It appears that the sour economy has not hurt the sweet business of a Concord gelato company.
PreGel America, which has invested $15 million in its new operation here and has been open since May, is looking to invest another $12 million to $16 million, according to the Cabarrus Economic Development Corp. The company also is seeking local government incentives, which would total $321,300 at the $12 million investment level.
PreGel wants to build a 40,000-square-foot building at its North American headquarters in the International Business Park. The move will add 10 full-time jobs, with an average annual salary of $46,000.
PreGel employs 37 people at its current 135,000-square-foot building. The expansion may be tied to a new product line, said Ryan McDaniels, economic development director of the EDC. PreGel declined to discuss its plans.
The Italian company supplies ingredients, toppings and fillings used in gelato and other specialty desserts for restaurants, hotels, grocery stores and other groups. The Concord site houses research and development space, administrative offices, a warehouse and a training center for current or potential gelato shop owners and others.
The Cabarrus County commissioners will take up the incentives request Monday and will consider approving a three-year deal worth $192,780, the equivalent of rebating 85percent of the county property taxes the project is expected to generate.
The Concord City Council last week set a Sept. 11 public hearing on granting the company $128,520 in incentives. (On the same date, the council will consider another incentives package, this one for the Nolim Group, which owns the International Business Park. It is considering building a $15million, 177,000-square-foot speculative building there. An estimate on the incentives total is still being worked out.)
Harmony Labs
The Kannapolis City Council last week approved a three-year, $43,732 incentive for Harmony Labs, which is planning a $3.5 million expansion that will add 50 jobs.
The company, a contract manufacturer of skin care products and other items, is looking to expand its building and add equipment by the end of next year, City Manager Mike Legg said.
Harmony Labs plans to add two buildings to the site, in addition to buying more equipment for its growing operations.
The company employs about 225 people in a former Wal-Mart building on North Cannon Boulevard in the Rowan County portion of the city. Like PreGel's, the grant represents an 85percent rebate of city taxes over three years.
Rowan County is not providing a similar incentive, Legg said, because it has different investment thresholds for its incentives.
Laureldale LLC
Nearly 21 acres in Cabarrus County that border Mecklenburg are being annexed into Concord. The Laureldale LLC property near the Skybrook development is off N.C. 73.
The Concord City Council approved the move at a meeting last week.
Zoning for the site calls for low-density residential. The city said the developer plans to build single-family homes on the property.
Concord officials said they do not have word yet on the number of homes under consideration.
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