Navassa-headquartered Pacon Manufacturing Corp. has expanded to New Hanover County.

The company is using a 106,500 square-foot portion of the Port Logistics Center located at 421 Landmark Drive in Wilmington for its offsite warehousing to allow for more equipment at the Navassa site, said Pacon's chairman and CEO Mike Shannon, in an email this week.

The expansion into New Hanover County includes 5 to 8 jobs, however, the additional site, “allows us to create about 160 more in Brunswick,” Shannon said in an email this week.

Pacon develops and manufactures wipes, pads, towels and liquids for the consumer, industrial and medical industries. 

"While labor has been a challenge nationwide, and here at many levels, you still find people who are willing to relocate to the Wilmington area for all it has to offer. Additionally, lower operating costs combined with support from really high-quality subcontractors and you have a win," Shannon said of its future position, now with two sites, in southeastern North Carolina.

The company, which started operations in Navassa with about 40 jobs in the spring of 2020, has grown to about 210 jobs currently at the operation in Brunswick County.

That's almost near the 299 jobs the company promised to create with the Navassa operation on top of a $37.6 million investment in a plan announced by Gov. Roy Cooper in April 2019.

Brunswick County has also provided local funding matches for the economic development incentives earmarked for Pacon upon reach benchmarks in investment and job creation.

The company, however, did not receive any economic incentives for its location in New Hanover County, Shannon said in his email this week.
 
Pacon Manufacturing signed a lease space at Port Logistics Center in June, said Chris Norvell, a principal and industrial partner with Edgewater Ventures, in an email this week.

Raleigh-based Edgewater Ventures is the owner of the Port Logistics Center and the 340,000 square-foot facility at 100 Quality Drive in Navassa where Pacon has its headquarters and manufacturing operation.

Pacon moved into the former U.S. Marine site in Navassa in April 2020. The site is a relocation of its company headquarters from New Jersey.

The company still has some operations in New Jersey due to COVID demand for the business, Shannon said this week.

Norvell said the Edgewater property is now fully occupied between two tenants – Pacon and Net Recycling LLC.

“[The] previous tenant was Noelle who was a longtime occupant of the building. Noelle moved out in March 2021 and relocated its operations to Canada,” Norvell said.

Pacon Manufacturing was represented by Cody Cress and Tyler Pegg The CRESS Group at Coldwell Banker Commercial Sun Coast Partners in the lease.

“We’re excited to have the opportunity to expand our relationship with Pacon Manufacturing within our facility at Port Logistics Center,” Norvell said. “Pacon’s relocation to the Wilmington region is a big boost to the local manufacturing economy and we’ve enjoyed being a part of their growth.”