Eli Lilly, a leading health care and pharmaceutical company, announced Friday it is building a $1 billion major manufacturing operation in Cabarrus County, creating nearly 600 jobs for the Charlotte Region.
The manufacturing facility will be built at The Grounds at Concord, the former Phillip Morris plant which has become home to other significant economic development announcements in recent months, including the Red Bull Rauch beverage production hub.
This is the second-largest economic development announcement in the history of Cabarrus County.
“This will change the landscape of biotech in this part of our state,” Page Castrodale, executive director of the Cabarrus Economic Development Corporation, said. “It expands North Carolina’s life sciences industry into the Charlotte Region in a very transformative way, bringing tremendous opportunity with it.”
The Cabarrus EDC worked collaboratively with the following organizations to locate the pharmaceutical company in Concord: Cabarrus County, City of Concord, North Carolina General Assembly, Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, North Carolina Community College System, North Carolina Biotechnology Center, Water and Sewer Authority of Cabarrus County, Dominion Energy, and the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance.
The 589 jobs created by the project are for highly skilled workers, such as scientists, engineers, and manufacturing personnel. The positions are expected to have an above-average wage of about $70,000. An estimated 500 additional positions will be required during construction, which is expected to begin this year.
“We are thrilled to welcome Eli Lilly as they usher in a new era of biotechnology in our region, with Concord as a leading destination for innovation and excellence,” Mayor Bill Dusch said.
Lilly selected Concord due to the manufacturing technology experience of the local labor force; the proximity to universities with strong science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs; and access to major transportation infrastructure.
“We are a work-ready community with a pipeline of success,” Cabarrus County Board of Commissioners Chair Steve Morris said. “We have depth in education, skill and talent and our location is second-to-none. We welcome corporate leaders, like Lilly, who seek a supportive community. We are grateful for this opportunity and our role in making life better for people around the world.”
The project utilizes 800,000 square feet, spanning five buildings which will house the manufacturing facility, labs, logistics and a central utilities plant. The facility will produce injectable products and devices.
“This new facility means more life-saving medicines will be made in North Carolina improving the lives and health of so many people around the world,” Commerce Secretary Machelle Baker Sanders said.
“Lilly is a global leader in biotechnology, and we are proud to partner with them as they deliver hope to patients in our community and around the world through life-saving medical treatments manufactured right here in Concord,” Dusch said.
The new campus in Concord expands Eli Lilly’s footprint in North Carolina. In 2020, the pharmaceutical company announced a manufacturing plant in the Research Triangle.
“Lilly is entering an exciting period of growth and we are committed to delivering innovative medicines to patients around the world,” Edgardo Hernandez, senior vice president and president, Lilly Manufacturing Operations, said. “Expanding our manufacturing footprint in North Carolina enables us to continue to produce today’s medicines while providing additional capacity to manufacture the medicines of tomorrow. We are pleased to again partner with North Carolina to bring jobs to American workers and provide more medicines that patients need to address health challenges.”
