Craven haven: BSH Home Appliances: New Bern.

• Author: Martin, Cathy
• Position: NC ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: FEATURED PROJECT EAST

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Call it the HGTV effect, or maybe it's the improved housing market that is prompting a flurry of kitchen renovations. Either way, demand for high-end appliances is fueling economic growth in Craven County, with BSH Home Appliances announcing in December an $80.7 million expansion of its local operations that will add 460 jobs over five years.

The company, a subsidiary of Munich, Germany-based BSH Hausgerate, makes sleek appliances with brands including Bosch and Thermador. Europe's largest home-appliance manufacturer reported an 11% increase in revenue to $14.2 billion in 2015, including 26% growth in North America due to robust sales of its premium products. (Some models of its Thermador ranges retail for more than $10,000.)

That growth is likely to continue, with annual spending for home remodeling and repairs in the U.S. projected to reach $323.3 billion in 2017, up from $237.5 billion in 2013, according to the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University.

About 1,000 employees at the New Bern plant produce cooktops, ranges and an estimated 1 million dishwashers a year. BSH has shown consistent growth since the plant opened in 1980, says Timothy Downs, director of economic development for Craven County. A major expansion in 2005 added a distribution center just outside the city limits on U.S. 70.

The latest expansion will add 380,000 square feet to the distribution center, giving BSH a manufacturing footprint of about 1.9 million square feet. Other companies that serve BSH have sprung up around it, including one that produces plastic liners for its dishwashers and another that makes dishwasher racks.

Craven County seems to be an exception to the notion that less-populous areas aren't able to attract and maintain good, stable...