Lowe's has picked a site in Charlotte's South End for a new $153 million global technology center that eventually is expected to have up to 2,000 employees.
The Mooresville-based home-improvement retailer says the center will open two years from now, in a new 23-story office tower that will start construction in August. It's on Worthington Avenue, in an area recruiters call the Design District.
Lowe's CEO Marvin Ellison said the new center and the technology iniatives it houses will help the company improve customer service and the way its employees do their jobs.
"Today's announcement is a milestone for Lowe's. It's one that reflects our commitment to investing in technology that will support our company's future growth," Ellison said.
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Ellison said Lowe's picked Charlotte, and South End in particular, because it will help attract thousands of new tech employees. The new Design Center Tower is next to the Lynx Blue Line light rail as well as restaurants, housing and parking.
Lowe's will take 15 stories of the tower. Of the 2,000 employees, more than 1,600 will be new hires. Salaries will average more than $117,000 a year. Hiring has already begun for the first 400 positions to be filled over the next year.
The company could get up to $56 million in state incentives over the next 12 years.
Because the building won't be ready until 2021, Lowe's plans will house the tech center temporarily in the Charlotte Plaza building in uptown Charlotte.
