Andy Ellen: America's Manufacturing Renaissance Starts in Towns Like Wilson, NC
By Andy Ellen
As a retail association representing thousands of small business owners across North Carolina, we understand firsthand that what truly drives local prosperity are well-paying jobs, everyday purchases at hometown stores and long-term investments in communities that set them up for future economic growth.
That’s why the recent $37 million investment in the manufacturing facility in Wilson, North Carolina, by Philip Morris International’s U.S. businesses (PMI U.S.) is so important—not just for Wilson, but for retailers and consumers across our state.
North Carolina has a rich and storied history of tobacco cultivation and manufacturing. Today, the Tar Heel State remains the nation’s leading producer, and PMI U.S. is building on this legacy, but not in the ways many people might expect.
PMI U.S.’s investment in its Wilson, North Carolina, manufacturing facility won’t go towards producing combustible cigarettes. In fact, PMI U.S. doesn’t sell combustible cigarettes in the U.S. and never will. Instead, PMI U.S. has focused on building a smoke-free product portfolio, investing over a billion in American manufacturing, operational capabilities and people costs since 2022 (through September 30, 2025).
The company’s expansion in Wilson serves both economic and public health goals. Their mission and purpose are to provide better options to the 30 million American 21+ adults who smoke cigarettes—the most harmful way to consume nicotine.
One of those alternatives is IQOS, a heated tobacco product (HTP), the first and only HTP to receive a Modified Risk Tobacco Product (MRTP) exposure order from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), meaning the FDA has determined that the product is appropriate to promote public health and is expected to benefit the health of the population as a whole. The IQOS system heats tobacco instead of burning it, which significantly reduces the production of and users’ exposure to harmful chemicals compared with cigarettes, while still providing real tobacco taste and the ritual of smoking to maximize complete switching away from cigarettes.
This matters for retailers. Our members serve millions of adult customers who make choices every day at the checkout counter. Many of these 21+ adults who smoke and don’t quit are looking for smoke-free alternatives that align with their personal preferences. When manufacturers invest in innovative products that meet this demand—especially in American facilities—it can have a positive impact on public health and strengthen our economic foundation.
Wilson will be a key part of PMI U.S.’s expansion as they grow in the U.S. Small towns and mid-sized cities, such as Wilson, are the foundation of America’s manufacturing future. They have the infrastructure, workforce talent and community ties that make ideal locations for advanced manufacturing. What these communities need are companies willing to make long-term commitments and investments that respect their contributions.
This new investment will modernize PMI U.S.’s production line and spur increased economic activity in a community that exemplifies the resiliency and ingenuity that have always defined American manufacturing.
More than 80 full-time staff members – including supervisors, engineers and lab technicians – are already at work at their Wilson facility, and this investment deepens the company’s commitment to their community and futures. The move is part of PMI U.S.’s larger “Invested in America” initiative, a nationwide commitment to create good jobs, expand advanced manufacturing and support the local communities where they operate.
PMI U.S. is delivering on that commitment across America in places that have built the nation’s past and are helping to shape its future, including Wilson, North Carolina.
Manufacturing investments create economic momentum that strengthens entire regions. In Wilson, the facility supports local suppliers, contractors and service providers. The jobs it creates support families who shop at local businesses, send their children to local schools, and invest in their community’s future.
For our member retailers, that scale of investment sends a clear message: this is not a short-term play. It is a long-term bet on American workers, American communities, and American legal age consumers.
We share PMI U.S.’s unrelenting optimism for America’s future. But the country’s economic renewal depends on corporations recognizing that success is ultimately defined by the strength of the communities they work in. Companies must show up with real capital, real jobs and real accountability.
America’s manufacturing renaissance won’t be written in boardrooms alone. It will be built in communities like Wilson—on factory floors, in local shops and along the main streets where our members greet their customers every day.
In Wilson, North Carolina, PMI U.S. is making substantial investments for the community, for American manufacturing and for a smoke-free future.
Andy Ellen is the President and General Counsel of the North Carolina Retail Merchants Association (NCRMA).
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