Glen Raven, a leading provider of innovative performance textiles with widely recognised brands including Sunbrella and Dickson, will invest up to $82 million and create 205 new jobs as it expands Custom Fabrics operations in Warren County, North Carolina (NC), US. A performance-based grant of $1 million from the One North Carolina Fund will help facilitate the expansion.

Headquartered in NC, Glen Raven is a leader in the upholstery, marine, technical shading, automotive, military, geotextile, and protective work wear markets and operates national distribution and logistics subsidiaries. The company has three divisions: Glen Raven Custom Fabrics with flagship brands Sunbrella and Dickson; Glen Raven Technical Fabrics with GlenGuard, Strata and Glen Raven Logistics; and Trivantage, a business-to-business distributor for the awning, marine, upholstery and shade sail industries.

“Glen Raven’s experience here provides the confidence they need that our workforce, transportation systems and business climate will best support this next phase of growth for their company,” Roy Cooper, governor of NC, said in a statement.

“Ever since Glen Raven was founded in the great state of North Carolina in 1880, we’ve invested in our communities and have celebrated many accomplishments together,” said Leib Oehmig, chief executive officer at Glen Raven, Inc. “We look forward to building on this legacy as we further grow and strengthen both Warren County and Glen Raven for the future.”

“Manufacturers like Glen Raven are key economic engines in the rural parts of our state,” said North Carolina Commerce Secretary Machelle Baker Sanders. “North Carolina’s continued focus on talent and workforce development means companies in communities large and small will find the skilled workers they need to succeed.”

Once the projects’ new jobs are in place, the local region will see a more than $6.5 million payroll impact in the community, every year. Glen Raven’s new jobs offer competitive pay and will yield an average salary that is above the average wage of Warren County of $30,494.

Partnering with the North Carolina Department of Commerce and the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina on this project were the North Carolina General Assembly, the North Carolina Community College System, Duke Energy and Warren County.