Deal could bring 154 jobs to Rowan

By Karissa Minn

kminn@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — On Monday, county commissioners will consider offering tax incentives to a Kannapolis pharmaceutical company that wants to expand and add more than 150 jobs.

The Rowan County Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing at its 6 p.m. meeting on the second floor of the J. Newton Cohen Sr. Rowan County Administration Building.

Ei, A Pharmaceutical SolutionWorks, previously known as Harmony Labs, manufactures prescription pharmaceutical and over-the-counter products at its Rowan County facility. It is seeking to produce a new product line for a North Carolina-based biomaterials company, said RowanWorks Executive Director Robert Van Geons.

“Ei, started in Rowan County, has been a significant employer in Kannapolis and Landis for nearly 30 years,” Van Geons wrote in an economic impact analysis by RowanWorks. “This proposed project will add an additional 154 positions and provide increased revenue for the County and the City of Kannapolis.”

If it goes forward, “Project Protein” would create 154 new jobs that would pay an average wage of $41,106 per year.

It also would increase the county’s tax base by investing about $28.45 million in new equipment and other improvements at the existing Ei facility, located at 2865 North Cannon Boulevard in Kannapolis. Ei currently employs 210 people at the site.

Van Geons said the project is competitive, and the unnamed biomaterials company has multiple options for the manufacturing and development of its new product line. A successful partnership with that company, he said, could help Ei attract others who are looking at competing contract manufacturers.

RowanWorks is requesting a five-year grant for Ei that equals 75 percent of tax revenue created by the project, Van Geons said.

“In keeping with standard practice, the incentive grant would only apply to the increased assessed value,” he said. “Additionally, the grant will be reduced should they fail to meet the minimum employment goals.”

Also Monday, commissioners plan to:

• Hold a public hearing for a proposed fire prevention and protection ordinance.

Currently, the fire marshal’s office can address repeat fire code violations by filing a misdemeanor criminal charge and going to court. The proposed ordinance would establish civil fines for violations of the state code, and would clarify local rules.

• Hold a public hearing about a proposed ordinance that would ban the use of tobacco products in county parks.

• Hold a public hearing for special consideration to realign the entrance to Blackbeard Lane, a private road located west off the 3000 block of Emanuel Church Road.

• Approve an EMS division request to declare four laptops as surplus and donate them to four ambulance franchise agencies.

• Approve a report of delinquent taxes for 2011. As of Jan. 31, the county tax office reported $6.1 million in unpaid property taxes for the current year.

• Consider approval of budget amendments.

Contact reporter Karissa Minn at 704-797-4222.

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