A-B Tech Community College has been awarded $29.2 million from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) for construction of the proposed Western North Carolina (WNC) Futures Factory. Announced July 27, the funding targets Hurricane Helene recovery and manufacturing innovation.
Paul M. Dabbar, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce announced the grant as the largest of $34.2 million in disaster recovery awards for North Carolina provided by the EDA. The awards were funded through the EDA’s FY 2025 Disaster Supplemental Grant Program, a $1.5 billion effort to support economic recovery activities in areas that received major disaster declarations because of hurricanes, wildfires, severe storms and flooding, tornadoes, and other natural disasters occurring in calendar years 2023 and 2024.
A-B Tech applied for the Futures Factory grant in September 2025 with Buncombe County and the A-B Tech Board of Trustees as co-applicants and grant writing assistance from the Land of Sky Regional Council.
Located at Biltmore Park West, the WNC Futures Factory is a proposed 70,000-square-foot education, workforce training and research hub. Pratt & Whitney currently is located on the property, which eventually will include multiple manufacturers.
“We’re celebrating much more than a new building today,” said A-B Tech President John Gossett. “In the same way tobacco fields were once converted into what we now know as the Research Triangle Park, this marks the beginning of an education, training and research collaboration that will transform this site into an innovation hub for Western North Carolina.”
By 2035, Gossett said the Futures Factory will train 800 workers annually, create 2,747 jobs, and produce $189 million in labor income for the region, according to economists who assisted with the grant application.
The EDA grant will fund construction of the building and help the region recover from Hurricane Helene’s continuing economic impacts. “We are grateful for this support, which is more important than ever post-Helene,” Gossett said. “We had nearly $60 billion in damage and loss from Helene. This grant will enable us to stabilize our infrastructure to support our existing economic base while pivoting to support the jobs of the future.”
The Futures Factory includes A-B Tech as the on-site provider of education and training, as well as six universities with engineering programs to conduct research and development. Other community colleges in the region also will have access to training and research. Research partners include NC Innovation, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Appalachian State University, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Western Carolina University, UNC Asheville and North Carolina State University. Other community colleges include Blue Ridge Community College, Haywood Community College, Isothermal Community College, and McDowell Technical Community College.
“There will be workforce training, research and development from proof of concept to commercialization, collaboration between education and industry, all under one roof,” Gossett said. “We envision a talent pipeline with A-B Tech delivering on-site education and training with stackable credentials through the North Carolina Community College System, a technology testbed with shared R&D from our university partners and national institutes, and industry engagement with direct support for our manufacturers through opportunities to build efficiencies, supply chain resilience and diversification.”
Other grants announced by the Department of Commerce and EDA include:
- Town of Murphy: $2.1 million for the construction of a new sewer lift station to support local businesses.
- Western Carolina University (Township of Cullowhee): $1.2 million for infrastructure improvements of the WCU-Cullowhee Dam, to support the local recreational economy.
- Land of Sky Council of Governments (Asheville): $500,000 to provide additional capacity and support recovery for hard-hit communities in Madison, Buncombe, and Henderson counties.
- Western Piedmont Council of Governments (Hickory): $500,000 to support a new regional disaster recovery coordinator position to assist in communities impacted by Hurricane Helene.
- Centralina Economic Development Commission, Inc. (Charlotte): $400,000 for the development of a strategic analysis and regional engagement strategy to determine major employers and critical facilities and to support their resilience to natural disasters.
- Ashe County (Jefferson): $267,080 for the design, engineering, and permitting of three shell buildings at Ashe Industrial Park.
“The grants announced today will support the Department of Commerce’s holistic approach to recovery in Western North Carolina. Each project will expand American manufacturing competitiveness, create jobs, and support business expansion throughout the area, which is still recovering from the economic devastation caused by Hurricanes Helene,” said Deputy Assistant Secretary and Chief Operating Officer Ben Page.