Improving Business in the Wilmington Region

MOJOTONE LLC TO CUT THE RIBBON ON NEW HOME AT PENDER PROGRESS INDUSTRIAL PARK

Music Electronics Maker Eyes Continued Growth

April 20, 2018 (Burgaw, N.C.)

Local business, government and economic development officials will join executives and staff today at Mojotone LLC in marking the grand opening of the company’s 40,000-square-foot facility in Burgaw. The company, which has operated in Pender County since 2005, outgrew its previous space, which spread across three buildings. About 120 attendees are expected at the ribbon-cutting, including U.S. Representative David Rouzer.

“On behalf of our board, staff, partners and allies, I am proud to join in the celebration of Mojotone’s new headquarters,” said Scott Satterfield, chief executive officer at Wilmington Business Development (WBD). The organization worked closely with company officials and local leaders in facilitating Mojotone’s move. “Numerous individuals and organizations worked together to make this possible, and they all have reason to be proud,” Satterfield said. “Not least of these are the diligent and talented people at Mojotone itself, a company whose exciting future truly captures the imagination.”

Mojotone was founded in 2000 in Winston-Salem. The company makes amplifiers, sound system cabinetry and components for electric guitars. Its recent growth comes amid an expansion of its product line. Mojotone’s sells to retail music stores, manufacturers and directly to musicians. Its international customer base includes amplifier makers in the U.S. and Europe, and users of its products include Rush, Eric Clapton, Garth Brooks and Iron Maiden. The company’s workforce now numbers 61.

“Being in this new building definitely opens up more opportunities for manufacturing and fulfillment services,” said Michael McWhorter, the company’s co-owner. With its high ceilings, the building also enables Mojotone to focus on distribution operations. “It’s a big deal to be able to offer 50- to 100-pound speaker boxes and ship them directly to someone else’s customers,” McWhorter explains. “That’s the growth side of our business, and the potential is pretty huge.” The company is already looking downrange at more hiring and additional growth. “Luckily, we’ve got land in the back of the building that’s already graded for another 40,000 square-feet.”

Leaders from Pender County and the Town of Burgaw worked with WBD to support Mojotone’s expansion and move. Also crucial was Pender Progress Corporation, a local non-profit group that constructed the building in 2011 as part of its product development and job creation mission. Four County Electric Membership Corporation also played a vital role, tapping a $1 million loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant (“REDLG”) program that helped Mojotone finish the building’s interior. The REDLG program was created in 2009 to provide access to capital in support of business expansions in rural communities. North Carolina’s electric cooperatives are among the nation’s leaders in investments through the REDLG program, tapping funds to support the creation of over 2,500 jobs across the state over the last five years, according to the Raleigh-based N.C. Association of Electric Cooperatives.

Founded in 1956, Wilmington Business Development oversees business recruitment and industrial retention for the City of Wilmington, New Hanover County and Pender County. A private, non-profit organization, WBD supports members, partners and allies through an array of technical expertise, leadership resources and value-added business services. For additional information, visit www.wilmingtonbusinessdevelopment.com