Local Data

Location & Expansion Log

Diverse companies – from startups to multinational corporations – continue to relocate and expand existing operations in the Charleston region.

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New, Expanding, and Mergers & Acquisitions

2015

BizLitics

November 16, 2015

Business analytics services including database warehouse design & build, data analysis and assessment, advanced data visualizations, GIS

The data analysis company was established in Rochester, New York, in 2009 to provide data assessment and visualization to help manufacturing, healthcare and other companies make decisions. CEO Stephen Wallace said Charleston was selected for the company’s second location based on the area’s growing manufacturing and health care sectors and expanding air service. They are located in Flagship2's Alexander St facility in Charleston.

Mankiewicz Coatings

November 10, 2015

Jobs: 15
Investment: $25 Million

Manufacturing and research facility for coatings manufacturer serving the medical, automotive, aviation, rail, marine and other sectors

The new 90,000 sq ft larger facility will replace their existing distribution center and add 15 new jobs on the manuracturing and research side over the next few years.

PureCars

November 5, 2015


Investment: $125 Million

Marketing software and technology in the automotive space; Specialties: Digital Marketing, Search Engine Marketing (PPC), Display Advertising, Dealer Solutions

Multi-billion dollar, Alabama-based firm Raycom Media purchased PureCars and will operate it as an independent subsidiary. Largest digital media buy in the broadcasting group's history. Charleston-based PureCars started in 2009 and then expanded to Atlanta and Milwaukee. Saw a 1401% growth in three years. One of 7 preferred partners for Google's advertising platform in the automotive sector.

A&R Bulk Pak Inc

November 3, 2015

Jobs: 25
Investment: $7.5 Million

Plastics packaging and distribution

“Our industry is readying for an explosion in plastic exports and we are truly excited to get to work at our new facility,” A&R Bulk-Pak Inc. President Avi Ron said in the news release. The new Berkeley County operations will help the firm expand its customer base and handle an anticipated surge in plastic resin production from the Gulf Coast, according to the news release. Elizabeth NJ-based A&R will invest $7.5 million to build a 240,000-square-foot facility in three phases on 27.5 acres along Spring Grove Road in Moncks Corner. The site will have on-site rail storage capacity for more than 100 rail cars via CSX.

SPARC/Booz Allen Hamilton

November 3, 2015

Jobs: 150
Investment: $53 Million

Large-scale, complex software development and software life-cycle services

McLean VA-based Booz Allen Hamilton is acquiring SPARC's software services unit in Charleston and will expand its 270-employee base to 400 or 450 employees. The companies have been working together for nearly 18 months on a large, complex software project, and the newly acquired unit will continue its software development and software life-cycle services on its Clements Ferry Rd campus as it expands.

Sea Pac LLC

October 12, 2015

Jobs: 200
Investment: $40 Million

Transloading, warehousing, packaging and logistics of plastic resins

Sea Pac is building a 1.5 million-square-foot facility on 100+ acres. Plans call for creating 50 new jobs with a goal of expanding to more than 200 employees by 2020. The company chose the Charleston region for its "tremendous global connectivity, which features access to the nation's most productive port," according to company officials.

DC Machine

September 23, 2015

Jobs: 17
Investment: $5.3 Million

Industrial design and machining center

DC Machine manufactures close-tolerance components, including about 1,500 gun barrels a day. The firm produces parts for the automotive, aerospace, medical and military fields. Established in 2004 in a 250-square-foot room with one CNC machine, DC Machine has since grown to employ 50 workers who operate more than 50 CNC machines in some 21,000 square feet. This expansion will add 17,000 square feet to its facility at 202 Thorpe Road in Summerville by the end of 2015.

Two Blokes Brewing

August 19, 2015

Jobs: 30

Brewery

Two Blokes Brewing plans to open a new brewery on Long Point Road in Mount Pleasant by the end of 2015.

Ghost Monkey Brewery

August 19, 2015

Jobs: 30

Brewery

Ghost Monkey Brewery plans to open fall of 2015 in Mount Pleasant on Wando Lane near the Wando Welch Terminal of the State Ports Authority.

Bintelli LLC

August 19, 2015

Jobs: 13

Headquarters, production lines, R&D, sales team and warehousing for citEcar electric vehicles and Bintelli and Adly Scooters

The firm chose to relocate from Gainesville FL to the Charleston area to allow them to better support their nationwide network of dealers.

Gerber Childrenswear LLC

August 5, 2015

Jobs: 45
Investment: $33 Million

Distribution center for childrenswear which will serve company's retail accounts as well as e-commerce direct-to-consumer purchases

"The company's new, state-of-the-art distribution center in Berkeley County will be located in The Rockefeller Group - MeadWestvaco Foreign Trade Zone, a joint-venture of The Rockefeller Group and WestRock Land and Development (formerly MWV). Located in close proximity to Interstate 26, the 477,000-square-foot facility will provide Gerber Childrenswear with convenient access to the Port of Charleston, as well as South Carolina's network of five interstate highways, allowing the company to efficiently serve its growing customer base in North America and around the globe," according to the company's announcement. Plans are for the center to be fully operational by Q2 2016.

Kopis

July 4, 2015

Jobs:

Software

CEO Andrew Kurtz of Greenville, SC-based Kopis said Charleston was the next logical market because the company already has customers in the area including Blackbaud and Tidelands Bank, and the Charleston region is blossoming as a technology hub. www.kopisusa.com

Critical Solutions International Inc.

June 13, 2015

Provider and service supporter of blast protected vehicles

CSI chose to relocate its global headquarters from Dallas to Charleston due to the business climate in South Carolina and ease of access to international shipping from the Port of Charleston. A supplier of the U.S. countermine and humanitarian demining products/services, CSI’s products lead the way in the safe detection and identification of hidden threats. For more information, visit www.c-s-i.com

Volvo Car USA

May 12, 2015

Jobs: 2,000
Investment: $500 Million

Automobile Manufacturing

The Swedish automaker, Volvo Cars, has announced it will locate its first North American manufacturing plant in the Charleston region. The new operation will be located near the intersection of Interstates 26 & 95, and will manufacture latest-generation Volvo models for sale in the United States and for export to global markets through the Port of Charleston. The new $500 million Volvo plant is expected to create 2,000 new jobs over the next decade and up to 4,000 jobs by 2030.

Alaska Airlines

April 29, 2015

Airline

Alaska Airlines will add direct, non-stop transcontinental flights between Seattle�“Tacoma International Airport and Charleston International Airport starting November 16, 2015. Seattle-based Alaska Airlines is the seventh largest U.S. air carrier in passenger volume, and its route system spans more than 92 cities in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Luxury Hotel by Bennett Hospitality

April 28, 2015

Jobs: 350
Investment: $101 Million

Full-service luxury hotel

Developer Bennett Hospitality will build a 200,000 square foot, eight-story luxury hotel featuring 185 rooms and all the amenities in Marion Square. Construction will take 28 months.

Blue Acorn

April 8, 2015

Jobs: 20

Full service e-commerce agency

Blue Acorn studies the purchasing behavior of consumers and uses data and analytics to customize their online shopping experience. The company is currently renovating an 8,000-square-foot warehouse across the street from its headquarters for an expansion and future growth. Blue Acorn plans to hire at least 20 more people by the end of 2015.

WABCO

March 25, 2015

Jobs: 50
Investment: $17 Million

Automotive parts manufacturing

Wabco supplies parts to major truck, bus and trailer manufacturers. The company will relocate from its Charleston facility on Leeds Avenue into a 145,000-square-foot building at the intersection of Dorchester Road and Lincoln Patriot Boulevard in North Charleston. The new facility is expected to be built by the end of 2015. Increased North American customer demand for air compressors and air disc brakes spurred the expansion.

Mercedes-Benz Vans LLC/Daimler

March 8, 2015

Jobs: 1,300
Investment: $500 Million

Van manufacturing

Mercedes-Benz Vans, a division of German-owned Daimler, plans to build a full-scale production facility on more than 200 acres in North Charleston. This is an expansion on the 140-worker Daimler operations at 8501 Palmetto Commerce Parkway in North Charleston, where vans are currently reassembled after being manufactured in Germany. The van manufacturing campus will include a new plant, body shop, paint shop and assembly line, where employees will build next-generation Sprinter vans for the U.S. and Canadian markets. Construction on the facility will begin in 2016. Daimler chose this location to enable the company to get the vans to market faster, to be closer to North American customers and to be more economical. The United States is Daimler’s second-largest market for vans worldwide, behind Germany.

Moneypenny

February 24, 2015

Jobs: 400
Investment: $0.76 Million

Telephone answering and outsourced reception services

Moneypenny looks after telephone calls for businesses of all shapes and sizes - from sole proprietors right up to multinational corporations. For larger companies, Moneypenny can either support an existing reception team or provide a fully outsourced switchboard function. Based in Wrexham, UK, Charleston, USA and Auckland, New Zealand, Moneypenny has over 400 staff, a figure that is growing at a rapid rate. The company was founded by a brother and sister team in 2000 and now handles over 9 million calls a year for over 7,000 businesses. Moneypenny is proud to have won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise and has been in The Sunday Times ‘100 Best Companies to Work For’ three times.

Silver Airlines

January 21, 2015

Passenger airline

Starting March 19, 2015, the airline will offer daily nonstop service between Charleston and Orlando, and between Charleston and Tampa. These new routes not only provide important links between South Carolina to Central Florida, but also a variety of convenient connection opportunities to Silver’s popular destinations throughout other key points in the Sunshine State, as well as seven island destinations in the Bahamas.

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