Brooks Pierce’s senior economic development & corporate strategist Tony Copeland assisted Morinaga America Foods, Inc., a subsidiary of the Japanese confectionary company Morinaga & Co., Ltd. with the expansion of its current operations in Orange County with an investment of $136 million. The company reports that the expansion will create 204 jobs in Mebane. The expansion was announced by Governor Roy Cooper on July 16, 2024. Brooks Pierce advised the maker of the popular HI-CHEW candy on legal and economic incentive issues.
Copeland is a highly accomplished attorney, focusing on corporate strategy and business incentive solutions with a 30-year record of achievement on every side of the corporate relocation and site selection process. His real-world international experience as a corporate executive for more than a decade allows him to provide a higher level of insight few consultants can match. As a former North Carolina Secretary of Commerce, Copeland helped bring more than 81,000 jobs and more than $18.4 billion of investment to the state. Under his leadership, North Carolina experienced the largest annual inward investment in the history of the state. He believes that economic development is understanding the intersection of politics and law.