MetLife To Bring 1,500 Jobs to Ballantyne Ahead of Schedule
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CHARLOTTE, NC — A hiring milestone was reached in Ballantyne Tuesday. Β MetLife officials announced they created 1,500 new jobs at their U.S. retail headquarters, and they did it ahead of schedule.
The insurance company is receiving millions of dollars in state and local benefits to relocate to Ballantyne. Β Mayor Dan Clodfelter (D) says it shows incentives programs do work.
“We knew it would pay off,” said Mayor Clodfelter. Β “This is just beyond all of our hopes. Β They’ve done it early, and they’ve gone beyond the targets. Β So that’s what we like to see.”
Those same incentives didn’t help keep Chiquita here. Β The banana company is in the process of leaving its Charlotte headquarters after only three years, following a takeover by two Brazilian groups. Β Chiquita is required to pay back more than $1 million in incentives to the city, county and state.
