( CNN ) -- After an anxious three-month wait , residents of a northwest Alabama town that lost 18 residents and its business core to an EF-5 tornado learned Monday night that their largest employer will rebuild -- and may add jobs . The announcement by VF Corp. elicited joyous responses by Hackleburg , Alabama , residents -- many of whom honked their horns -- and on Facebook pages that had followed the developments . `` It feels like the weight of the world has been lifted off your shoulders , '' said Hackleburg Police Chief Kenny Hallmark . The April 27 tornado leveled the Wrangler jeans distribution center and killed one employee . It also destroyed or damaged 31 of 32 businesses in town , wiping away most of the town government 's revenue sources . Nearly 500 homes were damaged or destroyed . The new facility will be larger , more modern and could bring an additional 50 positions to the community -- for a total of approximately 200 employees , VF said in a statement . It also will have the potential to handle additional shipping capacity . The company , based in Greensboro , North Carolina , will break ground in the second quarter of 2012 . Target date for completion is mid-year 2013 . `` Throughout the evaluation , Hackleburg remained our leading option based on multiple factors , notably a work force who has demonstrated a passion for their work and a commitment to our company , '' CEO Eric Wiseman said . `` We are also grateful to the state of Alabama for the support and assistance it has provided . We are pleased to continue our longstanding relationship with Hackleburg and look forward to a bright future . '' Federal , state and local officials had conducted a full-court press , offering a range of incentives to VF Corp. , including $ 300,000 from the town and Marion County , with millions more from the state . Town officials said Monday night Gov . Robert Bentley was crucial to the effort . Since the tornado , the majority of the displaced workers have been employed at company-owned locations in Hackleburg and , about 70 miles away , in Holly Pond , Alabama . The Holly Pond location will close once the new Hackleburg distribution center is open . No jobs will be lost because that facility was brought back on line to provide work to the displaced Hackleburg employees . The Hackleburg distribution center shipped pallets of Wrangler clothing to Walmart , Target and other retailers around the country . One of five Wrangler distribution points in the nation , the center was well-run and efficient , the company said in June while it was evaluating the site and other distribution facilities . But some of the town 's nearly 1,500 residents had worried that Wrangler would not rebuild . Hackleburg 's mayor had said the return of Wrangler was crucial for the town 's recovery . `` The morale boost it 's given this town is unbelievable , '' Mayor Pro Tem Barry McCarley said after the announcement . Leaders had worried about possible layoffs , including in the police force , but Monday 's development , the return of some businesses and donations -- including from a Native American tribe -- will brighten the economic outlook . Residents are hopeful the approximately 150 people who left town after the tornado will return . The Hackleburg tornado was one of 62 twisters and storms that swept through Alabama on April 27 , killing 247 people . Hallmark and Keith Morrow , Hackleburg 's only doctor , told CNN Monday night the announcement may eventually draw new employers and convince others that had n't started rebuilding to do so . Nancy McCarley , who co-owns the Panther Mart convenience store , likened the excitement Monday night of residents in their 50s and 60s to kids on prom night . `` People are smiling , '' she said . `` It 's just great , great , great . ''
The Wrangler Foods distribution center will rebuild and will increase capacity . It was destroyed during the April 27 tornado in Hackleburg , Alabama . Officials had offered incentives to the parent company . Decision called an unbelievable " boost '' for employees .