Johnson & Johnson's plant off Lamm Road is still under construction, yet already the company is ramping up its plans for Wilson.
Last Friday N.C. Gov. Josh Stein announced that Johnson & Johnson, a Fortune 100 company and one of the largest health care companies in the world, will make an additional multibillion dollar investment in the City of Wilson.
“I appreciate Johnson & Johnson’s confidence that North Carolina is an ideal place to expand their business and create more good-paying jobs,” said Gov. Stein. “Life sciences leaders continue to select North Carolina because our skilled workforce and commitment to specialized training deliver the talent companies need to help patients in the United States and around the world.”
According to the company, the project is estimated to create up to 500 new jobs at a state-of-the-art drug product manufacturing facility that will help deliver transformational medicines for oncology and neurological diseases.
This is the second announcement for Wilson. In October 2024, J&J announced its first project in Wilson, a $2 billion investment that will create 420 jobs on a pharmaceutical manufacturing campus for innovative biologics. Construction of that facility is underway, and the company reports it has begun the hiring process of advanced manufacturing employees.
The company did not announce a specific location for the second Wilson plant. This is J&J's third announcement for plants inside North Carolina, part of a $55 billion investment in U.S. manufacturing that was announced by the company last year. The third N.C. plant so far is in Holly Springs.
“We are pleased to make another significant manufacturing investment in North Carolina. This new facility is the third North Carolina project announced by Johnson & Johnson in the past year and will help to further accelerate the delivery of our portfolio of transformational medicines for patients,” said Jennifer Taubert, Executive Vice President, Worldwide Chairman, Innovative Medicine, Johnson & Johnson. “North Carolina is an important life sciences hub, and we look forward to increasing our presence in the state.”
Wilson's legislators celebrated the announcement.
“Once again, Johnson & Johnson—healthcare’s leading, most comprehensive, and innovative powerhouse—has recognized the value of doing business in North Carolina, and specifically in Wilson County,” said N.C. Sen. Buck Newton.
“Johnson & Johnson’s continued investment in Wilson County is creating new pathways for our people to access high-value careers in the life sciences,” said N.C. Rep. Dante Pittman.
Both credited Wilson Community College’s new biotechnology workforce training center, called the BEST (Biomanufacturing Education and Skills Training) Center of Eastern North Carolina, as being critical to recruiting these jobs.
J&J’s new Wilson project will be supported by an expected legislative appropriation of $12 million to expand the training center at Wilson Community College. A grant from the state’s Industrial Development Fund – Utility Account is also expected.
