Asheville-Buncombe Tech Community College (A-B Tech) has been awarded $29.2 million from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) for construction of the proposed Western North Carolina (WNC) Futures Factory, according to a press release from the college.
Announced July 27, the funding targets Hurricane Helene recovery and manufacturing innovation. “These investments recognize the incredible potential of this region and will help bring long-term recovery projects to life,” said Sharon Decker, senior advisor for long-term recovery.
Paul Dabbar, the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce, announced the grant, which is the largest among others announced the same day totaling $34.2 million in disaster recovery awards for North Carolina provided by the EDA.
“These awards are being provided through EDA’s FY 2025 Disaster Supplemental Grant program, a $1.5 billion effort to support economic recovery activities in areas that received major disaster declarations because of hurricanes, wildfires, severe storms and flooding, tornadoes, and other natural disasters occurring in calendar years 2023 and 2024,” says a press release from the EDA. “The awards announced today are an early milestone in a long-term effort to support economic growth in this region.”
According to the press release, A-B Tech applied for the federal grant in September 2025 with Buncombe County and the A-B Tech Board of Trustees as co-applicants. Located at Biltmore Park West, the Futures Factory is a proposed 70,000-square-foot education, workforce training, and research hub. Pratt & Whitney currently is located on the property, which eventually will include multiple manufacturers.
“We’re celebrating much more than a new building today,” said A-B Tech President John Gossett. “In the same way tobacco fields were once converted into what we now know as the Research Triangle Park, this marks the beginning of an education, training, and research collaboration that will transform this site into an innovation hub for Western North Carolina.”
By 2035, Gossett said the Futures Factory will train 800 workers annually, create 2,747 jobs, and produce $189 million in labor income for the region, according to economists who assisted with the grant application.
The EDA grant will fund construction of the building and help the region recover from Hurricane Helene’s ongoing economic impacts. “We are grateful for this support, which is more important than ever post-Helene,” Gossett said. “We had nearly $60 billion in damage and loss from Helene. This grant will enable us to stabilize our infrastructure to support our existing economic base while pivoting to support the jobs of the future.”
The Futures Factory will include A-B Tech as the on-site provider of education and training, as well as six universities with engineering programs to conduct research and development. Research partners include NC Innovation, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Appalachian State University, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Western Carolina University, UNC Asheville, and North Carolina State University. Other community colleges in the region also will have access to the training and research, including Blue Ridge Community College, Haywood Community College, Isothermal Community College, and McDowell Technical Community College.
“There will be workforce training, research, and development from proof of concept to commercialization, collaboration between education and industry, all under one roof,” Gossett said. “We envision a talent pipeline with A-B Tech delivering on-site education and training with stackable credentials through the North Carolina Community College System, a technology testbed with shared R&D from our university partners and national institutes, and industry engagement with direct support for our manufacturers through opportunities to build efficiencies, supply chain resilience, and diversification.”
Other projects receiving grants, according to a press release from the Governor’s office, include:
- Town of Murphy: $2.1 million for the construction of a new sewer lift station to support local businesses.
- Western Carolina University (Township of Cullowhee): $1.2 million for infrastructure improvements of the WCU-Cullowhee Dam, to support the local recreational economy.
- Land of Sky Council of Governments (Asheville): $500,000 to provide additional capacity and support recovery for hard-hit communities in Madison, Buncombe, and Henderson counties.
- Western Piedmont Council of Governments (Hickory): $500,000 to support a new regional disaster recovery coordinator position to assist in communities impacted by Hurricane Helene.
- Centralina Economic Development Commission, Inc. (Charlotte): $400,000 for the development of a strategic analysis and regional engagement strategy to determine major employers and critical facilities and to support their resilience to natural disasters.
- Ashe County (Jefferson): $267,080 for the design, engineering, and permitting of three shell buildings at Ashe Industrial Park.
“Western North Carolina is working hard to rebuild from Hurricane Helene, and these grants are going to help communities build on that momentum,” said Governor Josh Stein.
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