Gov. Bev Perdue today joined executives from XPO Logistics Inc., a third-party transportation logistics provider, in announcing the opening of its new North American Operations Center in Charlotte.
The company plans to create at least 200 jobs over the next three years. The project was made possible in part by a state Job Development Investment Grant.
XPO Logistics is a non-asset based, third-party logistics provider of freight transportation services that uses a network of relationships with ground, sea and air carriers to offer expedited services, freight forwarding and freight brokerage to customers in North America. The Michigan-based company recently embarked on an aggressive plan for growth that will be supported by its new North American Operations Center in Charlotte. The facility will incorporate accounting and finance, human resources, IT, brokerage, carrier procurement and operations.
Sean Fernandez, chief operating officer for XPO Logistics, said, “We are extremely pleased that the state has been so supportive of our plans to centralize key operations in Charlotte. XPO Logistics is growing quickly, and the new center will give us the infrastructure we need to support a much larger company. We expect to start hiring across all functions immediately.”
While individual wages for the positions will vary by job function, the overall average for the new jobs will be $56,606, plus benefits. The average annual wage in Mecklenburg County is $51,584.
To help facilitate this expansion, the state Economic Investment Committee today voted to award a Job Development Investment Grant to XPO Logistics. JDIGs are awarded only to new and expanding businesses and industrial projects whose benefits exceed the costs to the state and would not be undertaken in North Carolina without the grant.
Under the terms of the JDIG, the company is eligible to receive a grant equal to 65 percent of the state personal income withholding taxes derived from the creation of new jobs for each of the 10 years in which the company meets annual performance targets. If XPO meets the targets called for under the agreement and sustains them for 10 years, the JDIG could yield $3.22 million in maximum benefits for the company.
In addition, up to $1.07 million could be added to the state’s Utility Fund for infrastructure improvements in economically distressed counties. When a JDIG is awarded in Tier 3 counties such as Mecklenburg, 25 percent of the grant is allocated to this fund to encourage economic development in less prosperous areas.
Other partners who assisted with this project include: the N.C. Department of Commerce, N.C. Community Colleges, and the Charlotte Chamber.
For more information about XPO Logistics, including job opportunities, visit www.xpologistics.com.