Governor Roy Cooper announced earlier this week that EPOC Enviro, a PFAS remediation company, will create 226 new jobs in Iredell County. The company will invest more than $4.1 million to locate its first North American production site to Statesville.

EPOC Enviro is a subsidiary of OPEC Systems, an Australian firm with three decades of global environmental engineering experience. With SAFF®, a Surface Active Foam Fractionation technology, EPOC provides a clean and sustainable remediation solution that removes harmful polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from water, soil, and industrial systems. The company patented SAFF® in 2016 as a natural process using air to permanently, and rapidly, remediate PFAS with zero harm to the environment. The new location in Statesville will provide 260,000 square feet of manufacturing space to serve and expand its U.S. market.

The North Carolina Department of Commerce led the state’s efforts to support EPOC’s location to North Carolina. New positions include electricians, engineers, fitters, managers, technicians, and administrative personnel. Although salaries for the new positions will vary, the average annual salary for the new positions is $64,464, which exceeds the Iredell County average wage of $64,433. The project could create a potential annual payroll impact of more than $14.5 million per year for the region.

EPOC’s project will be facilitated, in part, by a Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG) approved by the state’s Economic Investment Committee. Over the course of the 12-year term of this grant, the project is estimated to grow the state’s economy by $712 million.

Because EPOC chose a site in Iredell County, classified by the state’s economic tier system as Tier 3, the company’s JDIG agreement also calls for moving $421,750 into the state’s Industrial Development Fund – Utility Account. The Utility Account helps rural communities across the state finance necessary infrastructure upgrades to attract future business.