GREENVILLE, North Carolina – Grover Gaming, a software development and design company founded in Greenville, North Carolina, announces a local expansion that’s expected to bring 200 new jobs and $12.5 million in capital investment over the next five years to the Greenville and Pitt County region.
“Eastern North Carolina has always been our home, so we are excited to further invest and contribute to its future prosperity and development,” said Garrett Blackwelder, founder and CEO of Grover Gaming.
The company worked with several local partners on this project, including the Greenville – Eastern North Carolina (ENC) Alliance, City of Greenville, Greenville Utilities Commission, and Pitt County.
“The Greenville – ENC Alliance is proud to have had the opportunity to work with the team at Grover Gaming,” said Steve Weathers, president and CEO of the Greenville – ENC Alliance. “We successfully competed against Columbus, Ohio; Atlanta, Georgia; and Las Vegas, Nevada for this project. Our community continues to rise to the top of site selection projects as a premier destination due to our talent, connectivity, and livability.”
As a multi-year recipient of Inc Magazine’s prestigious Inc 5000 award, Grover Gaming recently ranked #194 for the 2020 awards. Grover Gaming is in the top 4 percent of the nation in revenue growth, making it the fastest growing company in eastern North Carolina. Its nationwide workforce of 190 currently includes 126 employees in North Carolina.
“This homegrown North Carolina software enterprise is among the fastest-growing companies in the country, and eastern North Carolina will continue to be host to its corporate headquarters,” said Commerce Secretary Anthony M. Copeland. “Grover Gaming’s expansion highlights our well-equipped workforce, livable communities and modern business amenities that appeal to innovation-minded companies.”
Local leaders are thrilled that the internationally recognized company is continuing its success in Greenville.
“The City of Greenville is excited to be part of Grover Gaming’s continuous growth. For many years, the City has been a supporter of Grover Gaming as it rapidly grows to meet industry demands. We are thrilled that the company decided to expand in the city where they were founded,” said City Manager Ann Wall.
Earlier this year, Grover Gaming was awarded a Job Creation Grant by the Greenville City Council as an incentive for creating 100 new jobs in the Greenville area. Now, with this newly announced expansion, Grover Gaming expects to create 200 new jobs, which is an increase from their initial proposal in February. To provide additional support for this project, the City of Greenville extended the current jobs investment grant by $200,000.
"As a City Council, we have always prioritized expanding the economic hub of Eastern North Carolina by bringing in new jobs and helping existing businesses grow,” said Greenville Mayor P.J. Connelly. “Grover Gaming has certainly been one of the area's success stories, and the City is excited to know that this homegrown business will continue to call Greenville home while providing additional job opportunities for our community."
Pitt County approved an economic development performance-based grant for Grover Gaming that could provide up to $500,000 over a five-year period.
“Pitt County has supported Grover Gaming’s growth over the years, and is very pleased to see yet another expansion from them. We continue to support their latest expansion and we are proud Grover Gaming selected Pitt County, as we know there was competition from other states for their new facility,” said Pitt County Board of Commissioners Chair Ann Floyd-Huggins.
Grover Gaming develops software, game content, and gaming systems. While it is headquartered in Greenville, the company is licensed in New Hampshire, Kentucky, North Dakota, Ontario Canada, Virginia, and South Dakota. New positions at the company will include software developers, game designers and artists, project managers, quality assurance engineers, accounting and human resource specialists, and others. New positions will offer salaries that average $50,645 per year, creating an annual payroll impact of nearly $11.2 million for the region. Pitt County’s overall average annual wage is currently $41,008.
“Through the hard work of our amazing team, we are in a position to create hundreds of new jobs,” said Blackwelder. “Our goal is to recruit talented and passionate professionals to Greenville and the surrounding areas, as well as retain our homegrown and local talent."
Grover Gaming’s North Carolina expansion will be facilitated, in part, by a Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG) approved by the state’s Economic Investment Committee earlier today. The project is estimated to grow the state’s economy by $466.6 million over the 12-year term of the grant. Using a formula that takes into account the new tax revenues generated by the 200 new jobs, the JDIG agreement authorizes the potential reimbursement to the company of up to $3,476,000 over 12 years. State payments occur only after verification by the departments of Commerce and Revenue that the company has met incremental job creation and investment targets. Projects supported by JDIG must result in positive net tax revenue to the state treasury after taking into consideration the grant’s reimbursement payments to the recipient company. The provision ensures all North Carolina communities benefit from the JDIG program.
Numerous state and local partners supported this project including the North Carolina Department of Commerce, the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina (EDPNC), the North Carolina General Assembly, the North Carolina Community College System, the North Carolina Department of Transportation, the Golden LEAF Foundation, Pitt County, City of Greenville, Greenville Utilities Commission, and the Greenville – ENC Alliance.
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Media Relations Contact: Maria Satira
Director of Marketing and Communications
Greenville - Eastern North Carolina Alliance
satira@encalliance.com
252-414-2875
