Governor Roy Cooper recently announced that the Town of Robbins has been awarded a $160,000 Building Reuse Grant approved by the N.C. Rural Infrastructure Authority to support the expansion of Carolina Growler, Inc. in Robbins.

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 in Tier 1 and Tier 2 counties and in rural census tracts of Tier 3 counties. Moore County has a Tier 3 designation.

Grant funds are passed through the local government and managed as a reimbursement to the building owner to offset up to 50 percent of the costs of repairing and renovating the building to meet the company’s operational requirements. A local cash match of 5 percent is required to support the project. 

Moore County Economic Development Partnership (MCEDP) assisted the Town of Robbins and Carolina Growler in preparing the Building Reuse grant application and will continue to assist the project by providing administrative support over the grant’s term.

Carolina Growler is a service-disabled veteran-owned small business that specializes in supporting U.S. government agencies focused on vehicle and trailer manufacturing, vehicle maintenance and repair, and surveillance systems. They own a 55,000 square-foot facility on almost 60 acres at 121 N. Green Street in Robbins.

The company will expand their facility with larger painting and powder coating areas to enhance their production capabilities, enabling Growler to pursue more substantial contracts and make larger products to better serve existing customers as well as attract new customers.

Growler currently employs 12 full-time and four part-time employees at their Robbins facility and has committed to more than triple their current employment by creating a minimum of 40 new full-time jobs over the two-year term of the Building Reuse grant. The new jobs will be in the areas of welding, fabrication, quality inspections, painting, powder coating, assembly and administrative. The grant will help offset the almost $340,000 they expect to spend to expand their building.

“This grant for Growler is the second Building Reuse Grant awarded to the Town of Robbins within 18 months to support the expansions of manufacturers that are thriving in the Robbins community,” said Darryn Burich, MCEDP’s Business Development Director, in a press release. 

In December 2021, the Town received a $74,000 Building Reuse Grant to help Minhas Furniture renovate their second facility at 824 Hemp Street Extension in Robbins and support the creation of 18 new jobs.

“The ongoing success and growth of Growler and Minhas clearly communicates to other new and expanding manufacturing industries that Robbins is an excellent business location,” Burich added in a press release. “MCEDP continues to work closely with Robbins to position them for further industrial development, job creation and capital investment.”

The N.C. Department of Commerce also approved workforce training valued at $60,000 that the company can receive through the N.C. Community College System’s Customized Training Program. Sandhills Community College will work with Growler at the local level to develop a comprehensive training plan to meet the company’s specific workforce development requirements.

“Our roots are in Robbins, and we are very excited about our growth in this great community,” said Colonel Terry Crews, Founder & CEO of Carolina Growler, in a press release. “We greatly appreciate the support we have received from the N.C. Department of Commerce, the Economic Development Partnership of N.C., the Town of Robbins, and MCEDP.”

More information about Carolina Growler can be found at www.growlerme.com.