OPW Breaks Ground On Major Expansion In Johnston County

SMITHFIELD, N.C. — Global fuel handling systems manufacturer OPW is expanding its Johnston County operations, breaking ground Friday on a major addition to its facility near Johnston Regional Airport.

Approximately 75 business and civic leaders joined OPW executives, representatives from ARCO Design/Build and local officials to celebrate the expansion of the company’s headquarters on U.S. Highway 70 Business.

OPW, a division of Illinois-based Dover Corp., is a leading global manufacturer of fluid transfer solutions, including retail fueling systems, with operations spanning six continents.

For company leaders, however, Johnston County remains at the center of its worldwide operations.

“This is a big deal,” said Michael McCann, vice president and general manager at OPW, citing Johnston County’s business climate and workforce. OPW operates manufacturing facilities in China, Malaysia, Sweden and the United Kingdom. “But this is the headquarters,” McCann said, “and that’s not random.”

The $42 million investment will create 90 additional jobs.

Since acquiring the Smithfield facility in 2006, OPW has expanded its local workforce from approximately 50 employees to about 500.

“It’s a great North Carolina story, and it wouldn’t be possible without the support of the community, government officials and our employees,” said McCann, who has helped manage the Johnston County operation for the past two decades.

Greg Kennedy, OPW’s vice president of operations, credited the company’s success to its partnership with Johnston County, the Johnston County Economic Development Office, the Clayton Chamber of Commerce and the company’s employees.

“Johnston County is very important to OPW,” Kennedy said. “The people in this area make things so easy.”

Kennedy said employee turnover at the Smithfield facility is about five percent.

“Johnston Community College has done tremendous things for us,” Kennedy said. “We have great training programs we’ve developed in partnership with JCC that help educate kids in this area.”

The project is being designed and constructed by ARCO Design/Build, a national design-build firm that has completed numerous industrial projects in Johnston County.

“The reason I love being here is because the community is great,” said Matt Hohorst, chief construction officer at ARCO Design/Build. After opening its Raleigh office, Hohorst said the company’s first project was in Johnston County.

“We kind of fell in love with it then,” he said.

The OPW project marks another significant industrial investment in Johnston County. Earlier this month, AdvanceTEC and its new French sister company, Pierre Guerin, broke ground on a $7.5 million, 32,000-square-foot expansion of its Clayton manufacturing facility.

Johnston County Economic Development Advisory Board Chairman Ed Aldridge said the county continues to attract international investment while maintaining its local identity.

“While Johnston County works hard to maintain its unique community roots, our economy has a global reach that attracts investment dollars and jobs from around the U.S. and the world,” Aldridge said. “Not all business destinations can say that. We can because our leadership has extraordinary vision, our neighborhoods are warm and welcoming, and our growing workforce is unbeatable.”

Founded in 1955 and headquartered in Downers Grove, Illinois, Dover Corp. generates more than $8 billion in annual revenue and employs approximately 24,000 people worldwide. OPW’s Retail Fueling business manufactures fuel dispensing, transfer and containment systems and serves customers around the globe.