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Corning announces $585 million Wilmington expansion, adding 414 jobs. October 21, 2026 WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) - Corning Incorporated announced Wednesday, Oct. 21, that it will invest $585 million to expand its Wilmington optical fiber manufacturing facility, creating 414 jobs over the next five years. The expansion will increase the company's local workforce, which currently stands at approximately 1,000 employees. According to Wilmington Business Development, the new positions will offer average annual salaries exceeding $85,000, compared with New Hanover County's average annual wage of approximately $70,000. Once hiring is complete, the additional jobs are expected to generate more than $35 million in annual payroll for the region. The announcement follows votes earlier this week by the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners and Wilmington City Council to approve a combined $5 million in performance-based incentives for the project. County commissioners approved $3 million Monday, while City Council unanimously approved $2 million Tuesday. The incentives are tied to job creation and investment requirements. The expansion, previously known as "Project Pearl 2," was considered alongside other potential locations before Corning selected Wilmington. The company says the investment will support growing demand for optical fiber used in artificial intelligence infrastructure and telecommunications networks. "We're proud to expand our presence in Wilmington, where Corning made history with the world's first optical fiber manufacturing plant and where our people continue to make the fiber that is critical to next-generation networks," said John McGirr, senior vice president and general manager of Corning Optical Fiber and Cable. "For decades, our talented workforce here has helped keep Corning at the forefront of optical communications. We're excited about what comes next, and we're grateful to the City of Wilmington, New Hanover County and our key community partners, like Wilmington Business Development, for their continued support and partnership." New Hanover County Commissioners Chair LeAnn Pierce said the incentives are structured to ensure the company meets its commitments. "This expansion means 414 new jobs at an average wage of more than $85,000. Those are good paychecks for families in our community. The grant is tied to those jobs and that investment, and that is exactly how it should work," Pierce said. Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo also expressed support for the expansion. "This project represents hundreds of new, good-paying jobs, a significant investment in our local economy and opportunities for families across our region. We're proud to work alongside New Hanover County to support this kind of economic growth, while making sure our investment is tied to real results," Saffo said. Corning has operated in Wilmington since 1966, when its facility initially manufactured electric resistors used in televisions and household appliances. The company later became a pioneer in optical fiber technology, with its Wilmington operation becoming the world's first optical fiber manufacturing plant. Corning also partners with Cape Fear Community College through its Technician Pipeline Program, a two-year apprenticeship program that graduated its first class in May 2023. Wilmington Business Development CEO Scott Satterfield said the expansion reflects the company's longstanding presence in the region. "It's impossible to overstate how important this company is to Greater Wilmington," Satterfield said. Corning, headquartered in New York, employs more than 70,000 people worldwide. The company has not announced a specific timeline for construction or when individual positions will become available.

Corning moves forward with Wilmington expansion. By Cierra Noffke, posted Oct 21, 2026 Various spools of optical fiber manufactured at Corning Inc. (Photo by Chris Payne, courtesy of Corning) Corning Inc. announced plans Wednesday to move forward with an expansion that could bring $585 million in investment and create 414 jobs at its Wilmington campus over five years. "We're proud to expand our presence in Wilmington, where Corning made history with the world's first optical fiber manufacturing plant and where our people continue to make the fiber that is critical to next-generation networks," John McGirr, senior vice president and general manager at Corning, said in a news release issued Wednesday. According to a spokesperson from Corning, the expansion plans support "the optimization of Corning's current footprint in Wilmington and is expected to come online in phases, with the full capacity ramp extending over the next several years." The announcement follows the Wilmington City Council's unanimous vote Tuesday to approve up to $2 million in incentives for Corning's planned expansion. On Monday, the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners also unanimously approved up to $3 million in incentives. The combined $5 million package includes annual payments of up to $400,000 from the city and $600,000 from the county, contingent on the company meeting job creation, wage and investment targets set in the incentive agreement. The 414 positions created during the expansion would include production, maintenance and engineering roles. According to the release, average salaries from the new roles would exceed $85,000 annually, topping New Hanover County's average wage of about $70,000 per year. "Once its hiring is complete, Corning's expansion will produce a payroll impact of more than $35 million per year for the Greater Wilmington Region," the release stated. On Monday, New Hanover County's chief financial officer, Eric Credle, told commissioners that the proposed roles include 15 support engineers with an average annual wage of $132,000; 60 salaried engineers with an average annual wage of $119,000; and 339 production and maintenance employees with an average annual wage of $77,000. If Corning fails to meet the targets outlined in the incentive agreement, the incentive would be reduced proportionally, said Dennis LaCaria, the city's chief of staff, at Tuesday's meeting. "To the extent that they miss a target, there are adjustments that would be made to the incentive package so that those things are indexed appropriately," LaCaria said, "and if the entity fails, then there are recapture provisions in the agreement." Corning, which currently employs around 1,000 employees, originally opened its Wilmington plant in 1966. Wilmington Industrial Development, an economic development organization now known as Wilmington Business Development (WBD), originally recruited the firm, the release said. "It's impossible to overstate how important this company is to Greater Wilmington," said Scott Satterfield, WBD's CEO, in the release. "Corning's role in our business community rose alongside WBD more than three generations ago, and we're proud that they selected Wilmington as the backdrop for another exciting wave of global growth." At Tuesday's meeting, Satterfield also said Corning considered numerous sites for the expansion project, including locations in South Carolina, Texas, India and China. According to a company spokesperson, Wilmington was chosen for this expansion over several locations, including existing Corning facilities and new sites. "Wilmington was ultimately selected for this expansion based on its access to water, energy, transportation infrastructure and an international airport; its talented, skilled, and educated workforce; and the community's strong track record of partnership with Corning throughout our more than 60-year presence in the community," said a company spokesperson in an email to the Business Journal. In a press release, officials said demand for fiber from AI network operators and telecommunications networks is driving growth in Corning's optical communications business. The firm struck four multibillion-dollar deals this year with tech leaders Amazon, Meta, AT&T and NVIDIA, supplying optical fiber and expanding its manufacturing footprint in North Carolina. "For decades, our talented workforce here has helped keep Corning at the forefront of optical communications," said McGirr in the release. "We're excited about what comes next, and we're grateful to the City of Wilmington, New Hanover County and our key community partners, like Wilmington Business Development, for their continued support and partnership." During Tuesday night's city council meeting, council member JC Lyle emphasized the importance of hiring local talent and ensuring there is enough housing for recruited talent moving to the area. "Two out of three new jobs are created or filled by people moving here," Lyle said. "We've got to get our people who already live here ready for jobs like yours, and we have to prepare for the housing for the folks that you need to bring in." She added, "When we ask about these jobs, and we want to hire local people, we recognize we have a responsibility in getting ready for the kind of growth that our region is seeing, and so that's our role."

Wilmington considers $2 million incentive to secure Corning expansion. 3 hours ago WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) - A major economic development decision is now in the hands of Wilmington City Council, which will decide whether to contribute $2 million toward an incentive package designed to bring a major Corning expansion to New Hanover County. County commissioners have already unanimously approved $3 million in incentives for the proposed expansion. The City Council is scheduled to vote Tuesday evening on whether to add $2 million to the package. Corning, a multinational manufacturer of fiber-optics used in data centers and internet networks, is considering expanding its Wilmington operations. Local leaders hope the incentives will help secure the project and encourage the company to continue investing in the area. "We're pushing hard, and we really want them to end up selecting Wilmington, New Hanover County, as the place for them to make their expansion," said New Hanover County Commissioner Dane Scalise. Scalise said the county wants to encourage Corning to expand its existing Wilmington facility rather than pursue other locations. "Corning is a major, multinational company. They have operations throughout the world, and we love that they're here, they've been here for a long time, and the fact that they're considering this area and that they want to expand their operations here is a really good sign," said Scalise. The proposed incentive package, known as Project Pearl 2, would provide financial incentives tied to the company's investment in its facility and the jobs it creates. Wilmington Chief of Staff Dennis Lacaria explained how the program works. "It's basically a credit against tax revenues that are generated through a business relocation or expansion. In this case, it's an expansion. of an existing business, making an investment in their facility, hiring and jobs, and this was a package that had to be competitive as well, and we worked with our partners in the county, and everybody had an opportunity to share in this project," said Lacaria. Beyond the potential Corning expansion, city and county officials say incentives can help demonstrate that the region is prepared to compete for major business investments and attract additional employers. "Whenever we showcase to the broader business community that we're open for business, that we're serious operators, this is something that brings more jobs to our community, that's part of the value proposition here," said Scalise. City Council's vote Tuesday will determine whether Wilmington joins the county in contributing to the incentive package as local leaders work to secure Corning's proposed expansion.