Charlotte NC Economic Update - Celgard Announces Expansion in Charlotte and Concord
Celgard, a subsidiary of Polypore International, Inc. (NYSE: PPO), a leading supplier of microporous separators which are used in lithium-ion batteries, announced today that it will be expanding its Charlotte facility and building a new manufacturing facility in Concord.
Celgard will begin in Charlotte NC, expanding its existing Charlotte office and beginning the second half of 2010, will begin construction of the new facility in Concord. This expansion will create 80 jobs here in Charlotte and 209 in Concord with an average salary of $56,960. 1,000 jobs will be created among Celgard's contractors and suppliers.
Celgard was selected for a $49M grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, part of the Electric Drive Vehicle Battery and Component Manufacturing Initiative of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. DOE's program was initiated to create U.S. jobs while promoting the development of advanced battery production for the electric drive vehicle market.
Celgard, a global leader in the development and production of specialty microporous membranes, is one of the largest suppliers to the lithium battery industry. Highly engineered separators are used in notebook computers, mobile phones, digital cameras and power tools. The new emerging market applications also includes the use in electric drive vehicles and reserve power and electricity grid management systems. 
"Celgard is an innovative, forward-thinking North Carolina company that is helping us realize the promise of a greener economy," Governor Beverly Purdue said during the announcement today. "These are exactly the types of jobs I envisioned when we started building the number of 'green-collar' jobs in our state."
Below is the battery awardee list from the U.S. D.O.E. Electric Drive Vehicle Battery and Component Manufacturing Initiative. More information can be found at the www.Energy.gov site.
Moving to Charlotte NC with Celgard? Visit www.icharlotterealestate.com for more information on Charlotte NC and to search homes for sale in Charlotte NC (or the Concord area).
(THE best Charlotte home search available - no kidding!)
Debe Maxwell, CRS/Realtor®/Broker
Broker@TheCharlotteScoop.com
Phone (704) 491-3310
