AdvanceTEC to invest $10M in Johnston County, creating 25 jobs paying $125,000 average wage

CLAYTON – The cleanroon design, construction, and process integration company AdvanceTEC will construct a new facility and hire as many as 25 workers with average wages of $125,000 at a location near Clayton, the company announced today.

The $10 million facility will serve biotechnology companies in the Triangle as well as across the East Coast.

The privately-held company, founded in 2000, is headquartered in Richmond, Va. and will build its new facility on 12-acres of land in Johnston County between Smithfield and Clayton, according to a statement shared with WRAL TechWire by Chris Johnson, director of Johnston County Economic Development.

“AdvanceTEC is pleased to invest in Johnston County to serve leading biotech clients in the region, as well as throughout the United States,” said Bryan Phelan, managing partner and director of customers at AdvanceTEC in a statement. “Our new advanced prefabrication and modularization facility will continue to separate AdvanceTEC as the market leader in cleanroom design, construction, and mission critical process utilities.”

The company will hire as many as 25 positions, said Johnson in an interview with WRAL TechWire on Monday. Johnston County will provide an economics incentives package including a five-year grant to the company, as long as job targets are met, as well as other conditions of the agreement, said Johnson.

The average wage for those positions will be $125,000 per year, according to Johnson. “It’s 25 great-paying jobs, nearly triple the average salary in the county,” said Johnson.

According to Johnston County Economic Development, the facility is expected to produce a payroll impact for the region’s economy of $2.6 million annually once fully staffed and a total impact of almost $16 million per year. The site will generate more than $168,000 in county and municipal tax revenue each year, an analysis conducted for Johnston County Economic Development found.

“It’s an exciting announcement for Johnston County and for North Carolina,” said Johnson. “And this is yet another sign that our area is truly an epicenter for life science and gene therapy companies.”