Press Release
U.S. Department of Commerce Invests $2.3 Million to Strengthen Agri-Business and Increase Economic Resilience in North Carolina
Contact: Public Affairs Department, (202) 482-4085
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
WASHINGTON - U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker today announced that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding $2.275 million to Pender County, North Carolina, to upgrade critical infrastructure to strengthen the region's agri-business cluster and enhance economic resiliency. The grantee estimates that the project will create 240 new jobs and generate $50 million in private investments in a region hit particularly hard by the recession.
“The Obama Administration is committed to helping create the conditions that enable communities to get more Americans back to work,” said Secretary Pritzker. “The EDA grant announced today will help Pender County make needed infrastructure upgrades which are crucial to both grow the local economy and attract new investment to the region.”
EDA’s investment will support the construction of a wastewater treatment plant to serve RC Creations LLC, a subsidiary of Acme Smoke Fish Corporation, in the Pender Commerce Park. This new 100,000-square-foot seafood processing facility is the first tenant in the park and will import fresh and frozen seafood for processing to be sold domestically and internationally. According to the grantee, the investment would help the region begin to turn the tide after a recent string of large employer layoffs and closures, creating an anticipated 240 long-term jobs expected to pay higher wages than the county average.
About the U.S. Economic Development Administration (www.eda.gov)
The mission of the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) is to lead the federal economic development agenda by promoting competitiveness and preparing the nation's regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy. An agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, EDA makes investments in economically distressed communities in order to create jobs for U.S. workers, promote American innovation, and accelerate long-term sustainable economic growth.