Bulldog Pipe has selected Aberdeen for its second manufacturing facility.  Based in Mountain Grove, Missouri, Bulldog Pipe, LLC is a veteran- and family-owned manufacturer of high-density polyethylene pipe for the telecommunications, power utility, electrical, oil and gas industries.

The company will lease an existing vacant 60,000 square foot industrial building at 165 Taylor Street in Aberdeen. In addition to providing the tenants with sufficient space, this location on Taylor Street is convenient to rail access. “The ability for Aberdeen Carolina & Western Railroad to transload their railcar there at the Candor location was important. So they were looking for a site that was in close proximity, within 30 minutes or so, of that Candor facility site,” shared Executive Director of Partners in Progress Natalie Hawkins.

Bulldog Pipe plans to invest approximately $2.7 million and has committed to creating 26 new full-time jobs in Aberdeen at an average annual wage of $50,675 during their first year. Over a five-year period, the company expects to grow to 55 full-time employees and make a total capital investment of over $6.8 million.

On Feb. 16, Governor Roy Cooper announced the Town of Aberdeen was awarded a $125,000 Building Reuse Grant from the NC Department of Commerce to help offset the $523,000 Bulldog Pipe expects to spend to renovate the Taylor Street building to accommodate their operations.

The Building Reuse Grant Program provides grants to local governments to renovate vacant buildings, renovate and/or expand buildings occupied by existing North Carolina companies, and renovate, expand or construct health care facilities that will lead to the creation of new jobs.

“I think what makes me really excited about this project is we’ve had this building sitting vacant for seven or eight years, and to see it be put back into productive use and to have the support of the North Carolina Department of Commerce with their building reuse grant, I just think it’s going to be good. It’s going to be good for Moore County. It’s going to help bring tax base, bring jobs, bring activity…I think it’s going to be a very positive addition to our community,” commented Hawkins.

Moore County Partners in Progress assisted the Town of Aberdeen and Bulldog Pipe with preparing the Building Reuse grant application and will continue to assist the project by providing administrative support over the grant’s term.

Hawkins shared that they had been working with this client since last fall and had looked into many different facilities across Moore County. Partners in Progress ultimately identified the building on Taylor Street for Bulldog Pipe and put them in contact with the owners of the building. Hawkins shared that she is “really excited to have played such a large role in getting them here.”

“We welcome Bulldog Pipe and look forward to their arrival,” said Mayor of Aberdeen Robbie Farrell in a press release. “Their new facility will generate industrial growth that will benefit all of Moore County, not just Aberdeen, especially in terms of increasing our tax bases.” 

To further support Bulldog Pipe’s new location, the NCDOC also approved $247,445 in sales tax exemptions from purchases of new machinery & equipment, and workforce training valued at $39,000 through the N.C. Community College System’s Customized Training Program. Sandhills Community College will work with the company at the local level to develop a comprehensive training plan to meet the company’s specific workforce development requirements.

“We greatly appreciate the valuable support and assistance we have received from the N.C. Department of Commerce, the Economic Development Partnership of N.C., the Town of Aberdeen, and Partners in Progress as we worked to secure a location in Moore County to expand our operations and put down roots in Aberdeen,” said Bulldog Pipe Owner Brandon McIntosh in a press release.

Hawkins shared that Bulldog Pipe’s goal is to commence operations this summer, sometime in the second quarter. Now that the Building Reuse Grant has been awarded, they can begin the process of hiring individuals to work at this second location as well.