Stein Announces Two Expansions Totaling 528 Jobs as Corvid Technologies and Utili-Serve Grow in North Carolina

As of 11:32 a.m. ET, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026

Gov. Josh Stein announced two company expansions on Oct. 13 and Oct. 14 that together would add 528 jobs in North Carolina's Piedmont. Corvid Technologies plans 423 jobs in Iredell County, and Utili-Serve plans 105 jobs in Catawba County. (The 528 total is GROKsiNEWS.com's sum of the two announcements.)

Corvid Technologies: 423 jobs in Mooresville

Corvid Technologies is an employee-owned, non-traditional defense contractor. It will invest $95 million to expand its Mooresville campus, including a new 400,000-square-foot manufacturing facility at its headquarters for engineering and manufacturing vehicle launch systems, the governor's office said on Oct. 13. The company was founded in 2004 as a small modeling and simulation firm.

The new jobs include assemblers, electricians, engineers, production managers, technicians and testers. The state says they will pay an average of $81,550 a year, above Iredell County's average wage of $64,895, and could add a potential annual payroll of nearly $34.5 million for the region.

The state's Economic Investment Committee approved a Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG) on Oct. 13. It authorizes up to $4,449,750 in potential reimbursements to Corvid over 12 years. Payments come only after Commerce and Revenue verify each year that the company has met its job and investment targets. The state projects the project will grow North Carolina's economy by $1.7 billion over the grant term, and puts the return on public dollars at 93 percent. Because Iredell is a Tier 3 county, the agreement also calls for moving up to $1,483,250 into the state's Industrial Development Fund Utility Account, which helps rural communities pay for infrastructure.

"In just two and a half years, we've grown from 8,000 square feet of manufacturing space to 800,000 square feet," Corvid President and CEO Dr. David Robinson said in the release.

Utili-Serve: 105 jobs in Conover

Utili-Serve, LLC, a utility infrastructure company founded in Conover in 2008, will invest more than $24.8 million to expand its headquarters and build a new 25,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Conover, the governor's office said on Oct. 14. The project will add field control and protective relay panel manufacturing in Conover and make the headquarters a regional hub for project management, manufacturing and logistics. The company operates 30 specialized construction crews across the Southeast, according to the release.

The engineering and panel-assembly jobs will pay an average of $62,400, above the Catawba County average of $56,937, with a potential annual payroll of nearly $6.6 million, according to the state. A performance-based $250,000 One North Carolina Fund grant supports the project. It requires matching participation from local government, and the company gets no money upfront.

Why it matters

Both projects are in manufacturing tied to defense and the power grid. "Companies like Utili-Serve are doubling down on their investments in North Carolina," Stein said. The News & Observer's Under the Dome column recapped both announcements on Sunday morning.

All job, wage and investment figures are company commitments and state projections. The incentives are paid only if the companies meet their targets.