STERIS to invest $600 million in Sanford, NC, creating 335 jobs

Healthcare equipment maker STERIS announced a $600 million investment to build a 600,000‑square‑foot manufacturing and distribution campus in Sanford, North Carolina. The project will create 335 new positions with an average annual salary of $68,704, above the Lee County average, and is the largest economic‑development undertaking in the county’s history.

The facility, called the Chemistries Manufacturing Center of Excellence, will include advanced manufacturing, research and development labs, warehousing and distribution operations. State and local leaders, including Governor Josh Stein and Sanford Mayor Rebecca Wyhof Salmon, highlighted the investment’s boost to the region’s life‑science sector. The project is supported by a $24 million tax‑incentive package that can be reclaimed if job‑creation targets are not met, and it will involve partnerships with local community colleges to train the new workforce.