Investing in Winston-Salem, NC

Courtesy of John Deere

Businesses looking for the ideal place to locate new facilities or expand existing operations are putting Greater Winston-Salem at the top of their list, and it’s easy to see why. The area boasts a sturdy economy, innovative industries, affordability, a strong talent pool and a quality of life that employees and employers love. 

“Winston-Salem offers companies several critical advantages when expanding or investing in the region, but the two most often noted by companies are our workforce and our culture of business support,” says Ellis Keifer, vice president of economic development for Greater Winston-Salem Inc. Here’s a look at some of the businesses in Winston-Salem that are investing in the region.

Businesses in Winston-Salem: Investing in Change 

For companies like John Deere, the region is the perfect place to invest and create jobs. John Deere has been part of the Kernersville community in Forsyth County since 1988 and has two new projects in the works, totaling $135 million in capital investment – a new manufacturing facility that will expand its production of battery technology and a new factory that will expand its product line and add 150 new jobs to a campus that already employs approximately 600 people. 

John Deere is investing approximately $70 million to build the new 380,000-square-foot factory, which will produce small excavators at its Kernersville campus. The 115,000-square-foot battery manufacturing facility, which will be located on the Kernersville campus, will expand production capacity of Kreisel Electric products. Kreisel produces innovative battery technology for e-mobility and stationary systems as well as comprehensive Level 3 charging solutions. 

“Our customers are facing challenges that require their businesses to be more dynamic than ever before. We are engineering the technological innovations they’ll rely on to do so,” says Jennifer Preston, global director of John Deere Electric Powertrain and CEO of Kreisel. “This investment is a great step forward as we work toward our goal of demonstrating viable low- and near-zero-carbon power solutions by 2026,” she says. 

Adding Jobs in Winston-Salem

Like John Deere, other companies investing in the region are creating a wealth of career opportunities. According to Keifer, in the past two years, new and expanding companies in Greater Winston-Salem have announced the creation of 1,582 jobs and more than $348 million in capital investment. 

South Africa-based manufacturer Radél, which recently chose a site in Winston-Salem for its U.S. operations, is expected to add approximately 50 jobs to the area. Ziehl-Abegg Inc., a manufacturer of commercial ventilation systems, is investing more than $100 million to expand its operations and relocate its North American headquarters to Winston-Salem from a neighboring county. It expects to employ over 300 employees by 2027. 

Additionally, Nelipak, a global manufacturer of rigid and flexible packaging solutions for medical device, diagnostic, pharmaceutical drug delivery and other applications, is establishing a new flexible packaging production site in Winston-Salem. 

The company is investing $20 million and expects to create about 80 new jobs over five years. 

“We are excited for the opening of our 11th global facility in Winston- Salem, North Carolina,” says Todd Mansfield, vice president of global HR for Nelipak. “Important factors in our decision to locate our first North American flexible packaging operation in Forsyth County and Winston-Salem included an attractive geographic area with an available new building, a skilled local workforce, a regional emphasis on training and education, and a favorable business climate for health care-related manufacturing.” 

Creating a Ripple Effect 

As companies grow and locate in Forsyth County, their investments ripple throughout the region. “The jobs created provide career opportunities that will have a generational impact on the families of our city,” Keifer says. “The capital invested in projects and wages expands the local tax base and stimulates our economy as those dollars are spent at local businesses.” 

Since the Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce combined with Winston-Salem Business Inc. in 2020, creating Greater Winston- Salem Inc., the organization has supported the creation of more than 2,000 jobs and $700 million in capital investment. 

“We have estimated through impact analysis that the ripple effect from those announcements has or will create an additional 1,400 jobs and $275 million in estimated annual wages, Keifer says. 

The companies choosing Greater Winston-Salem are largely attracted by the region’s highly skilled and broad pool of talent. 

“Our largest asset is the quality and availability of our workforce. The Winston-Salem-Greensboro- High Point CSA boasts a workforce of over 800,000 people, and our in-migration rate is far outpacing the rest of the country,” Keifer says. 

Greater Winston-Salem Inc. Named Top Chamber

In 2024, Greater Winston-Salem Inc. was named national Chamber of the Year by the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE). Virginia-based ACCE recognized and crowned Greater Winston-Salem Inc. for its excellence in operations, membership services, community leadership, focus on entrepreneurship and economic development efforts. 

“We provided ACCE with lots of facts and details about our chamber – a large information portfolio of about 100 pages,” says Mark Owens, Greater Winston-Salem Inc. president and CEO. “We kept advancing through ACCE’s rating process, and it was exciting when we were ultimately chosen the national winner over fellow finalists Phoenix, Arizona, and the State Chamber of Oklahoma.” 

Owens says Greater Winston-Salem Inc. had to submit records of its accomplishments, and the list was lengthy. Among its achievements noted was playing a part in getting $700 million in capital investment and 2,400- plus jobs generated in the region since 2020. In addition, the organization has been involved in distributing $889,000 in Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) grants to startups and small companies. 

– Kevin Litwin contributed to this article.