News Story

Wisconsin-based Scot Industries Inc., a leading North American supplier of specialty tubing products, plans to invest at least $40 million in a new manufacturing plant in Johnston County. The privately held company selected approximately 77 acres in Four Oaks near the convergence of I-95, US 301 and US 701. Its operations here will employ a 21-person workforce.

Earlier today, the Johnston County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a nearly $1.2 million Economic Development Investment Grant, a performance-based incentive payable over five to seven years. County Commission Chairman R.S. “Butch” Lawter, Jr. says the selection by Scot Industries “kicks off 2024 on a winning note.” The company’s Johnston County facility will be its 12th location in the U.S. and Canada. “This move creates good-paying jobs, brings another prestigious name to our industrial directory and boosts the county’s economic diversification,” Lawter says.

Four Oaks town leaders will consider a similar package of municipal incentives for the project later this month. Scot Industries also will receive free customized training from Johnston Community College, in addition to about $46,000 in workforce development grants from the state’s Division of Workforce Solutions.

Scot Industries, founded in Milwaukee in 1949, produces tubing, pipe, chrome rods and other specialty products for the hydraulic and pneumatic cylinder markets, as well as the oil industry. Company officials reviewed locations in Virginia and South Carolina before selecting Johnston County. Its operations here will serve markets across the southeastern U.S. “Without a doubt, the Economic Development Incentive Grant offered by Johnston County played a tremendous role in selecting the site in Four Oaks for future investment and job creation,” says Robby Anderson, plant manager based at Scot’s corporate headquarters in Muscoda, Wisc. “We greatly appreciate the pro-
business approach and the partnership with our company, and we look forward to calling Johnston County home.”

“Project Red River,” like all projects considered for Johnston County incentives, underwent an extensive economic impact analysis. A study by Dr. Michael Walden, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Economics at North Carolina State University, found that Scot Industries’ new operations will add nearly $71 million to Johnston County’s
GDP each year. Its fiscal impact will also be significant, Dr. Walden found, generating nearly $675,000 in new county and municipal tax revenues annually. Salaries there will average over $60,000 per year, with new positions including sales personnel, machine operators, warehouse workers and management staff.

“Our objective has always been to drive job-creation and economic investment to every part of the county,” says Randy Jones, chairman of the 14-member Johnston County Economic Development Advisory Board. The appointed panel consists of business, civic and community leaders from the county’s 11 municipal governments. “This project
keeps us moving toward that crucial goal, and we are grateful to our state and municipal partners for their work in bringing this successful international manufacturer to Johnston County. My thanks also go out to our terrific team at Johnston County’s Office of Economic Development and our internal county government partners, whose
collaboration made this project successful,” says Jones, a resident of Pine Level.

Chris Johnson, director of the Johnston County Economic Development Office, says the arrival of Scot Industries is evidence the county’s workforce, highway infrastructure and business-focused leadership continue to consistently put Johnston County on the short list of leading mid-Atlantic manufacturing destinations. “Our value proposition hasn’t changed,” Johnson says. “We still offer a formidable range of industrial assets in a competitive cost structure.”

The Johnston County Economic Development Office (JCEDO) facilitates value-added interaction between government, education and the private sector in encouraging and promoting job creation and economic investment in Johnston County. A unit of county government, JCEDO collaborates with local, regional and statewide partners and allies in providing confidential location assistance to businesses and technical support to the county’s 11 municipalities. Its menu of services includes customized digital mapping, labor and wage analysis, site readiness assistance and incentive packaging. For additional information, visit www.GrowWithJoCo.com