufacturing and distribution operation," says Tom Alexander, Chairman of the AdvantageWest Board of Directors. "I'm particularly proud of the key role AdvantageWest played in bringing them here. Our staff has worked diligently for almost a year on this project - ever since Matt Raker, AdvantageWest's VP for Entrepreneurship & AdvantageGreen, learned about this opportunity while he was attending a renewable energy site-consultant conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma."