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CHARLOTTE, N.C. – “It’s probably a more important day for us than for you because you seem to be doing this daily,” joked Jerome Peribere to a room full of business leaders at the Charlotte Chamber. He’s the President and CEO of Sealed Air, a company that makes protective packaging, including bubble wrap. He’s referencing Charlotte’s banner business week. Financial services company Spectra is adding 250 jobs. An undisclosed company is announcing more jobs Thursday.
But Sealed Air’s announcement takes the top spot. North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory says, “This is gonna be the largest Fortune 500 corporate headquarter relocation in Charlotte history.”
Sealed Air will establish its new global headquarters in Mecklenburg County. Peribere says the move will create 1,262 jobs in Charlotte by the end of 2017. It remains to be seen exactly how many of those jobs will be new, versus current employees who choose to relocate here. Peribere says, “We haven’t yet determined exactly that. We will have some people come from overseas, from Wisconsin, from Connecticut, from New Jersey, from South Carolina and it will depend on how many people are going to be willing to relocate.”
Sealed Air will set up shop in temporary office space early next year. Peribere says they’ll work there while they build a new, state of the art facility in southwest Charlotte near the airport and I-485. And that means more jobs, says Chamber President Bob Morgan. He says, “In addition to the direct jobs of 1,250-plus, the actually total amount will be 2,500 jobs if you include the indirect jobs that will result.”
The announcement is the latest in a back and forth business volley between North and South Carolina. Last month, Governor Nikki Haley lured two Charlotte-based businesses across the state line. McCrory returned the serve Wednesday. He says, “Charlotte is a great headquarter city and recruiting talent and has the transportation infrastructure and has the quality of life. Jerome is moving here!”
The average salary at Sealed Air’s Charlotte-based global headquarters will be more than $119,000.
