A company that makes wood products will receive a state grant worth up to $85,000 for expanding in Rowan County.

The governor's office announced this afternoon that Universal Forest Products plans to create 49 jobs and invest $2.6 million during the next three years in Salisbury, about 130 miles west of Raleigh.

The One North Carolina Fund grant, which must be matched by local incentives, requires Universal Forest to meet hiring and investment goals.
 
Universal Forest manufactures and distributes wood and wood-alternative products to the retail, construction, manufactured housing and industrial markets.

Tuscarora Yarns said today that it would open a new facility in Rowan County and create 124 jobs over the next three years.

The yarn manufacturer will invest $6.3 million moving its existing operations in China Grove to a larger facility in China Grove, about 35 miles northeast of Charlotte. 

The company received a $146,000 grant from the One North Carolina Fund.

The average annual wage for the new jobs will be $27,334, not including benefits.  That's below the Rowan County average of $36,036.