A construction company will start a new venture with a $102 million investment in Gastonia that’s expected to create 125 jobs paying an average wage almost double the current average wage.
Fit Precast will manufacture precast concrete products in south Gastonia. The concrete products will be used in stormwater management, transportation, and utility construction for infrastructure-related projects.
Fit Precast will build a 154,000-square-foot facility off U.S. 321 South on a 72-acre undeveloped site about 15 miles west of Charlotte to house its administrative and manufacturing operations, according to the Gaston County Economic Development.
The new jobs will pay an average wage of $102,168, compared to the current average wage of $52,180 in Gaston County. Fit Precast expects to hire the new workers by 2028 and make its $102 million investment by the end of 2026.
“We are extremely excited to see the potential in a site that’s been waiting for the right company to bring it to life,” says Alisha Summey, a director with Gaston County Economic Development Commission. “ It makes our county leaders proud to support investment that not only transforms a site in an underutilized area, but one that will deliver jobs paying nearly double the county’s average wage.”
Fit Precast considered multiple sites in South Carolina and Chattanooga, Tennessee, for the location. Gaston County won out due to its available workforce, community college job training and population growth in the state and Charlotte region, according to a release from the state.
“A lot of research was conducted on the company’s end to find the best, suitable location for their operations, but we believe the local partnerships and access to talent plays a large role in making the final cut,” says Summey.
“The demand for resilient, American-made infrastructure has never been greater, and North Carolina is the ideal place to meet that challenge,” said Matt Goreski, president of FIT Precast. “This flagship headquarters and production facility is the most advanced precast concrete manufacturing site in the country; investing in both leading-edge technology and the people of North Carolina with high-paying, meaningful careers.”
Earlier Tuesday, the state’s Economic Investment Committee, which is part of N.C. Commerce, granted Fit Precast an economic incentive grant valued at more than $2.3 million over 12 years. Other incentives, including job training at $500,000 from the N.C. Railroad Co., push the state grant’s value to $3.2 million. Gaston County and the city of Gastonia chipped in incentives valued at more than $1.8 million. Those incentives do not get paid unless Fit Precast hits investment and job creation targets.