Fiber optic company to add 250 jobs in $60 million expansion in the Charlotte region

Hickory-based telecommunications company CommScope will add 250 jobs through a $60 million investment in Catawba County, state officials announced Tuesday.

The county’s largest employer will upgrade its fiber optic cable manufacturing operations at its facility in the town of Catawba, about an hour north of Charlotte, Gov. Roy Cooper’s office announced. That will enable the Fortune 500 company to increase its capacity to produce fiber optic cable.

“We appreciate CommScope’s additional investment in Catawba County and their confidence in our workforce to improve the nation’s fiber-optic infrastructure,” Cooper said in a statement.

The average annual wage for the 250 new positions is about $57,000. The average wage for a Catawba County resident is $52,000. The governor’s office said the project’s payroll could funnel more than $14 million into the county each year.

State incentives for CommScope

The project will be facilitated by a state incentive program, the Job Development Investment Grant.

That grant was approved by the state’s Economic Investment Committee Thursday. It will provide CommScope with about $1.9 million over 12 years.

The grant is dependent on the company providing the 250 jobs and $60 million investment promised to Catawba County, which will be verified by the Department of Commerce.

The state’s job development grant will also provide about $211,000 to a Utility Account fund, which helps the county with basic infrastructure that may help attract future businesses, Communications Director for N.C. Department of Commerce, David Rhoades said.

CommScope announced last month it would add 100 jobs to its two facilities in Catawba County, 50 jobs at each location, and invest $50 million. The company has 30,000 employees worldwide with a total revenue of $9.2 billion, according to its 2022 annual earnings report.