This grant assisted Rockingham County with purchasing equipment that was leased to Mohawk Industries, a manufacturer of flooring products. The company was consolidating production from two plants into its Rockingham County plant, which was expected to create 105 jobs and retain 178 jobs in the county. The retained jobs were at risk of being lost if the consolidation occurred at another Mohawk Industries facility outside of North Carolina. The average annual wage of the new jobs was expected to be approximately $36,610, plus benefits including at least 50% of the cost of employee-only health insurance. The county average wage at the time was $34,446. Rockingham County’s unemployment rate was 6.2% compared to the state rate of 5.4%. The lease required the company to repay the full value of the equipment plus the applicable federal rate of interest.
