Canadian Rebar Plant Brings $15.5M Investment, 83 Jobs to New Bladenboro Plant

A new manufacturing venture will bring jobs to Bladenboro, North Carolina. MST Rebar Inc. will spend $15.5 million to build a fiberglass rebar plant. Workers at the site will earn $54,361 on average.

The firm picked a 56,000-square-foot space in Bladenboro Industrial Park for its first U.S. site. Each day, workers will make enough fiberglass rebar to stretch 75 miles. The plant marks the Canadian company's push into American markets.

"North Carolina has the largest and most talented advanced manufacturing workforce in the Southeast—and it's a great place to live," said Governor Josh Stein, according to WECT.

Staff will fill spots as machinists, inspectors, and engineers. The jobs pay well above Bladen County's typical wage of $46,867. This boost could add $4.5 million yearly to local spending power.

"MST-BAR is a revolutionary industrial product," said David Richardson, President of MST Rebar. "It's corrosion resistant, stronger than steel, lasts longer than the concrete it is reinforcing, a quarter the weight of steel, which offers less workplace injuries, and allows for shipping four times as much per truckload."

Since 2012, when two siblings started the business, MST Rebar has grown fast. Their materials now strengthen state roads and bridges, including North Carolina's Alligator River crossing.

For Bladenboro's 1,600 residents, this plant signals hope. Mayor David Hales shared memories of better times: "I can remember when I was a very young child, Bladenboro was a very thriving downtown area. We had small grocery stores down here. We had drug stores, more than one. We had restaurants downtown."

The state backs this growth with $250,000 from its One North Carolina Fund. To keep this money, the company must create promised jobs, and local officials must match the funds.