June 4. Ames Copper Group, a joint venture of Prime Materials Recovery and the Cunext Group, will invest at least $26.3 million to expand its copper manufacturing facility in Shelby. It means 46 new jobs for Cleveland County.

Ames Copper will ultimately invest more than $50 million in infrastructure, equipment and working capital over the course of the project to build a new copper smelter plant, which will recycle and purify copper materials.

Currently, PMR’s affiliate IMC Metals America employs a 76-person workforce that manufactures copper for wiring and lightning rods, as well as applications in the defense industry.

Bernard Schilberg, CEO of Prime Materials Recovery, said they are bringing resources back to the United States that create “more opportunities for our economy to prosper.”

Among the positions Ames Copper Group will create are casting workers, maintenance personnel, supervisors and administrative staff. The average annual salary for the new positions could exceed $51,700, with a payroll impact of more than $2.3 million per year for the local economy. The current average annual wage in Cleveland County is $40,019.

A performance-based grant of $150,000 from the One North Carolina Fund supported the investment. The NC Department of Commerce worked closely with the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina in leading a collaborative state effort to support the company’s expansion. Other key partners in the project include the North Carolina Rural Infrastructure Authority, the North Carolina Community College System, Cleveland Community College, Cleveland County, the City of Shelby, Cleveland County Economic Development Partnership, and Duke Energy.