Australian Environmental Company Selects Iredell County for its First North American Operation
EPOC Enviro to create 200 new jobs and invest $4 million in Statesville.
Raleigh, N.C. – EPOC Enviro, a PFAS remediation company, will create 226 new jobs in Iredell County, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. The company will invest more than $4.1 million to locate its first North American production site to Statesville.
“We’re excited to welcome EPOC Enviro to America’s top state for business,” said Governor Cooper. “EPOC’s commitment to sustainability complements our fight against climate change and pollution. This decision is validation of our world-class workforce that will help the company produce their innovative solutions in Iredell County.”
EPOC Enviro is a subsidiary of OPEC Systems, an Australian firm with three decades of global environmental engineering experience. With award-winning SAFF®, a Surface Active Foam Fractionation technology, EPOC provides a clean and sustainable remediation solution that removes harmful per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from water, soil, and industrial systems. The company patented SAFF® in 2016 as a natural process using air to permanently, and rapidly, remediate PFAS with zero harm to the environment. The new location in Statesville will provide 260,000 square feet of manufacturing space to serve and expand its U.S. market.
“After looking at possible sites all over America we are delighted to have settled on North Carolina as the hub for our U.S. business activities,” said Peter Murphy, President of EPOC Enviro. “Statesville is perfectly situated in a beautiful corner of the country, and it is exactly the kind of community we were hoping to become an integral part of.”
“Global manufacturers like EPOC are attracted to places with a diverse and skilled workforce,” said N.C. Commerce Secretary Machelle Baker Sanders. “North Carolina not only has the largest manufacturing workforce in the southeastern United States, but it also has a strategic economic development plan that prioritizes our workforce and training systems to help prepare our talent for the jobs of today and tomorrow.”
The North Carolina Department of Commerce led the state’s efforts to support EPOC’s location to North Carolina. New positions include electricians, engineers, fitters, managers, technicians, and administrative personnel. Although salaries for the new positions will vary, the average annual salary for the new positions is $64,464, which exceeds the Iredell County average wage of $64,433. The project could create a potential annual payroll impact of more than $14.5 million per year for the region.
EPOC’s project 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 the 12-year term of this grant, the project is estimated to grow the state’s economy by $712 million. Using a formula that takes into account the new tax revenues generated by the new jobs, the JDIG agreement authorizes the potential reimbursement to the company of up to $1,265,250 spread over 12 years. State payments 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.
Because EPOC chose a site in Iredell County, classified by the state’s economic tier system as Tier 3, the company’s JDIG agreement also calls for moving $421,750 into the state’s Industrial Development Fund – Utility Account. The Utility Account helps rural communities across the state finance necessary infrastructure upgrades to attract future business.
“EPOC could have selected any place in the world for this expansion and we’re delighted they chose Statesville,” said N.C. Senator Vickie Sawyer. “Manufacturers can reach more than 70% of the nation’s population in two days from Iredell County, and is near one of the world’s busiest airports, making it a great area for foreign direct investment.”
“This is an outstanding win for Iredell County and the entire state,” said N.C. Representative. Jeffrey C. McNeely. “We sincerely appreciate the local and state officials and economic development professionals that helped bring these good-paying jobs and this new investment to our community.”
In addition to the North Carolina Department of Commerce and the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, other key partners in the project include the North Carolina General Assembly, the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, the North Carolina Community College System, Mitchell Community College, Iredell County, Iredell County Economic Development Corporation, and the City of Statesville.