NC Rural Grant Adds Jobs and Upgrades Old Chevrolet Building in Pittsboro

PITTSBORO, NC-After a combined effort between the Town of Pittsboro, the Greater Pittsboro Community Development Corporation (GP-CDC), and the NC Rural Center, Alpha Install has decided to refurbish the empty Pittsboro Chevrolet dealership building on 697 Hillsborough St. and locate its facility in Pittsboro. The town of Pittsboro, working through the GP-CDC, applied for and received a grant of $128,000 from the NC Rural Center’s NC Building Restoration Program that will allow Alpha install to do an energy efficiency upgrade on the old building, lowering energy costs and making it more functional for its new use. Alpha Install LLC, headquartered in North Carolina, is dedicated to providing communications and technology deployment services to commercial customers supporting our nation’s critical infrastructure.

When Alpha Install began looking to expand, Mayor Randolph Voller identified the former Pittsboro Chevrolet building as a prime destination and then spearheaded the grant effort. As Mayor Voller explained, “If we support retrofitting commercial real estate we can put American construction and manufacturing workers back to work in our communities and in doing so provide real value to the taxpayers and our citizens.” This project coincides nicely with the initiatives proposed by President Obama, President Clinton and other partners including the Center for American progress. The goal is a perfect Trifecta: creating jobs, reducing pollution, and cutting energy costs. The improved facility will bring in 16 new jobs and invest $1,097, 615 in the renovation work over the next three years. The jobs will vary from production to professional jobs and the average annual wage will be $40,200 plus full benefits. Local contractors doing the renovation include D Walsh Construction, Cartwright Jones Flooring, AIROTEMP Heating and Cooling; Foamworks Insulation and Southern Energy Management Solar PV panels.

“In terms of quality jobs and potential for future expansion, this is a great company to have in Chatham County," says Dianne Reid, President of Chatham County Economic Development Corporation. Pittsboro Town Council member Beth Turner added, “This is a major step in GP-CDC’s economic development mission of creating jobs, tackling energy and pollution issues and developing Chatham County’s locally-anchored business networks. For more information visit www.ncruralcenter.org.