LAURINBURG — Scotland County will be home to SO-PAK-CO’s latest expansion, one of the top 25 job-rich economic development projects of the 2022-2023 period, according to Business North Carolina.
Business North Carolina ranked projects from June 2022 through May 2023 based on the jobs they create. The details came from the N.C. Department of Commerce, the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina and news coverage from various sources.
The list included entries such as the Bank of London’s U.S. global platform headquarters in Charlotte, Alpitronic Americas U.S. headquarters in Charlotte, which is a company based out of Italy that develops hyperchargers, and NVR’s new Fayetteville plant, a company based out of Virginia that constructs and sells homes.
SO-PAK-CO was founded in 1943 and is one of the top suppliers of military field rations, or MREs, to the U.S. military, as well as making foods for many major national brands, including Bush’s Baked Beans. According to Business North Carolina, the company passed over locations such as Bentonville and Mullins, South Carolina, in favor of Laurinburg for its latest expansion.
The company will receive a $4.6 million Job Development Investment Grant, $2.2 million in road enhancements from the N.C. Department of Transportation and $585,000 for training support from the N.C. Community College System. The expansion will be the largest-ever economic development for Scotland County, adding 440 jobs. The projected investment is $85 million.
Scotland County’s Economic Development Director, Mark Ward, said that the county is happy to see that they are number four in the state for job recruitment economic development projects over the past year.
“When a rural county such as Scotland is number four in the entire state,” he said, “this speaks volumes for our elected officials, who see the urgency to try and attract and retain industries.”
Ward said that the process of getting SO-PAK-CO to choose Scotland County was a nearly three-year-long project and credited the determination shown by the county for the success.