US Conec plans a $149.7 million Hickory expansion with 224 new jobs
The Hickory maker of high-density fiber optic connector parts will add manufacturing in Fairgrove Business Park and keep about 300 local jobs.
US Conec, which designs and manufactures high-density optical interconnects, will invest more than $149.7 million to expand its manufacturing in Hickory and add 224 jobs, Gov. Josh Stein announced on Oct. 22, 2026. The company has been headquartered in Hickory since its founding in 1992.
According to the City of Hickory and the Catawba County Economic Development Corp., US Conec will equip and upfit an industrial building now under construction at the Catawba Commerce Center in Hickory's Fairgrove Business Park, and will keep its approximately 300 existing local jobs. The local announcement says the company is also moving ahead with a separate 40,000-square-foot building in Fairgrove Business Park and a new headquarters in downtown Hickory. The expansion and hiring are expected to be finished by the end of 2030.
The state says the new positions will pay an average of $56,982 a year, above the Catawba County average of $56,937, for a potential annual payroll impact of more than $12.7 million. A performance-based grant of $500,000 from the One North Carolina Fund supports the project; companies receive no money upfront and must meet job and investment targets to be paid. Local incentives are expected to go before the Hickory City Council and the Catawba County Board of Commissioners at public hearings in mid-November.
"The expansion will create highly skilled jobs, enhance US Conec's manufacturing capabilities in Catawba County and help meet growing demand driven by deployments of advanced computing infrastructure," US Conec president Tracey Horton said in the state's release. The company supplies components for advanced computing infrastructure, enterprise and telecommunications networks, circuit board interconnects, and industrial and military markets.
About this story
By Sotwire Desk. Written by Sotwire Desk from the sources below. Not a company attestation.
Sotwire Desk. Written by a named Sotwire editor from the sources cited below. Not a company attestation. Sotwire corrects errors publicly.
Key facts
- US Conec
- Hickory, NC
- Company news
- Desk reported
- Sotwire Desk
- More than $149.7 million
- 224
- About 300, per the City of Hickory
- $56,982, per the state
- $500,000 One North Carolina Fund, performance-based
- Catawba Commerce Center, Fairgrove Business Park, Hickory
- End of 2030
- Tracey Horton
- 1992, Hickory
Key events
- Gov. Josh Stein announced the expansion
Sources
- Governor Stein Announces $149 Million Expansion for US Conec · Office of the Governor of North Carolina · accessed 2026-10-27
- US Conec to invest $149.7M in Hickory expansion, creating 224 new jobs · City of Hickory · accessed 2026-10-27
- US Conec to Invest $149.7 Million in Hickory Expansion, Creating 224 New Jobs · Catawba County Economic Development Corp. · accessed 2026-10-27