After a yearlong search, Pro Refrigeration, Inc. announced they have chosen Mocksville, NC as the home for their new East Coast Production Facility. Over the past 22 years, Pro has grown to a leading manufacturer of Process Glycol Chiller Systems for Dairy, Craft Brewery, Winery, Distillery, and Food Processing Industries. Pro currently employs more than 50 employees at their 25,000 Square Foot facility located in Auburn, WA.
“We’ve tripled production over the past 3 years,” Pro’s CEO, Jim VanderGiessen Jr. explained. “We had to either expand in Washington State or find an additional location to provide the increased capacity to serve current customers and new targeted markets.”
“The decision came down to several factors. Not disrupting the team we have in Washington and affecting the flow of innovative products from our headquarters is a big reason.” added VanderGiessen, “We also helped several customers in the craft brewing industry expand to the east coast. The more we evaluated, the easier it was to make this choice.”
The company plans to create 58 jobs and invest $3.6 million over the next three years. The project was made possible in part by a performance-based grant from the One North Carolina Fund. The grant is contingent upon proof of job creation and receipt of a local funding match. Only a few of the employees will relocate from Washington, as they have no plans to decrease the output and production from their headquarters, almost all of the new jobs will be recruited and filled from the Davie County region.
“Manufacturers like Pro Refrigeration know that my administration is committed to growing this important part of North Carolina’s economy,” said North Carolina Gov. McCrory. “We must continue to support manufacturing through our strategic investments in workforce development and infrastructure.”
“Manufacturing is an important part of our state’s brand,” said Sharon Decker, N.C. Secretary of Commerce. “We welcome Pro Refrigeration to North Carolina and wish them continued success in Davie County.”
Pro was excited to find a building they could repurpose. The building previously produced television cabinets and still has the famous RCA Phonograph and Dog logo painted on the interior wall. Pro plans to take possession of the building on March 1, ramping up to full production by the end of the year.
“Pro has a great deal riding on this expansion, it is definitely one of the biggest moves we’ve undertaken,” said VanderGiessen. “Some reasons we chose Davie County were the skilled workforce, the business-friendly environment, and the amazing support we’ve received from everyone we’ve met. Special credit needs to be given to Mr. Bernard Torain, NC Department of Commerce, and Mr. Terry Bralley, President Davie County Economic Development Council, who backed up everything they said with hard work and tenacious follow through.