Thanks in part to Four County EMC, Mojotone LLC, a local music industry manufacturing company, was recently able to move into a new 40,000 square-foot facility at the Pender Progress Industrial Park in Burgaw. The company held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new building on Friday, April 20.
Four County EMC helped Mojotone secure a $1 million loan through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant program that was used to finish the building’s interior and ready it for occupancy. USDA provides zero-interest loans to utilities which can then be passed on to local businesses for projects that will create and retain jobs for rural communities. The co-op also provided a loan to Pender Progress that supported the shell building’s initial construction.
Prior to the move, Mojotone was housed in three buildings totaling 35,000 square feet. The company, which employed 48 people last summer, has already expanded its workforce to 62 and expects continued growth in employment, according to the Greater Wilmington Business Journal.
“We’re pleased that Four County EMC can play a key role in supporting local job creation and economic development,” CEO Mitchell Keel said. “That’s what sets co-ops apart—our commitment to investing in rural communities and helping provide opportunities that will allow them to grow and thrive.”
Mojotone was founded in Winston-Salem in 2000 and makes amplifiers, sound system cabinetry and components for electric guitars. Past customers include Rush; Eric Clapton; ZZ Top; Garth Brooks; Keith Urban; and Audley Freed, guitarist for Sheryl Crow, The Black Crowes and other bands. Freed grew up in Burgaw and now lives in Nashville.
