GUILFORD COUNTY, N.C. – FedEx Ground officials broke ground Friday in Kernersville on what will be a 400,000 square foot distribution hub, or as some call it, a “Triton” hub. It will add to the corporation's air shipping hub nearing completion at PTI Airport.

Triad leaders worked for 22 months to beat out competition in South Carolina and Tennessee for the hub.

"Our most modern facilities will be constructed here," FedEx Ground Vice President Linehaul John Payne said.

Construction will kick off in the spring on the facility responsible for trucking packages throughout the southeast region.

Slated to open spring-summer of 2011, there will be 150 new full- and part-time positions at the hub's start and another 150 for independent contractors.

And officials said there will be additional economic opportunities that hubs like this attract.

"I am very confident you will see that same growth and expansion and business opportunities and jobs created," Payne said.

FedEx Ground hubs are said to use state-of-the-art material handling equipment. At full capacity the Guilford County hub will be able to sort 45,000 packages an hour.

Elected officials said it wasn't just a nearly million dollar incentive package from Guilford County that helped the Triad's chances.

"Great location, the infrastructure of our highways, the airport expansion, I think all those things [helped]," Guilford County Commission Chairman Kirk Perkins said.

Perkins said FedEx Ground is a healthy company despite the economic downturn, so the shipping giant a must-get for an area hit hard by layoffs.

"The whole package FedEx is able to offer the customer, we've been able to do very well and we've been able to maintain our own," Perkins said.