Medical sock maker to expand Ellerbe factory, add jobs

Another textile company plans to expand its Richmond County operations, offering some measure of economic relief for a region with a jobless rate above the state average.

Knit-Rite will modernize and expand its factory in Ellerbe that makes specialty socks for diabetics and other medial hosiery products, Gov. Bev Perdue's office announced this morning. The company will receive a $24,000 state grant if it creates 24 new jobs paying average annual wages of $22,533.

The Kansas-based company already employs 44 at its operations in Ellerbe, about 90 miles southwest of Raleigh.

Last week, Richmond Specialty Yarns announced plans to expand its Ellerbe facility and add 135 jobs during the next three years. That company already employs 140 at the factory, which produces specialized yarn for the military, medical and furniture markets.

Richmond County's jobless rate was 13.2 percent in September, the N.C. Employment Security Commission reported. That's higher than the latest state rate of 10.8 percent.