Area Development
Perdue Foods, will invest $10.9 million to expand its production facility in Rockingham, North Carolina, and hire an additional 30 workers during the next three years in Richmond County.

Family owned Perdue Foods, whose parent company is Perdue Farms Inc., was founded in 1920. Its North Carolina workforce currently totals more than 3,400 people.

“We are pleased to continue to invest in the Rockingham facility and in our associates. This expansion brings additional jobs and new capabilities to strengthen the Rockingham plant going forward,” said Kendall Casey, Perdue Foods’ director of operations in Rockingham. “We appreciate the county and state’s support to help make this happen. Governor McCrory and Agriculture Commissioner Troxler have been wonderful partners in this initiative.

“Thank you to the Richmond County Board of Commissioners and their senior staff for all of their efforts. I would also like to thank the City of Rockingham for their continued partnership with Perdue and the county to make this plant successful and to allow for the continued expansion of the Rockingham operation. Without their infrastructure investment and support over the years, this operation would not be viable.”

Perdue Food’s expansion in North Carolina was made possible in part by a performance-based grant of up to $90,000 from the One North Carolina Fund. The One NC Fund provides financial assistance in support of local governments in creating jobs and attracting economic investment. Companies receive no money upfront and must meet job creation and capital investment targets to qualify for grant funds. All One NC grants require a local government match. Also supporting the expansion was a $1 million grant from the North Carolina Rural Infrastructure Authority to Richmond County for assistance with upgrades to a water treatment plant that serves Perdue Farms, the county’s largest employer.

“We continue to see investments such as this one by Perdue Foods in agriculture, our state’s No. 1 industry,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “It is because of these types of investments that I believe we will soon see agriculture and agribusiness become a $100 billion industry. I am proud we were able to help make this project happen, and I am proud of the contributions of North Carolina’s agricultural industry in producing food, fiber and fuel.”

In addition to North Carolina Commerce and the Economic Development Partnership of N.C., other partners in the project include the North Carolina General Assembly, the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the North Carolina Community College System, the Richmond County Board of Commissioners, Richmond County Economic Development, the City of Rockingham and the Lumber River Workforce Development Board.