Charlotte economist Mark Vitner, a keen observer of the Carolinas business community for decades, recently called Hickory and Catawba County “one of the most important industrial stories in the Southeast right now.”

Conover, NC — Control Technologies, LLC is proud to announce its participation in the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Lift Challenge, a national competition focused on advancing the future of heavy vertical-lift unmanned aircraft systems. The DARPA Lift Challenge seeks innovative aircraft designs capable of carrying payloads exceeding four times their own weight, with the goal of revolutionizing both military and commercial aerial logistics and transportatio

It is estimated that some one out of three upholsterers have chronic musculoskeletal disorders like carpal tunnel and back pain. In Conover North Carolina, an emerging startup called Kathedra wants to do away with that pain and elevate the art of upholstery. It aims to do so by designing automated robots to handle more repetitive, physically demanding tasks like stapling down panels or fastening steel bands.

Goldhofer AG, a globally recognized German manufacturer of specialized heavy transport and airport ground support equipment, announced today that it will establish a new North American production facility and United States headquarters at Trivium Corporate Center in Hickory, North Carolina. The company plans to invest more than $20 million and create up to 80 new jobs by the end of 2030.

In November 2022, Catawba County, the Cities of Conover and Hickory, the Town of Maiden, and the Catawba County Economic Development Corporation announced Microsoft’s plan to invest a minimum of $1 billion in the phased development of four data centers in Catawba County over a 10-year period. As our local project has progressed, questions about community impact have been raised and deserve thoughtful discussion and transparency.

Catawba Valley Community College (CVCC) and the CVCC Foundation, in partnership with the City of Hickory and regional leaders, celebrated the official ribbon cutting of the Dale Earnhardt Regional Innovation Complex on April 22, 2026—marking a transformative investment in workforce development, innovation, and educational opportunity for the Catawba Valley region.

The Manufacturing Solutions Center (MSC), a division of Catawba Valley Community College (CVCC), is proud to announce the successful renewal of its ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accreditation.

Corning Incorporated (NYSE: GLW) and Meta Platforms, Inc. (Nasdaq: META) today marked the start of construction on a significant expansion of Corning’s optical cable manufacturing capacity in Hickory, North Carolina, reinforcing their collaboration to support the buildout of advanced AI data centers using technology developed and manufactured in the United States.

Originally published at https://siteselectorsguild.com/redi-sites-round-four/ REDI Sites , a site readiness verification program created by the Site Selectors Guild, has announced its Round Four designations, recognizing 17 industrial sites that have met the program’s criteria for investment rea diness. This round marks a major milestone in the growth of REDI Sites: Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico, Ohio, and Oklahoma previously had no designated REDI Sites. With this announ

By Courtney Roberts Posted March 3, 2026 at 1:25 p.m. at https://today.appstate.edu/2026/03/03/golden-leaf BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State University has been awarded $500,000 in funding from the Golden LEAF Foundation, which supports the establishment of a nursing simulation and clinical learning lab at the App State Hickory campus . App State senior nursing major Kimber Blackburn, left, practices her nursing skills under the direction of Dr. Melinda Bogardus, assistant prof