Prime Beverage Group, a beverage manufacturing firm headquartered in Huntersville, North Carolina, won a key local approval Thursday when the Franklin City Economic Development Commission voted to find statutory criteria met and granted a seven‑year personal‑property tax abatement tied to a $56,000,000 equipment investment.

John West, Prime Beverage’s representative, told commissioners the company plans to lease Sunbeam’s spec building on Progress Drive (near Jim Black Road) and initially ramp up to 181 new jobs at the site. "We are Prime Beverage Group. We were founded in 2020," West said in his presentation, describing a timeline that calls for engineering work to begin in February, equipment deliveries in June, hiring in August and production to start by November.

The company provided an average wage figure of $25.89 per hour (listed in materials as $53,008.51 annually). West described entry‑level wages and hiring practices: housekeeping positions at roughly $18/hour, operators starting at $22/hour, and an expectation that many temporary hires convert to full‑time employment. He also said the operation is self‑contained with no expected odor and that periodic sound checks show levels typically below 80 dBA (the OSHA limit is 85 dBA).

A major upfront infrastructure need cited by West is extending and widening the natural gas main into the building. He estimated the gas‑line work at roughly $3.0 million in one part of the presentation and referenced about $3.4 million in a later remark, describing the upgrade as a critical gap the abatement would help offset.

Commissioners moved to make the formal findings required for personal‑property abatements (paragraphs 6(a)–(e)) and approved that motion by voice vote. They then voted to grant a seven‑year abatement with a 5% EDC fee; both votes passed by voice with no recorded opposition. Staff told the commission the final public hearing for the abatement will be before the Franklin City Council next Wednesday (moved from Monday because of a holiday).

The project includes company commitments to local workforce engagement — West noted partnerships and internship plans with Ivy Tech and Franklin College — and a staged expansion plan that could add additional production lines through 2028–2029. West said the company currently operates multiple campuses in North Carolina and aims to replicate that growth in Franklin.

The commission’s approvals are administrative recommendations; the City Council will hold the final hearing next week to decide whether to adopt the abatement ordinance.