LENOIR, N.C. — Google said Friday it plans to expand in Lenoir. The company already employs 150 people there and will be adding 50 more jobs.
Gov. Pat McCrory singled out one of Google’s success stories. At one time, Paul Bowman worked in the furniture industry. But during the last decade, plants have closed and the county has lost thousands of jobs.
“It was like, if there's any way I can get my foot in the door, that's where I want to be,” Bowman said.
Five years after joining the company, Bowman is now an operation engineer.
The data center houses computers that support Google Search, Gmail and YouTube.
News of the expansion spread quickly to other businesses in the area. Right now, Caldwell County's unemployment rate is 11.4 percent with more than 4,400 people out of work. The construction alone could help smaller businesses, like Paula's Diner just down the street.
“I've had to work in Conover for the past few years because there are no jobs in Caldwell County,” employee Marcie Triplett said. “It will be great for the community and the people up here.”
Eyewitness News asked officials at Google how long it would be before they start construction. They said it could start this week and they are looking to hire people now.
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