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Over the last five years, Vintara has invested $62.2M in industrial buildings in Henderson and Buncombe counties, with another $21.5M scheduled. The manufacturers expanding here are betting on this region with their own money. So are we.
This year, three manufacturers that already know Western North Carolina announced 826 new jobs here. Eaton is adding 300 in Arden. BorgWarner is adding 378 in Hendersonville. Jabil is adding more than 148 in Henderson County. None of these companies are new to the region. They are expanding here with their own money.
We wrote about them in Already Here. Still Expanding. This piece is about the other half of that story: the buildings, and the money that goes into them before a company ever signs a lease.
Over the last five years, Vintara has invested $62.2M in industrial property in Henderson and Buncombe counties. Another $21.5M is scheduled for planned expansions and improvements. That is $83.7M committed to the places where this region makes things.
Where the Money Went
Quality Point, Fletcher, Henderson County: $33.7M invested, with a $12.5M expansion planned.
AC Industrial Park, Fletcher, Henderson County: $8.7M invested, with $1.5M in improvements scheduled over the next 12 months and a $3.5M, 30,000 square foot expansion planned.
RidgePoint Industrial Park, Henderson County: $9.5M invested, with a $4.0M, 30,000 square foot expansion planned.
SkyPoint Industrial Park, Arden, Buncombe County: $10.3M invested, including $1.2M in improvements over the last 12 months.
In Henderson County, that is $51.9M invested and $21.5M more on the way. In Buncombe County, it is $10.3M. All of it went into buildings: buying them, improving them and getting space ready for the companies that work in them.
The Teams That Bring Manufacturers Here
A company does not end up in Western North Carolina by accident. Behind most of these decisions is a local economic development team that made the case for the region and helped the company through it.
In Henderson County, that is the Henderson County Partnership for Economic Development. In Buncombe County, it is the Economic Development Coalition for Asheville-Buncombe County, which the International Economic Development Council named the 2026 Economic Development Organization of the Year. Since Hurricane Helene, the EDC reports more than $388M in new investment and 725 new high wage jobs in Buncombe County.
Those teams win projects when they can show a company a real building. A site on a map is a promise. A powered building with a loading dock and room to grow is something a company can say yes to. That is the part we can help with.
What It Means for a Manufacturer
For the company making the move, our investment is capital it does not have to spend. As an illustration, building your own 150,000 square foot plant ties up roughly $23M before anything ships, about $19.5M in construction and $3.5M in land, and then costs around $285K a year to operate. It typically takes 18 to 36 months from decision to production. Leasing an existing building typically takes 6 to 12.
For an owner led company, that capital comes from the same place as the money for equipment and people. Every dollar not spent on walls and a roof can go into machines and hiring, and here, that means more jobs for the people who live in these two counties.
Here for the Long Run
Investment only matters to a tenant if it shows up in how the building performs. At Quality Point, upgrades over 17 months cut energy use by 493,465 kilowatt hours and captured $248,145 in utility incentives. The full program saves $59,990 a year. Tenants are submetered, so they pay for what they use.
Vintara's Class A facilities run full building management and building intelligence systems that track energy use across each building and use AI to analyze consumption patterns and predict savings, keeping that line of the bill as low as possible for manufacturing tenants.
We own and operate our parks. We do not build and sell. Our own construction crew handles improvements and upfits, and our facilities staff is on call 24/7. That is why the $21.5M scheduled matters: it goes into buildings we will still be running, in a region we plan to be part of for a long time.
The companies expanding here are betting on Western North Carolina with their own money. So are we.
Run Your Own Numbers
Our estimate is that a manufacturer moving here can see up to 20% lower all-in cost per square foot than in many higher cost markets. The only way to know what that means for you is to run your own numbers.
Get your free relocation snapshot, which compares your all-in cost where you operate today with Western North Carolina. To walk through it with Scott, book a time.
