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Working Within Our Communities

Hedrick Industries is head-quartered out of Salisbury, NC and has rich history and ties to the town. A company-owned factory building that has sat relatively vacant since 2003 has new tenets that will bring jobs and industrial development to the area. Composite Panel Technologies (CPT), a division of The Eastern Company of Connecticut, moved into the space last summer to manufacture their composite panels. Composite panels are essentially liners made up of three layers, polypropylene in the middle and aluminum on either side. Since the panels are lightweight and durable, CPT is currently making 1,800 shells for sleeper cabs for the Western Star 5700 series trucks. With the shells made of composite panels, the trucks are more lightweight, which saves on fuel.

John Helms is the plant operations manager at the CPT plant and has lived in Salisbury for nearly 12 years. With intentions to support the community, Helms says they are planning to hire locally as the company grows. Hedrick Industries currently rents our 70,000 square feet of the building to CPT, but there is 30,000 square feet available for future expansion. Joanne Johnson with Hedrick Industries reported that the company is “so joyful” that a company like CPT, that is conscious and hardworking for the community, is using the building.