Plans for Automatic Rolls Move Forward

Acting on the recommendation of the Planning Board, the Town Council has approved a request from Automatic Rolls of NC to build its new complex on Pony Farm Road taller than regulations usually allow, clearing the way for the company to move forward with construction.

The commercial baker, which held its official groundbreaking ceremony at the site last month, will be allowed to build to a height of 65 feet, rather than the usual 50 feet.

A similar request from drug-maker Talecris Biotherapeutics, who was convinced to locate a new $269 million expansion here a few months ago, was approved earlier this year.

Automatic Rolls, part of the Northeast Foods family, bakes hamburger buns for McDonalds. The new 80,000-sq.ft facility, which should be operational in about a year, will serve two Golden State Foods distribution centers, one in nearby Garner and another in Lexington, SC. The company is the largest supplier of buns for McDonald's in the United States.

The town was recently awarded a $700,000 Community Development Block Grant by the NC Department of Commerce to help with the infrastructure costs associated with luring the company to Clayton. The money will be used to help build an industrial access road to the building site in East Clayton and run water and sewer lines.

"We commend the town for its economic development efforts and look forward to working with you on the implementation of the project," said Commerce Deputy Secretary Dale Carroll in a letter to Mayor Jody McLeod.

Town officials, who have already committed $233,333 in local funds to the project, are also expecting help from the NC Dept. of Transportation (DOT).

The work is part of the infrastructure needed for the $25.4 million commercial bakery that's expected to bring 84 high-paying jobs to the area---jobs expected to average nearly $42,000 a year in salary, which is much more than the Johnston County average of $31,408.

The commercial baker is just the town's latest economic development success. In addition to the huge Talecris expansion, town officials last year lured multi-national bakery equipment manufacturer Turkington to relocate its North American operations to Clayton and equipment-maker Caterpillar to build a new Product Development Center here.