Gov. Roy Cooper announced that the Town of Robbins has been awarded a $160,000 Building Reuse Grant approved by the N.C. Rural Infrastructure Authority to support the expansion of Carolina Growler, Inc. in Robbins.
The Building Reuse Grant Program is managed by the N.C. Department of Commerce’s Rural Economic Development Division. The Program provides grants to local governments to renovate vacant buildings, renovate and/or expand buildings occupied by existing North Carolina companies, and renovate, expand, or construct health care facilities that will lead to the creation of new jobs in Tier 1 and Tier 2 counties and in rural census tracts N.C. Department of Commerce’s Rural Economic of Tier 3 counties. Moore County has a Tier 3 designation.
Grant funds are passed through the local government and managed as a reimbursement to the building owner to offset up to 50% of the costs of repairing and renovating the building to meet the company’s operational requirements. A local cash match of 5% is required to support the project.
Moore County Economic Development Partnership (MCEDP), the nonprofit public/private economic development organization serving all of Moore County, assisted the Town of Robbins and Carolina Growler in preparing the Building Reuse grant application and will continue to assist the project by providing administrative support over the grant’s term.
Created in 1999, Carolina Growler is a service-disabled veteran-owned small business that located in Robbins in 2006. The company specializes in supporting U.S. government agencies focused on vehicle and trailer manufacturing, vehicle maintenance and repair, and surveillance systems. They own a 55,000-square-foot facility on almost 60 acres at 121 N. Green Street in Robbins.
Since establishing operations in Robbins, Growler has performed numerous sophisticated contracts for the U.S. Department of Defense, including manufacturing of the bomb build-up capability and tactical mobile welding shops for the U.S. Marine Corps, poultry control systems for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, surveillance systems for the Customs and Border Protection, and heavy transport trailers for the U.S. Army.
The company will expand its facility with larger painting and powder coating areas to enhance its production capabilities, enabling Growler to pursue more substantial contracts and make larger products to better serve existing customers as well as attract new customers.
Growler currently employs 12 full-time and four part-time employees at their Robbins facility and has committed to more than triple their current employment by creating a minimum of 40 new full-time jobs over the two-year term of the Building Reuse grant. The new jobs will be in the areas of welding, fabrication, quality inspections, painting, powder coating, assembly and administration. The grant will help offset the almost $340,000 they expect to spend to expand their building.
“This grant for Growler is the second Building Reuse Grant awarded to the Town of Robbins within 18 months to support the expansions of manufacturers that are thriving in the Robbins community,” said Darryn Burich, MCEDP’s business development director.
In December 2021, the town received a $74,000 Building Reuse Grant to help Minhas Furniture renovate its second facility at 824 Hemp Street Extension in Robbins and support the creation of 18 new jobs.
“The ongoing success and growth of Growler and Minhas clearly communicates to other new and expanding manufacturing industries that Robbins is an excellent business location,” Burich added. “MCEDP continues to work closely with Robbins to position them for further industrial development, job creation and capital investment.”
“We are elated for Carolina Growler and excited about the job creation this expansion will bring to our area,” said Clint Mack, Robbins town manager. “Growler and the [Terry] Crews family [Growler Founder] have become engrained in the cultural fabric of Robbins over the years, and we are very happy that Robbins has grown to be synonymous with this successful American company. On a personal note, I’ve seen Growler’s quality products on the battlefield; therefore, it’s a great source of pride that we can support their company and in turn support our great military.”
To further support Growler’s expansion, the N.C. Department of Commerce also approved workforce training valued at $60,000 that the company can receive through the N.C. Community College System’s Customized Training Program. Sandhills Community College will work with Growler at the local level to develop a comprehensive training plan to meet the company’s specific workforce development requirements.
“Our roots are in Robbins, and we are very excited about our growth in this great community,” said Colonel Terry Crews, founder & CEO of Carolina Growler. “We greatly appreciate the support we have received from the N.C. Department of Commerce, the Economic Development Partnership of N.C., the Town of Robbins, and MCEDP.”
Moore County Economic Development Partnership (MCEDP) is a 501c(3) not-for-profit economic development organization and public-private partnership serving all of Moore County, NC. MCEDP’s mission is to “increase economic prosperity and improve the quality of life for Moore County’s citizens through the creation of quality jobs and capital investment in our communities.”
For more information about MCEDP, please visit www.moorecountyedp.org. For more information about Carolina Growler, please visit www.growlerme.com.
Feature photo: Town of Robbins road sign by Sandhills Sentinel photographer Melissa Schaub.
Contributed.
