GREENVILLE — A U.S.-based manufacturer of medical personal protective equipment announced June 6 its plans to invest $150 million and create 600 new jobs at a new manufacturing facility to make medical gloves in Greenville County.
Glove One, the name of the newest entity from North Carolina-based Health Supply US, plans to build a 400,000 square-foot facility along Old Grove Road at 1 Quality Way, south of Greenville.
CEO Chris Garcia said the company has a $137 million contract with the Air Force to produce its nitrile gloves domestically. It expects to make 4.3 billion disposable medical gloves in Greenville annually, he said.
Shortages of personal protective equipment, or PPE, during the initial waves of the coronavirus pandemic led the company to seek further U.S.-based manufacturing of its products to avoid an overreliance on other countries and shipping issues, Garcia said.
“We made the bold decision during 2020 that perhaps we shouldn’t be sourcing all of our supplies overseas,” Garcia said. “Maybe we should make some things right here in the United States.”
The announcement came a month after Greenville County voted to give the company tax incentives in exchange for setting up operations in the area and making at least a $95 million investment in its new plant.
Glove One officially announced its new location during the Greenville Area Development Corporation’s annual luncheon on June 6.
Health Supply US CEO Chris Garcia, who spoke at the 2022 Greenville Area Development Corporation’s annual luncheon to announce a $150 million investment in a new manufacturing facility in Greenville. Provided/GADC
Gov. Henry McMaster spoke during the event about the area’s business climate and leadership that he said has prepared the county for extended growth. In a statement, he said the announcement was proof of the state’s increased effort to recruit life sciences companies.
“Expanding our life sciences industry is critical to safeguarding our supply chain and ensuring life-saving medical supplies are readily available during future emergencies,” McMaster said.
In a pre-recorded video message, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham said the company’s announcement was a result of efforts to “on-shore what we have lost to China” with manufacturing.
“We learned from COVID we don’t want to depend on China any more than we have to,” Graham said.
Health Supply US was founded in 2020 as a mission-driven business focused on American manufacturing of PPE. It now has nine facilities in five states and operates in the U.S. and Malaysia.
Follow Nathaniel Cary on Twitter at @nathanielcary
