Maersk Selects Charlotte for North American Headquarters, Adding 520 Jobs
The decision brings 520 jobs and a $16 million investment to Mecklenburg County.
Shipping giant Maersk has selected Charlotte for its new headquarters.
Photo by Cheng Xin/Getty ImagesMaersk picked Charlotte for its North American headquarters. Gov. Josh Stein shared the news Tuesday. The decision brings 520 jobs and a $16 million investment to Mecklenburg County.
The company's workforce in the area will balloon to more than 1,300 employees over the next several years. Atlanta lost out in the race to secure the headquarters.
"Maersk's decision to bring its North American headquarters to Charlotte speaks to North Carolina's reputation as a top destination for global business," said Stein in a news release. "We are home to a world-class workforce, and we're proud to welcome Maersk to North Carolina — the top state for business in the country."
The Denmark-based shipping giant has run operations at a south Charlotte campus since 2006. Now, that facility will house corporate functions like finance, human resources, commercial strategy and technology.
"Charlotte has been an important part of our story here at Maersk for over two decades," said Charles van der Steene, president of the North America Region at the firm, per Axios. "The city's strong infrastructure and talented workforce have helped drive our growth over the years."
The subsidiary of Danish Fortune Global 500 company A.P. Moller-Maersk started in 1904. It provides integrated logistics solutions that span ocean and inland transportation, warehousing, customs services and tech-driven logistics platforms. More than 10,000 people work for the company across North America, with around 100,000 employees worldwide.
New positions will span logistics and supply, finance, legal, customer experience, human resources, business support, and operations. Several roles won't require a college degree.
The average salary for new jobs is expected to hit $100,962, topping the Mecklenburg County average of $86,830. This could pump more than $52.5 million into the local economy each year.
North Carolina officials awarded a Job Development Investment Grant for the project Tuesday, agreeing to reimburse up to $7.9 million over 12 years as the company meets job and investment targets. Mecklenburg County and the city kicked in around $500,000 in incentives, according to the North Carolina Department of Commerce Economic Investment Committee meeting.
State officials estimate the project will boost North Carolina's economy by $1.5 billion. This marks the second big headquarters relocation to the region in the past week, following Scout Motors' decision to move its headquarters there with 1,200 jobs.
