Merchants Distributors Expands Hickory, North Carolina Operations Complex
10/02/2020
The company’s new project in Caldwell County will renovate and expand the company’s existing facility in Hickory, including the installation of sophisticated logistics technology and automation to support rapid growth of the business.
“We are excited to continue to grow in Hickory where we were founded nearly 90 years ago,” said Brian George, Chairman and CEO of Merchants Distributors. “The quality of life and the business support from North Carolina and our local community makes Hickory an ideal location to continue to grow our business.”
"Nearly 90 years ago, Moses George, a Lebanese immigrant, and his two sons started this company with two trucks and 12 employees,” said North Carolina Commerce Secretary Anthony M. Copeland. “Through hard work and vision, and a supportive environment for their business, this family built a company that now employs more than seventeen hundred people in North Carolina. It’s an inspiring, North Carolina story.”
Merchants Distributors’ project in North Carolina will be facilitated, in part, by a Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG) approved by the state’s Economic Investment Committee earlier today. Over the course of 12 years, the project is estimated to grow the state’s economy by $305.5 million.
Using a formula that takes into account the new tax revenues generated by the new jobs, the agreement authorizes the potential reimbursement to the company of up to $1,344,000, spread over 12 years. Payments for all JDIGs only occur following performance verification by the departments of Commerce and Revenue that the company has met its incremental job creation and investment targets. JDIG projects result in positive net tax revenue to the state treasury, even after taking into consideration the grant’s reimbursement payments to a given company.
"Companies with roots in our state like Merchants Distributors understand North Carolina’s advantages for their business,” said Governor Roy Cooper. “It’s great to see a home-grown company, which could expand anywhere, once again choose our state and our workers to expand.”
In addition to the North Carolina Department of Commerce and the Economic Development Partnership of N.C., other key partners on this project were the North Carolina General Assembly, the North Carolina Community College System, Caldwell County, the City of Hickory, and the Caldwell County EDC.
Merchants Distributors (MDI) and its parent company Alex Lee, Inc. were founded in Hickory and maintain headquarters there, distributing both food and non-food grocery items to more than 600 retail stores across the United States and other locations.
Project Announcements
GE Appliances Expands Jefferson County, Kentucky, Operations
06/30/2025
ValorFlex Packaging Plans Bowling Green, Kentucky, Production Operations
06/30/2025
Neuro.io Plans Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, Operations
06/30/2025
Germany-Based MTU Maintenance Expands Fort Worth, Texas, MRO Operations
06/30/2025
Cascade Die Casting Group Expands High Point, North Carolina, Manufacturing Operations
06/30/2025
BuildOps Plans Raleigh, North Carolina, Operations
06/30/2025
Most Read
-
20th Annual Area Development Gold and Silver Shovel Awards
Q2 2025
-
First Person: Joe Capes, CEO, LiquidStack
Q2 2025
-
The Legal Limits of DEI in Incentives Agreements, Hiring, and Contracting
Q2 2025
-
From Silicon to Server: Mapping the Data Center Supply Chain
Q2 2025
-
39th Annual Corporate & 21st Annual Consultants Surveys: What Business Leaders and Consultants Are Saying About Site Selection
Q1 2025
-
Rethinking Life Sciences Site Selection in a Resilient and Dynamic Market
Q2 2025
-
Top States for Doing Business in 2024: A Continued Legacy of Excellence
Q3 2024