24:I[8437,["8500","static/chunks/8500-3953cc33eeceb44e.js","8437","static/chunks/8437-a1bc798bb21cc4d8.js","2480","static/chunks/app/%5Bstate%5D/%5Bcity%5D/%5Bsection%5D/%5Bslug%5D/page-91c1194c5b76e295.js"],"Image"] 25:I[3670,["8500","static/chunks/8500-3953cc33eeceb44e.js","8437","static/chunks/8437-a1bc798bb21cc4d8.js","2480","static/chunks/app/%5Bstate%5D/%5Bcity%5D/%5Bsection%5D/%5Bslug%5D/page-91c1194c5b76e295.js"],"SocialShare"] 26:T4e0,

A-B Tech has secured a $29.2 million federal grant to help build the proposed WNC Futures Factory, a manufacturing training and research hub in Buncombe County.

It's the largest award of $34.2 million in disaster recovery grants for NC funded through the US Economic Development Administration's FY 2025 Disaster Supplemental Grant Program.

Planned for Biltmore Park West, the 70,000-sqft facility will bring workforce training, education, and research focused on advanced manufacturing under one roof. A-B Tech will lead on-site training alongside university and community college partners, including Appalachian State, NC State, and UNC Asheville.

The goal? To help WNC bounce back from Helene while building a pipeline for future manufacturing jobs.

By 2035, A-B Tech says the Futures Factory could:

Train 800 workers annually
Create 2,747 jobs
Produce $189 million in labor income for WNC