Corning Optical Communications to move headquarters to Charlotte

Corning Optical Communications, headquartered in Hickory, is moving the company headquarters to Charlotte. The new corporate headquarters will create 150 new jobs in Mecklenburg County, Governor Pat McCrory says.

The company made the announcement at their current location, on 17th Street NW, around noon Tuesday.

Corning specializes in fiber optic solutions and plans to invest $38.7 million by the end of 2018.

The company has more than a thousand people on the payroll in Catawba County, most of them at a manufacturing plant making fiber optic cable. Still, several hundred work at the headquarters building off of Highway 321.

The Charlotte positions are expected to average more than $80,000, McCrory says. The average wage in Mecklenburg County is $59,882.

“Corning is a global leader whose name has been prominent in North Carolina’s business community for many years,” McCrory said.

The structure is 40 years old. Earlier this year, company officials said the building was not suited well anymore for the the growing company.

Last Spring, the Catawba County Chamber of Commerce asked citizens to help convince Corning Optical Communications to keep its headquarters in Hickory.

“Today’s announcement builds on the solid foundation this innovative company has in our state, and I am proud we emerged as the top choice for this important headquarters and the new jobs that come with it,” McCrory said.

Corning has 30 locations and more than 17,000 employees worldwide. McCrory says the business employs more than 3,000 people in five North Carolina locations.

wbtv.com