MANUFACTURING MOVES: A rural coastal county town draws a New Jersey manufacturer pledging to deliver 299 new jobs.

• Author: Chase, Lindsey

Pacon Manufacturing Corp. is moving south to warmer weather and an ideal distribution location. Based in Somerset, N.J., Pacon manufactures towels, wipes and liquid products for national corporations including The Clorox Co. and Burt's Bees Inc. Founded in 1949, the family-owned company has outgrown an existing building.

It was a former U.S. Marine boat manufacturing facility in Navassa that met all Pacon's needs when it sought a new location. Lawrence Shannon, vice president of Pacon, says there were three main requirements in the search: a larger building with room to grow, a region with a diversified and skilled workforce, and a location in a state that would further the company's goals.

During the search, Pacon partnered with North Carolina's Southeast, a regional economic development organization that serves 18 counties. The group helps member counties get the word out about business development opportunities, says Joe Melvin, director of business development.

"We market industrial buildings, sites and regional assets both domestically and internationally to get people interested in southeastern North Carolina as a place for manufacturing, distribution and back-office operations," Melvin says.

Though Pacon has not started construction for the $37.6 million project, it hopes to be finished by early 2020, with an initial production line operational by the end of the first quarter. A small part of the operation may remain in Somerset, "but the large majority of our manufacturing and day-to-day functions will transition to the Brunswick County facility," Shannon says. "That will take place over the course of 2020, and some of it will probably roll into 2021 just as we move pieces down."

The property that Pacon purchased in Navassa had been on the market for more than a decade. Bill Early, executive director of Brunswick Business and Industry Development, says Navassa was once a town rich in manufacturing, but most companies have left.

The North Carolina Department of Commerce ranks counties on a tier system for economic wellness. Brunswick County is in the strongest tier, but that's skewed by waterfront development. "If you look inland, there are a lot of rural communities, with Navassa being one of those," Early says.

He calls Navassa "one of the most economically...