Defense contractor Corvid Technologies will add 423 jobs paying an average $81,550 and build a 400,000-square-foot plant at its Mooresville campus. What the state deal says.
Corvid Technologies will add 423 jobs and invest $95 million in its Mooresville campus. The defense contractor plans a 400,000-square-foot manufacturing building at its headquarters, where it will engineer and build vehicle launch systems.
Gov. Josh Stein announced the expansion Tuesday. The state’s Economic Investment Committee approved a jobs grant for the project the same day, according to the governor’s office.
It is the company’s third announced expansion in Mooresville since 2018, and the largest.
Updated Oct. 25: Iredell County commissioners approved a county grant of up to $3,187,100 over 10 years for the expansion on Oct. 20. Read what else the county decided.
The jobs
The new positions include:
- assemblers
- electricians
- engineers
- production managers
- technicians
- testers
Salaries will vary by role. The governor’s office said the average will be $81,550 a year, above Iredell County’s average wage of $64,895. It put the potential payroll at nearly $34.5 million a year.
The release did not say when hiring starts or when the new building will open.
What the state is putting in
The deal runs through a Job Development Investment Grant, the state’s main incentive for large projects. The grant does not pay anything up front.
- Up to $4,449,750 could go back to Corvid over 12 years.
- Payments come only after checks. Each year the state Commerce and Revenue departments must confirm the company hit its job and investment targets.
- Up to $1,483,250 could go into the state’s Industrial Development Fund Utility Account, which helps rural communities pay for infrastructure. That share applies because Iredell County is a Tier 3 county in the state’s ranking system.
- A $1.7 billion boost to the state economy over the 12 years is the state’s estimate.
- $1.93 back for every $1 of potential cost is the state’s projected return in state revenue.
The release names Iredell County, the Iredell County Economic Development Corporation, the Town of Mooresville, Mitchell Community College and Duke Energy among the partners. It does not say whether the town or county is offering its own incentives for this project.
What the company and officials said
“In just two and a half years, we’ve grown from 8,000 square feet of manufacturing space to 800,000 square feet,” Corvid President and CEO David Robinson said in the release. “We are proud to continue building Corvid’s future right here in North Carolina.”
“Corvid’s homegrown success and growth speak to the advantages of doing business in North Carolina,” Stein said.
State Sen. Vickie Sawyer of Iredell County said the jobs “are exactly the opportunities we want to provide the hardworking people who call our region home.”
State and company leaders first discussed the project at the 2026 Farnborough International Airshow in England, the governor’s office said.
Three expansions in eight years
Corvid was founded in 2004 as a small modeling and simulation firm. It now designs, tests and manufactures defense systems, and it is employee-owned.
| Announced | Project | Investment | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 27, 2018 | New Mooresville headquarters | $28.9 million | 367 |
| Sept. 17, 2024 | 200,000-square-foot manufacturing building | $30 million | 54 |
| Oct. 13, 2026 | 400,000-square-foot manufacturing building | $95 million | 423 |
Sources: the N.C. Department of Commerce for 2018, Corvid Technologies for 2024 and the governor’s office for 2026.
The 2018 deal carried a state grant of up to $9,000,750 over 12 years, the Commerce Department said at the time.
Corvid also holds several grants from the state’s One North Carolina Small Business Program, the governor’s office said.
What it means for you
- Job seekers: Corvid lists its openings on its careers page. The new roles cover skilled trades as well as engineering.
- Commuters: Corvid’s campus sits near Lake Norman and Interstate 77 in the south of town. A building of this size means construction traffic and, later, more shift traffic. Our road work and closures page tracks what is happening on local roads.
- Taxpayers: New buildings add to the county’s tax base. Our property taxes page explains how Mooresville and Iredell County rates work.
For the other businesses that have opened or grown in town this year, see our new businesses in Mooresville roundup.
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