Pacon Manufacturing Corp. has created 40 jobs in Navassa following its initial startup this spring, said Bill Early, one of the economic developers who helped recruit the industry to Brunswick County.

Those are out of the nearly 270 jobs the company is required to create to receive local and state economic incentives.

Pacon moved into the former U.S. Marine site at 100 Quality Drive in Navassa in April, said Early, executive director of Brunswick Business and Industry Development, a private nonprofit economic development agency that serves business recruitment, retention and industrial development efforts in Brunswick County.

"As would be expected, Pacon has been quite busy with the COVID-19 [pandemic] since they produce Clorox Wipes," Early said in an email. "Currently, they have one production line in place, and things are going well."

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

The company plans to move its New Jersey location, eventually bringing all its production to Navassa, company officials have previously said. 

Operations in New Jersey, however, are still ongoing, Early said. The New Jersey facility has experienced strong production demands due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Plans are to have a phased move to Navassa from the New Jersey site.

As of two weeks ago, Pacon had hired 40 local employees with plans to add more as it brings more production lines to the Navassa site, he said.

The firm promised to create 299 jobs in Navassa and make a $37.6 million investment over several years, a plan announced by Gov. Roy Cooper at a press conference in April 2019.

On Monday, the Brunswick County Board of Commissioners approved local funding matches for state grants made available to the firm in economic development incentives.

The commissioners approved providing $300,000 in funds as a local match for two state grants.

The project is eligible for a $300,000 One North Carolina Grant from the N.C. Department of Commerce and a $700,000 Building Reuse Grant from the department's Rural Development Division.

For the incentives, the firm must meet certain benchmarks for investment and job creation.

The company is required to create 238 jobs in two years for the Building Reuse Grant and a total of 269 jobs by 2024 for the One North Carolina Grant. For the incentives, the firm is also required to make a $16 million real estate and personal property investment, with $3 million in building renovations and $13 million in machinery and equipment, according to the county. 

"Pacon is a strong family-owned manufacturing business that will provide quality jobs to Brunswick County and the Navassa community for years to come," Early said.