North Carolina Construction News staff writer
Industrial concrete product manufacturer Fit Precast announced Monday it will invest $102 million to build a new manufacturing facility in south Gaston County, creating 125 jobs with an average annual wage of $104,000 — nearly double the county’s current average.
Code-named Project Willow, the 154,000-sq. ft. structure on a 72-acre site off south U.S. 321 will serve as Fit Precast’s headquarters and a prototype plant where the company will focus on producing precast concrete products critical to stormwater management, transportation, and utility construction, including reinforced concrete pipe, precast storm structures, underground detention storm structures, box culverts, and bottomless culverts.
Fit Precast President Matt Goreski says the facility will combine advanced technology with a focus on precision to create a “new standard for precast products.”
“The demand for resilient, American-made infrastructure has never been greater, and North Carolina is the ideal place to meet that challenge,” Goreski said. “This flagship headquarters and production facility is the most advanced precast concrete manufacturing site in the country, investing in both leading-edge technology and the people of North Carolina with high-paying, meaningful careers.”
The project is part of Fit Precast’s broader plan to support national infrastructure needs and establish a sustainable manufacturing model for the future.
The City of Gastonia will annex the site, which Mayor Richard Franks called “another example of Gastonia’s continued momentum in attracting high-quality jobs.”
Fit Precast plans to break ground later this year, with production and headquarters operations expected to follow.