Most North Carolina small businesses remain open but have seen revenues decline in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to results from a new survey of North Carolina small businesses released today by the Department of Commerce.
All in Business
Pandemic, shutdowns have staggered tourism, imperiling rural N.C.
The year of 2020 will leave little for Brant and Karen Barnes. Their income vanished when the governor shut down North Carolina in March. Barnes suffered a heart attack in June. A tree toppled across their house in July, and their pottery studio burned down. The latest blow was losing the Western North Carolina Pottery Festival.
Clinical-Stage Gene Therapy company will add more than 200 jobs in Durham County
Governor Roy Cooper announced today that Adverum Biotechnologies, Inc., a California-based gene therapy company targeting unmet medical needs in ocular and rare diseases, will invest $82.8 million for a new gene therapy manufacturing facility in Durham County. This investment will create more than 200 new jobs.
Bar owners across N.C. challenge Emergency Management Act provision
Bar owners from six counties across North Carolina are going to court to challenge the governor’s executive orders shutting down their businesses. Their lawsuit seeks to have a key piece of the state Emergency Management Act declared unconstitutional.
National mortgage lender selects Mecklenburg County for 500-job expansion
Intercontinental Capital Group Inc, a direct mortgage lender specializing in single-family residential properties, will significantly expand its Charlotte operations, adding 500 jobs over the coming five years, Governor Roy Cooper announced this week. The company’s plans in Mecklenburg County include a capital investment of $5,844,450.
Greenville bar filed lawsuit challenging Cooper’s regulations
Owners of a popular Greenville bar claim Gov. Roy Cooper’s COVID-19 shutdown orders violate their constitutional rights. They’re taking the governor to court with help from a national group.
Gyms, fitness centers in trouble because of lockdowns, survey finds
bout 25% of gyms in the U.S. will close by year’s end, a new study shows. The global pandemic is the biggest disruption the fitness industry has ever faced, writes Nick Rizzo of RunRepeat, which specializes in shoes for athletes and studies the fitness industry.
Governor Cooper announces new gene therapy facility to create new jobs in Durham
Taysha Gene Therapies, Inc. (Nasdaq: TSHA), a patient-centric gene therapy company, has selected Durham as a site for its gene therapy manufacturing facility, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. The site is expected to create approximately 200 jobs over the next two and a half years. The Research Triangle area project confirms North Carolina’s growing role in gene therapy, a promising approach for fighting a host of challenging genetic diseases.
Duke Energy issues statement in response to N.C. Supreme Court ruling on coal ash costs
Duke Energy issued the following statement in response to last week’s ruling by the North Carolina Supreme Court in a case regarding a 2018 North Carolina Utilities Commission order that had addressed costs associated with coal ash management and safe basin closure:
Attorney General Josh Stein sues Facebook
Attorney General Josh Stein today sued Facebook Inc., alleging that the company used its monopoly power to buy competitors and cut services to others to maintain its monopoly, which ultimately harms people by reducing privacy protections, degrading services, and stifling competition. Attorney General Stein was part of the executive committee leading the multistate investigation into Facebook.
Mega Millions ticket sold in Iredell County wins $1 million prize
Tuesday’s Mega Millions drawing produced a $1 million prize for someone who bought a ticket at a convenience store in Iredell County. The lucky winner bought the ticket at Fast Phil’s on Brawley School Road in Mooresville. The win was the second time in two weeks that a ticket in North Carolina won a $1 million prize in the game.
Grover Gaming’s expansion brings 200 new jobs to Greenville
Grover Gaming Inc., a software development and design company with offices and distribution facilities in seven U.S. states, will expand its Greenville headquarters, adding 200 positions to its existing North Carolina workforce, Commerce Secretary Anthony M. Copeland announced today. The company will invest $12.5 million in its operations in Pitt County during the coming four years.
Expansion of firearms brings in 60 new jobs
Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc., a leading U.S. designer and manufacturer of commercial and sporting firearms, will grow its North Carolina workforce with an expansion at its Rockingham County production facility, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. The company’s goal is to add roughly 60 jobs and invest approximately $10 million at its site in Mayodan over the next three years.
North Carolina’s October county and area employment figures released
Unemployment rates (not seasonally adjusted) decreased in all 100 of North Carolina’s counties in October. Scotland County had the highest unemployment rate at 10.5 percent while Watauga County had the lowest at 4.1 percent. All 15 of the state’s metro areas experienced rate decreases. Among the metro areas, Fayetteville had the highest rate at 8.3 percent while Raleigh and Durham-Chapel Hill each had the lowest at 5.3 percent. The October not seasonally adjusted statewide rate was 6.1 percent.
Golden LEAF Board awards $2.4M in funding
On Thursday, the Golden LEAF Board of Directors awarded more than $2.4 million in funding to support agriculture, economic development, entrepreneurship, capacity building, and disaster recovery through projects across North Carolina. The Board also heard from its strategic planning consultants on the results of outreach and data gathering efforts launched over the summer. The Board is expected to adopt a strategic plan in the first quarter of 2021.
Commerce issues 2021 Economic Development tier rankings
The North Carolina Department of Commerce released the county tier designations for 2021 today. The designations, which are mandated by state law, play a role in several programs that assist in economic development.
N.C. Political News under new ownership
Magic Mile Media, Inc., parent company of Neuse News, has assumed ownership of NCPoliticalNews.com effective December 1, 2020. Frank Williams, a public relations professional who has been involved in North Carolina’s political process for over 25 years, founded N.C. Political News in early 2013. BJ Murphy, president of Magic Mile Media and publisher of Neuse News, will assume publisher duties for NCPoliticalNews.com.
Governor Cooper announces CHICK-FIL-A SUPPLY® will create 160 jobs at new Mebane distribution center
Chick-fil-A®, one of the nation’s leading quick-service restaurant companies, will locate a major distribution center in Alamance County, investing an estimated $52 million to build the new facility, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. The project, part of Chick-fil-A Supply®, the company’s new distribution service focused on supplying food and products to its restaurants, will create 160 jobs at the North Carolina Industrial Center in Mebane. It is scheduled to open in early 2022.