Champion Home Builders, Inc. plans to invest as much as $13.2 million in a Robeson County production site, North Carolina’s Southeast announced this morning. 

The manufactured housing production facility, which will be located at the former Fleetwood Building, is expected to employ roughly 385 workers in Pembroke. 

“The Town of Pembroke is very excited to have Champion moving to the previous Fleetwood Industrial site,” said Pembroke Mayor Gregory Cummings. “Our community lost close to 600 jobs and a tremendous tax base when Fleetwood closed. This will be a great plus for the future of Pembroke and Robeson County.”

“On behalf of the Robeson County Board of Commissioners, it gives me great pleasure to welcome Champion Home as an industrial partner to Robeson County. This investment will provide a brighter future for citizens of Robeson County in both tax base and jobs” Wixie Stephens, Robeson County Board of Commissioners chair said. Faline Dial, District 4 Commissioner, said the economic impact of the estimated 385 new jobs, which would come with an annual pay averaging $42,922, will be significant for the county. “It further illustrates our ability to provide a qualified workforce,” Dial said. “Partnering with growing companies such as Champion will further strengthen our county’s workforce and the overall quality of life of our citizens.”

Champion Home Builders, Inc. is a subsidiary of Skyline Champion Corporation. The parent company is the largest independent, publicly traded, factory-built housing company in North America, employing around 8,100 people. The company represents  70 years of homebuilding experience and 40 manufacturing facilities throughout the United States and western Canada.

“Champion Homes considered several possible locations for this investment prior to making our choice Robeson County,” said Wade Lyall, EVP of sales and business development.

 “In Pembroke we found a site that met our facility needs, had access to strong workforce assets and was capable of serving a growing regional housing market. We are appreciative of North Carolina’s leaders who were willing to work closely with Champion to address our objectives for this expansion.” “We are excited about this opportunity in Robeson County and look forward to expanding our offerings to the community,” he said. 

The upcoming arrival of Champion to the area is due in part to the collaboration of a variety of community entities. “County and town officials worked with Robeson Community College, Lumbee River Electric Membership Corporation, the N.C. Rural Infrastructure Authority, the Robeson County Committee of 100, the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina and the North Carolina Department of Commerce in landing the project,” the NCSE press release said. 

“The arrival of Champion adds obvious value in terms of direct job-creation and capital investment but could also generate new operational benefits for the region’s manufacturing economy, which includes a number of major names in consumer goods,” Steve Yost, president of NC’s Southeast, said.