The Orange County Board of Commissioners will discuss tonight the details of a possible $100,000 incentive package for the Mebane manufacturing company AKG of America Inc.
AKG, which opened at the corner of Oakwood Drive and Mattress Factory Road in 1981, is considering a $3 million expansion project that would create 90 new jobs with an average wage of $44,175.
If the board approves the package, the county will pay $100,000 over a five-year period to match a proposed grant from the state. Mebane would also contribute $60,000 over a three-year period and $40,000 in in-kind services.
County Manager Frank Clifton said that while the company does have another location in South Dakota — a state he said is much more aggressive than North Carolina in providing inducements to companies — AKG has shown interest in the potential incentive.
“We are led to believe that what has been offered by us is substantial enough that the company is ready to move forward here,” Clifton said. “AKG likes the site they have here, and they have 20 acres so that’s quite a bit of land to expand on.”
Bernadette Pelissier, the board’s chairwoman, said that while it is yet to be finalized, the proposed incentive package could help bolster the local job market because it pays more when employees are hired from within the county.
“We’re excited at the prospect because it is an existing business that wants to expand, but this is not a done deal,” she said.
The public hearing for the incentive package will be at 7 p.m. tonight at 113 Mayo Street in Hillsborough.
