Raleigh, N.C. — Becton Dickinson will build its East Coast distribution center in Four Oaks, the company and Gov. Beverly Perdue announced Monday.

BD (NYSE: BDX) will invest $38 million in the facility and will hire 187 workers, beginning in 2012.

North Carolina will provide a $600,000 grant from the One North Carolina Fund as an incentive for the project, Perdue said. The grant requires a local match.

The average pay for the jobs will be $28,771 plus benefits. Average Johnston County wages are $31,408, the governor’s office said.

Perdue said such business growth is needed in eastern North Carolina.

"If you took these 43 counties and created a separate state, it would be the poorest state in America – right here, east of (Interstate) 95," she said. "So, these jobs are critically important to change the fabric and the economy and the lives of the people of eastern North Carolina."

BD develops, manufactures and sells medical supplies, devices, laboratory instruments, antibodies, reagents and diagnostic products. Its business units include BD Medical, BD Diagnostics and BD Biosciences.

The New Jersey-based company already has a presence in Research Triangle Park and in the Triad, with five facilities across the state that employ about 900 people.

“Establishing our new distribution center in Johnston County will enable BD to reduce cycle times and enhance the operational effectiveness of our entire supply chain," Stephen Sichak, BD senior vice president for the firm’s integrated supply chain, said in a statement. "Additional benefits include the skilled work force, transportation infrastructure and supportive government officials in the region.”