An operator of a network of used vehicle superstores will expand its operations into Granville County by making a $2.9 million investment and creating 173 jobs near Oxford.
Rochester, New-York-based Auction Direct USA will create a high-volume vehicle reconditioning facility. The new subsidiary, which will be called a.i.m., will expand its supply chain by providing both wholesale and retail-ready vehicles to the entire industry, including dealers and digital channels. The company already has a retail operation in Raleigh.
“The investment in Granville County in a.i.m., our used vehicle supply chain solutions company, marks an exciting expansion for us,” Tim Frank, CEO of Auction Direct USA, stated in a press release. “Every day, hundreds of vehicles expertly reconditioned by our technicians will be made available to our partners, strengthening the automotive supply chain up and down the East Coast.”
The average salary for the new positions will be $88,258. The current average wage in Granville County is $48,653.
The site Auction Direct chose is off Knotts Grove Road south of Oxford, county spokesman Terry Hobgood said. It previously hosted the Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Co. and has been vacant for just under a year.
As part of an incentives package, the state will reimburse Auction Direct as nycg as $2.06 million over 12 years, provided it hits investment and hiring targets.
Granville County, which has about 61,000 residents, is located northeast of Durham County and borders the Virginia state line. It had an unemployment rate of 2.7% in April.