Pro Refrigeration – “Cheers” & Welcome to Davie County

$4.9 Million Investment Creates 85 New Manufaturing Jobs in Davie County
Pro Refrigeration is investing $4.9 million to create 85 new manufacturing jobs in Davie County, NC.  On Tuesday September 10, 2013, Pro Refrigeration held an open house at their east coast headquarters and manufacturing center in Mocksville, North Carolina. Speakers included Pro Refrigeration CEO, Jim Vandergiessen, Jr., North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory, Pro Refrigeration President, Jim Vendergiessen, Sr. and Terry Bralley, president of the Davie County Economic Development Commission.

 Davie County Site Selection Win Ends Year Long Search
Pro Refrigeration designs, manufactures, and distributes state-of-the-art refrigeration systems for the dairy, winery, food processing, medical, and brewing industries. After a yearlong search for a site that would fit their expansion plans, the family owned manufacturer decided that both the Davie County facility and the community best reflected their vision.  According to CEO Jim Vandergiessen, “We chose Davie County for the skilled workforce, the business friendly environment, and the amazing support we’ve received from everyone we’ve met. Special credit needs to be given to Mr. Bernard Torain, NC Department of Commerce, and Mr. Terry Bralley, President of the Davie County Economic Development Commission, who backed up everything they said with hard work and tenacious follow through.”

The crowd at the open house included Pro Refrigeration customers, employees and Davie County residents, as well as state and local government leaders. Pro Refrigeration employees from the company’s west coast headquarters in Auburn, Washington also attended via live video feed.  The celebration included a cake from Ketchie Creek Bakery. Attendees cheerfully toasted the day with samples from a few Pro Refrigeration customers which include award winning breweries and wineries.

Local and State Leaders Attend Open House
Attending the celebration were NC Governor McCrory, NC State Representative Julia Howard, NC State Senator Andrew Brock, Mr. Bernard Torain of the North Carolina Department of Commerce, commercial realtor, Jack Steelman, Terry Bralley, President of the Davie County Economic Development Commission, President of the Davie County Chamber of Commerce, Carolyn McManamy, and Mayor of the Town of Mocksville, Dr. Francis W. Slate.

There were speeches, of course, and Mr. Jim Vandergiessen, Jr. spoke appreciatively of the cooperation and support he received from the county, state and the town of Mocksville. He expressed enthusiasm for the sense of close knit fellowship he both felt, and saw demonstrated every time he visited Davie County.

“We are Honored and up to the Challenge”
Mr. Vandergiessen reported that they are currently ahead of schedule with their North Carolina plan. He made it clear that the people responsible for the success of their company included not just the company’s leadership, but their loyal customer base, employees, suppliers, families and the Davie County leaders who believed in them and supported their efforts from the very first visit to Mocksville.

He praised the teamwork he witnessed when our local and state leadership worked together to assemble a package of performance based incentives to assist the company as it invests in our people and our community. He stated “We are honored and up to the challenge”.

The high standards and employee focused nature of Pro Refrigeration shone through during both his “thank you” speech, and the words spoken by his father, company President, Jim Vendergiessen, Sr. about the choice to expand their business to Davie County, North Carolina.

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 “This Country Was Built on Manufacturing…”
Governor McCrory was on hand to present a North Carolina State Flag and to articulate a warm welcome to the guests, the Vandergiessen family and their employees. He mentioned the importance of manufacturing and agriculture in our state’s history and future growth.

The Governor expressed his belief that tax reform and hard work will continue to create jobs and spur economic growth and development. He emphasized that economic development is a “team sport” and that economic development wins, like the one with Pro Refrigeration, will bring jobs and millions of dollars which will be invested back into our community.

For more information on employment opportunities with Pro Refrigeration, click here. You can also follow them on Facebook.

Resources:
Davie County Economic Development Commission
Davie County Chamber of Commerce
NC Depertment of Coommerce
Pro Refrigeration NC Jobs
Davie County Jobs