2024 Business NC Building NC Winners – Charlotte Pipe and Foundry Oakboro

After forging cast iron into pipes for more than a century near the Queen City’s center city, Charlotte Pipe moved 35 miles east to 700 acres in Oakboro in Stanly County. The foundry became fully operational in September 2023, after as many as 500 construction workers a day logged more than 1.2 million hours of work. Construction supplies and materials were 100% made in the U.S., officials said.

The 123-year-old company has been owned by the Dowd family since its inception.

At the plant, Charlotte Pipe invested $58 million in its environmental systems and controls. The biggest change was transitioning to electricity to forge the iron. The former foundry used a coal product. The change reduces annual carbon emissions by 40,000 tons, which the EPA says is equivalent to a year’s worth of carbon emissions from 32,638 gasoline-powered passenger vehicles.

A 70,000-megawatt substation for the plant, fueled by natural gas distributed by Union Power Cooperative, produces enough electricity to power 70,000 single-family homes.

Charlotte Pipe has about 2,500 employees at 10 plants in eight states, including 563 who work in Oakboro.

In September, Charlotte Pipe chose Dallas-based Trammell Crow to develop its 5.5-acre Iron District, the location of its former foundry. Located near Bank of America Stadium, Trammell Crow’s initial plan calls for a hotel, housing and office space.

Charlotte Pipe is also building a new headquarters and training center in the city’s Eastover neighborhood.

Original Article