A stainless steel sink manufacturer is expanding its operations into Robeson County, Governor Roy Cooper announced June 30. 

Elkay Southern Corporation will be the first tenant at the Lumberton/Robeson County Industrial Park, which is located at US 74 and Interstate 95. 

“Elkay’s expansion plus its selection of the new Robeson County industrial park brings twice the good news,” said Governor Cooper. “Rural North Carolina can offer the industrial sites, workforce, and transportation systems that manufacturers expect to find in a world-class business location.”

The expansion will create 20 new jobs and the company plans to invest $5.5 million in its facility in the industrial park. 

On average, the salary of the new jobs will be $48,960, compared to the Robeson County average annual wage of $33,454, although the wages at Elkay vary by position.

When the site is staffed, the region will experience a nearly $1 million payroll impact each year. 

The location will be Elkay’s hub for the East Coast. 

“We are blessed to be experiencing a period of significant business growth, with much of this product manufactured right here in our Lumberton facility,” said Ken Blazer, director of Global Distribution & Logistics for Elkay. “In order to support this expansion, we are moving our distribution function from the Lumberton facility to this new location, freeing up space for additional manufacturing capacity. Once the new distribution site is operational, we expect to be able to add manufacturing and distribution roles to our workforce to support our five-year growth strategy.”

The expansion is due largely in part to a One North Carolina Fund performance-based grant of $50,000. The OneNC Fund assists local governments in economic development by attracting investment and creation of jobs. The grant money is not given to the companies until they meet job creation and capital investment targets. Local governments who utilize such grants must match the same amount. 

“North Carolina’s advantages as a business location once again prove their merit,” said North Carolina Commerce Secretary Machelle Baker Sanders. “In addition to our excellent workforce, our state’s central, east coast location and strong road network offers companies like Elkay an ideal location from which to grow.”

The N.C. General Assembly, N.C. Community College System, N.C. Rural Infrastructure Authority, N.C. Department of Transportation, the Golden LEAF Foundation, Robeson County, and Robeson County Office of Economic Development collaborated with the N.C. Department of Commerce and the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina on the effort to bring Elkay to Robeson County.  

“Elkay is an important employer in our region and has been a long-time employer in Robeson County for many years. It is great to see them expand,” said N.C. Representative Charles Graham. “These new jobs and the company’s investment will bring more prosperity and growth to the area; this is great news for Robeson County."

“Many people have encouraged Elkay’s expansion and helped develop our new industrial park,” said N.C. Senator Danny Britt. “Today we open the first chapter of this new opportunity, for both Elkay and for the people of Robeson County and the surrounding area.”

Elkay has been family-owned since 1920 and has its  headquarters in Illinois. The company Elkay has over 2,400 employees worldwide. 

Between the United States, China and Mexico, the company has 28 locations. It is best known for its sinks, as they are America’s top-selling sink company, but they offer a wide array of products, including faucets, water coolers, drinking fountains, Smartwell Water Delivery Systems and ezH2O bottle filling stations. 

Robeson has several other manufacturers in the county. Elkay is the newest addition among cotton pulp, valve, strainer, cleaning product, engineered foam and sponge, aluminum fence, food can, and bus manufacturers in the region. To learn more, visit https://www.robesoncountyoed.org/industry.