North Wake News

Today, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for Johnson & Johnson's new biomanufacturing facility in Wilson, North Carolina. Governor Josh Stein attended the event alongside business leaders and elected officials, emphasizing the facility's significance to the state's economy. During the ceremony, Governor Stein presented an official state flag to be flown at the new site.

Governor Stein stated, "Biotechnology is one of our state’s largest and fastest growing economic sectors." He expressed satisfaction with Johnson & Johnson's decision to establish their facility in Wilson and looked forward to collaborating with them to enhance economic opportunities and job quality across North Carolina.

Jennifer Taubert, Executive Vice President and Worldwide Chairman of Innovative Medicine at Johnson & Johnson, commented on the investment: "We are pleased to make this significant investment in our manufacturing network in the United States. This state-of-the-art biologics facility in North Carolina will help Johnson & Johnson to accelerate the delivery of our portfolio and pipeline of transformational medicines for patients." She noted that this $2 billion investment would generate over 5,000 high-wage jobs in manufacturing and construction while fostering community partnerships that support local educational initiatives.

Governor Stein reiterated his commitment to innovation and maintaining North Carolina's reputation as a leading business state by creating well-paying jobs. The state currently hosts more than 830 life science companies employing over 225,000 people. The new facility from Johnson & Johnson is expected to create 420 jobs with salaries significantly higher than the average in Wilson County. Since taking office, Governor Stein has overseen the creation of over 1,500 new jobs across rural areas of North Carolina.