{"recordId":"st_ankoqvgpjhkshzo6","canonicalUrl":"https://sotwire.com/stories/marks-site-contractor-prolec-energy-wayne-county","jsonUrl":"https://sotwire.com/stories/marks-site-contractor-prolec-energy-wayne-county/record","slug":"marks-site-contractor-prolec-energy-wayne-county","headline":"Marks Clearing & Grading readies the site for Prolec's $140 million Goldsboro expansion","dek":"The transformer maker broke ground March 17 on a plant expansion the state says will add 330 jobs paying an average of $71,912 a year.","articleBody":"A transformer plant in Goldsboro is expanding to build 420 medium power transformers a year, up from 220, its owner says. A Wendell sitework company, Marks Clearing & Grading, is getting the site ready.\n\nMarks Clearing & Grading said on March 31, 2026, that it is the site contractor on Prolec GE Waukesha's $140 million expansion of the plant, and that the work is under way. Prolec broke ground on March 17.\n\nThe manufacturer, which does business as Prolec Energy, builds power transformers for utilities, cooperatives, data centers and industrial sites. GE Vernova is its joint-venture partner. The plant opened in 1967 and already employs more than 350 people.\n\nGov. Josh Stein announced the expansion in May 2025. The N.C. Department of Commerce said it will create 330 jobs at an average salary of $71,912, against a Wayne County average of $46,211.\n\nThe state approved a Job Development Investment Grant of up to $4,696,000 over 12 years. The grant is paid only if the jobs and the investment show up.\n\nMarks Clearing & Grading did not say what its contract is worth. Construction is expected to take about two and a half years.\n\nThe company says it is working alongside BW Design Group and Prolec on the groundwork that gets the site ready to build.\n\nCorrection, Sept. 22, 2026: An earlier version described the project as a new facility. It is an expansion of the plant Prolec already runs in Goldsboro.","category":"project_win","categoryLabel":"Projects","location":"Goldsboro, NC","company":{"name":"Marks Clearing & Grading","domain":"marksclearingandgrading.com"},"sample":false,"sampleDisclaimer":null,"publishedAt":"2026-09-21T06:07:19.643Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-23T03:45:34.823Z","badge":"Client confirmed","trust":{"level":"client_confirmed","doctrine":"Sotwire verifies who at the company stood behind the submission. It does not independently certify every underlying company claim as true.","verifies":"which named company contact confirmed this version to Sotwire","doesNotCertify":"independent truth of every claim","badge":"Client confirmed","verificationMethod":"Named company contact confirmed the record directly to the Sotwire desk. No work-email domain check, and not an independent fact-check.","domainChecked":false},"attestation":{"attested":false},"confirmation":{"confirmed":true,"name":"Erin O'Brien","title":null,"company":"Marks Clearing & Grading","confirmedAt":"2026-09-21T06:07:15.643Z","method":"Named company contact confirmed the record directly to the Sotwire desk. No work-email domain check, and not an independent fact-check.","domainChecked":false},"facts":[{"label":"Project","value":"$140 million expansion of Prolec GE Waukesha's Goldsboro transformer plant"},{"label":"Plant location","value":"U.S. Highway 117 South, Goldsboro (Wayne County), NC"},{"label":"Owner","value":"Prolec GE Waukesha, doing business as Prolec Energy; joint-venture partner GE Vernova"},{"label":"Products","value":"Power transformers for utilities, cooperatives, data centers and industrial sites"},{"label":"Capacity","value":"From 220 to 420 medium power transformers a year (Prolec)"},{"label":"New jobs","value":"330, at an average salary of $71,912 (N.C. Department of Commerce)"},{"label":"Wayne County average salary","value":"$46,211 (N.C. Department of Commerce)"},{"label":"State incentive","value":"Job Development Investment Grant of up to $4,696,000 over 12 years, paid only if the jobs and the investment show up"},{"label":"Current plant employment","value":"More than 350 people"},{"label":"Plant opened","value":"1967"},{"label":"Construction period","value":"About two and a half years (expected)"},{"label":"Site contractor","value":"Marks Clearing & Grading, Wendell"},{"label":"Working alongside","value":"BW Design Group and Prolec"},{"label":"Contract value and scope","value":"Not disclosed; scope not spelled out line by line"}],"keyEvents":[{"date":"2025-05","label":"Gov. Josh Stein announced the Prolec expansion"},{"date":"2026-03-17","label":"Prolec broke ground on the expansion"},{"date":"2026-03-31","label":"Marks Clearing & Grading said it is the site contractor"},{"date":"2026-09-22","label":"Story corrected to describe the project as an expansion, not a new facility"}],"sources":[],"source":{"url":"https://marksclearingandgrading.com/2026/03/marks-prolec-energy-wayne-county/","publisher":"Marks Clearing & Grading","publishedAt":"2026-03-31T16:00:00.000Z"},"cover":{"url":"https://sotwire.com/covers/marks-site-contractor-prolec-energy-wayne-county.webp","alt":"Marks Clearing & Grading readies the site for Prolec's $140 million Goldsboro expansion","provenance":"unknown","provenanceLabel":"Unknown origin","credit":null},"images":[{"id":"med_wmaz1w3qvt2gl49g","url":"https://pub-ec2c7475154f4c22ba3162ee6eef7802.r2.dev/wire/marksclearingandgrading.com/obj_m2tg4bbz4th2l2qd-wayne-county-clearing-and-grading-marks.jpeg","alt":"Photo: Marks Clearing & Grading","caption":"Photo: Marks Clearing & Grading","credit":null,"lead":false,"provenance":"unknown","filename":"wayne-county-clearing-and-grading-marks.jpeg"}],"provenanceMethod":"EXIF, XMP, and filename heuristic. 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