Mucinex maker lured by more than $8M package

(The Center Square) – Mucinex, an over-the-counter congestion reliever, will be produced in Wilson County, the state Commerce Department said Tuesday.

Reckitt, with an incentive package valued at more than $8 million, will invest $145.59 million to create a major production plant the company says will house 289 jobs. Production could begin as soon as 2027.

RB Health Manufacturing is the subsidiary of Reckitt granted the incentive awards. A Job Development Investment Grant, of 12 years, could bring $4.6 million reimbursement to the company. Wilson County incentives, split evenly between the county government and city of Wilson government, could add another $4.2 million.

Reckitt is valued at $39 billion and trades on the London Stock Exchange.

“With its prominence as a life science innovation hub, North Carolina is an ideal place for Reckitt to establish its U.S. regional manufacturing center,” Kris Licht, CEO of Reckitt, said in a release. “This strategic, onshoring investment will build resiliency and agility in our supply chain and further drives our mission to create a healthier world by increasing access to important medicines.”

The state Commerce Department announced average salaries of $80,182 for the nearly 300 jobs. Wilson County average is $52,619.

The department justifies incentives based upon new jobs businesses will bring to the state. Economists question the effectiveness of financial incentives to private businesses to expand or come to a new state.

The use of wages for all workers at a plant compared to the county average as an indicator is questioned because salaries of a few corporate leaders can skew the average higher. Whereas use of the median wage – meaning, the wage half the workers in an occupation earn more than the wage and half earn less – is less affected by outliers than the mean wage.