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High Point In The Running For Manufacturing Plant

Rendering of the Premier Center site in North High Point. Courtesy of the High Point Economic Development Corporation.

An international manufacturing company is eyeing High Point as a possible location for a new plant.

City and county officials are discussing incentive packages totaling more than $2 million to help sway Amada North America from other competing locations.

The company, which makes machines for sheet metal manufacturers, is considering the Premier Center Business Park in North High Point for expansion.

Sandy Dunbeck with the High Point Economic Development Corporation says the company would bring more than 200  jobs to the community.

“The average wage for these jobs is $37,000. The positions would range from factory assemblers and machine operators to engineers and production managers,” says Dunbeck.

She says the company's total investment in the community would be around $82 million.

Amada is also considering sites in South Carolina and Tennessee.

High Point officials say the company would have to deliver on its promises before it receives any incentives.

City Council held a public hearing about the proposed incentives on Wednesday. Guilford County Board of Commissioners will do the same during its meeting on Thursday.

“Amada North America certainly is complimentary to the opportunities that we have in aerospace and automotive and other metal working in the Triad area, so we think they are a great fit for this community. We are excited about the possibilities,” says Dunbeck.

Local leaders expect a decision from the company sometime within the next few months.

*Follow WFDD's Keri Brown on Twitter @kerib_news

Keri Brown is a multi-award winning reporter and host at 88.5 WFDD. She has been honored with two regional Edward R. Murrow awards for her stories about coal ash, and was named the 2015 radio reporter of the year by the Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas (RTDNAC).Although she covers a variety of topics, her beats are environmental and education reporting.Keri comes to the Triad from West Virginia Public Broadcasting, where she served as the Chief Bureau Reporter for the Northern Panhandle. She produced stories for the state's Public Television and Radio programs and was honored by the West Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters Association for her feature and enterprise reporting.She also served as an adjunct instructor at Wheeling Jesuit University and Bethany College in West Virginia. She worked with the Center for Educational Technologies in Wheeling, WV, and other NASA centers across the country to develop several stories about the use of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts in the classroom.Keri's journalism career began at WTRF-TV 7 in Wheeling. She worked in several roles at the station, including the head assignment editor. She also was a field producer and assignment manager at WPGH-TV Fox 53 in Pittsburgh.Keri is a graduate of Ohio University. When she's not in the studio or working on a story, she enjoys watching college football with her family, cooking, and traveling.Keri is always looking for another great story idea, so please share them with her. You can follow her on Twitter @kerib_news.

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