SALISBURY — The Rowan County Board of Commissioners voted to approve incentives for “Project Powerball,” and less than an hour later the Rowan EDC announced that global manufacturing solutions provider Jabil chose Rowan County. Jabil is a manufacturing company that is expanding into the former Gildan building with a potential for $500 million in investment and approximately 1,200 jobs.

As it stands, Jabil is proposing an investment in property of $264 million, which EDC Vice-President Scott Shelton said has the potential to expand to a $500 million investment long-term, with an expansion that would add 1,181 new jobs.

The expansion will mark Jabil’s fourth location in North Carolina and will occupy the former Gildan building at 2121 Heilig Road in Granite Industrial Park. The facility has been shuttered since Gildan consolidated its operations in late 2023.

The expansion will be a new advanced manufacturing facility that will support cloud and AI data center infrastructure customers, according to a release from the EDC.

“Jabil’s announcement signals continued growth for our economy and new opportunities for our residents,” said Board of Commissioners Chairman Greg Edds. “This project will have a meaningful, long-term impact on our local workforce and our ability to attract innovation-focused employers.”

The company’s proposal qualified it for a Level 3 grant through the county’s Investment Grant Program, which would provide it with a 50-percent tax return.

The company received the following points under the county’s policy:

• Three points for creating more than 500 jobs.
• Three points for a capital investment between $100 and $499 million.
• Two points for paying an average wage more than 110 percent of the county average of $53,931. Shelton said the average wage is expected to exceed $62,000, with the lowest proposed salary still being above the county’s average.
• One point for being a targeted industry, which includes advanced manufacturing, life sciences and healthcare, distribution, financial and professional services and information technology.
• One point for providing health insurance and paying at least 50 percent of the monthly premiums.

“The points I’m making are that it’s an existing building that lost 246 jobs that we’re going to replace with about 1,200 jobs. We may end up getting a $500 million dollar investment over the $120 million we lost, so I’m trying to find out why we aren’t doing backflips. This is a great deal,” said Edds during the commissioner meeting on Monday.

According to Shelton, the company would expect to begin its operations by early summer of 2026. The jobs would be created over the next five years.

“This is a major economic development win for Rowan County,” said Rowan EDC President Rod Crider. “Jabil’s decision to invest here reinforces the momentum we’re building and highlights the strength of our workforce and available industrial assets. It’s especially meaningful to see a vacant facility repurposed for cutting-edge manufacturing that supports the future of cloud and AI technology.”

During the commissioners’ meeting, Edds answered concerns that he heard in the community about Rowan County not having the necessary workforce for the jobs. He said that throughout the economic development process, he often hears that one of the county’s main draws is its workforce.

“A lot of it is they realize that there are folks in positions and working non-benefitted jobs, and they know they can attract those folks to these jobs. So, we do have the labor force, and that’s one of those things drawing those folks here,” said Edds.

He also noted that he heard concerns that too much construction was occurring around the county and pointed to the pre-existing building as a large positive.

To learn more about job opportunities at Jabil, visit the Jabil Careers website at careers.jabil.com.

(Note: A story previewing the Rowan County Board of Commissioners meeting in Sunday’s edition of the Salisbury Post incorrectly stated that the meeting was scheduled for 6 p.m., instead of the correct 3 p.m. We apologize for the mistake.)