For the second time in two weeks, good news is coming to the county from the office of Gov. Bev Perdue.

Perdue announced Tuesday morning that Knit-Rite, Inc., a national producer of specialized socks and hosiery for the medical market, will expand its manufacturing plant, Therafirm Compression Products, in Ellerbe, investing more than $1.1 million and creating 24 new jobs.

The company currently employs 44 people.

Jimmy Ray, the plant manager of Therafirm in Ellerbe, said he’s excited the expansion is happening at his plant and said hiring could begin as soon as next week for a few positions.

“I’m most definitely excited,” he said. “I’ve been in this business for 37 years and business is good now and there are some exciting things going on and there’s more interest in leg care. So I’m excited to grow this business.

“We’ve been here since 1996 and employed some of the finest associates in the county, and we hope to find even more,” Ray added.

In her press release, Gov. Perdue said it’s that reputation that keeps companies interested in the state.

“Our trained workforce and outstanding quality of life continue to attract companies looking for the perfect location to compete in a worldwide marketplace,” she said.

Knit-Rite’s headquarters are in Kansas City, Kansas and for the last 86 years they have been in the medical textile market creating socks for prosthetics and diabetics.

County Manager Rick Sago said he and the Knit-Rite executives have been working on this deal for more than a year.

“We’ve been talking quite a bit and I think the governor’s willingness to participate really helped,” Sago said.

As part of the deal, Knit-Rite will receive a $24,000 grant from the One N.C. Fund which provides financial assistance, through local governments, to attract business projects that will stimulate economic activity and create new jobs in the state.

Sago explained that the grant basically means the company gets $1,000 for every job they create, in this case 24, and once the hiring is finished, the company will get that $24,000 to do with as they please.

Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Knit-Rite, Chris Vering, said the grant enabled the company to make the capital investment needed for the facility in the form of an equipment upgrade.

Ray said the new equipment would likely be in place by January and the rest of the upgrades and hiring will be spread out during the next three years.

Vering said this kind of grant is also useful because his company tries to use other local companies when making upgrades or expanding on a facility, putting more money back into the local economy.

Vering said during discussions with the Department of Commerce and Sago, it was the commitment by Sago and the commissioners to the company’s expansion that really made an impression on the company.

He added that programs within the Department of Commerce, such as training programs through Richmond Community College, also helped in the decision to expand in Ellerbe.

Sago said he’s excited about the company’s expansion because the company has such a strong niche market, and won’t be going anywhere any time soon.

“Being in our niche market is definitely a plus compared to other textile companies who are closing,” Vering said. “Medical textiles has been our history for 86 years and Therafirm’s since the 1950s when they were the Parke Davis brand of compression hosiery, and so we have a long tradition in medical textiles and extensive experience, and we felt Ellerbe’s facility and the ability to tap textile experts in North Carolina was essential to our growth.”

“It’s a good feeling,” Sago said. “It’s a tough economy out there and I’m happy two of our companies have found their niche in the marketplace.”

County Commissioner Chairman Kenneth Robinette said this was definitely exciting news for the county and it’s residents.

“It’s great news,” he said. “We’ve had two announcements within two weeks and most rural counties get one announcement a year, or less. It’s great news. I think it shows our continued economic efforts. We work close with our existing industries.”

Robinette said people don’t realize that often, the biggest economic news comes in the form of expansions rather than new industry.

He added that this announcement enforces the hard work of Sago and the county staff.

“They work with these industries to grow within,” he said. “I just thank the commissioners, the staff, the Department of Commerce and also North Carolina for their partnership. We have a great working relationship with those folks and they have great confidence in Richmond County.”

“This is a great shot in the arm for the textile industry in North Carolina,” Congressman Larry Kissell said Tuesday morning in a press release.

Commissioner Peggy Covington echoed the sentiments of her colleagues in a county press release and added, “It makes me proud to know that the work we do for our citizens continues to pay off.”

n Staff writer Eren Tataragasi can be reached at (910) 997-3111 ext. 19 or at etataragasi@yourdailyjournal.com.