A company that quietly located on Grandover Parkway three months ago already has hired 145 workers and expects to add another 55 by the end of the year.
And more jobs likely will follow.
Officials at LF USA , a subsidiary of Li & Fung Ltd. , a Hong Kong-based multinational group, said they expect the company to double in size in three to four years.
“The good news for us in North Carolina and you in the Triad is that they grow,” Gov. Bev Perdue said Monday afternoon as she announced the company’s decision. “This is a tremendous day.”
In an unusual move, the company asked for no state or local incentives, economic development officials said, adding that Greensboro beat out several other cities, including Orlando , Nashville and Baltimore .
“Frankly, it was not much of a decision,” said Richard Darling , president of LF USA, which distributes and markets apparel. “We are convinced that this was the best decision we could make.”
Darling said the company began looking for a new location two years ago.
“Greensboro was always in the back of our minds,” he said.
The company’s local workforce, which includes human resources, information technology, finance, customer service and support jobs, occupies two floors of the former Ladd Furniture building at 4620 Grandover Parkway .
LF USA officials said all but about 20 of the initial hires were local. The others transferred from its office in New York . The Greensboro operation is the company’s second in the U.S.
They said the current location provides room for expansion.
“We do double every three to four years,” said Bruce Rockowitz , president and CEO of Li & Fung. “But in this case, we will probably grow even faster.”
He did not provide more specifics.
Li & Fung is recognized as the world’s leader in consumer goods design, development, sourcing and distribution.
The company, which has about 27,000 employees worldwide, manages the supply chain for retailers and brands around the world. It has about 240 offices and distribution centers in the Americas , Europe , Africa and Asia .
“They don’t make anything,” Dan Lynch , president of the Greensboro Economic Development Alliance , said of the company. “They move a lot of people’s goods and services.”
Lynch remarked about the company’s low-key site selection process, but described its approach as unusual in another way.
“Normally, companies aren’t this open about growth potential,” Lynch said. “They stated that this is just the beginning.”
Contact Donald W. Patterson at 373-7027 or don.patterson@news-record.com
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