This grant provides funding to Rockingham County for the construction of a 500,000-gallon, elevated water tank. The county needs the tank to provide sufficient water pressure for a new manufacturing facility of the Ontex Group, a Belgian manufacturer of personal hygiene products. The company will locate in South Rockingham Corporate Park, along I-73 and US 65. It will hire 352 new employees over five years and retain 51 positions paying an average annual wage of more than $40,000, approximately $5,000 more than the current average wage of Rockingham County residents. The project also involves a capital investment of $93.3 million, comprised of a new 250,000-square-foot manufacturing facility that the company will lease and the company’s own investment in equipment and other property. The water tank will also provide service to other businesses and residences in the area.
