Local Data
Location & Expansion Log
Diverse companies – from startups to multinational corporations – continue to relocate and expand existing operations in the Charleston region.
CRDA-Facilitated Projects
ZEB Metals and Glencore
March 20, 2023
Full-service scrap metals recycling company; joint venture with Glencore, a Swiss-based commodities trader and one of the world's largest diversified natural resource companies
ZEB Metals is relocating from Kentucky and establishing its first South Carolina operations in Berkeley County in a joint venture with Glencore, a Swiss-based commodities trader and one of the world's largest diversified natural resource companies. The new facility will process dross and other types of secondary aluminum scrap that would otherwise be destined for a landfill. This is the first secondary re-melt facility of its kind in the Southeast region of the United States. Founded in 2021, ZEB Metals is a buyer and trader of non-ferrous scrap, as well as a recycler of metals other than iron and steel. The company processes metals through shredding, melting, screening and sorting materials while providing full-service metal recycling including industrial clean-up and off-site demolition. Operations are expected to begin by late 2023.
Redwood Materials
December 14, 2022
Reclaiming and recycling end-of-life batteries and production scrap to produce battery components
Headquartered in Carson City, Nevada, and founded by Tesla's former Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder JB Straubel, Redwood Materials will use its Berkeley County, South Carolina campus to create a circular supply chain for electric vehicles. The company will onshore production of the most critical components in batteries--the anode and cathode--to reduce costs and emissions while securing the supply chain within the United States. All battery components will be built from as much recycled material as possible. The more than 600-acre campus, located at Camp Hall Commerce Park in Ridgeville, will initially produce enough anode and cathode material for 100 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of battery cell production or 1 million electric vehicles each year. "South Carolina's commitment to creating a secure energy future and a competitive landscape for electric vehicle manufacturing, supported by a world-class workforce, fast and efficient logistics, zero-carbon electricity and a phenomenal site, made it a smart decision for Redwood to invest here...allowing us to support our current and future customers in the heart of America's battery belt. We're ready to support this region and U.S. electrification by driving down battery costs, emissions, and reducing reliance on foreign supply chains," said Straubel. Operations will begin in 2023.
New, Expanding, and Mergers & Acquisitions
ZEB Metals and Glencore
March 20, 2023
Full-service scrap metals recycling company; joint venture with Glencore, a Swiss-based commodities trader and one of the world's largest diversified natural resource companies
ZEB Metals is relocating from Kentucky and establishing its first South Carolina operations in Berkeley County in a joint venture with Glencore, a Swiss-based commodities trader and one of the world's largest diversified natural resource companies. The new facility will process dross and other types of secondary aluminum scrap that would otherwise be destined for a landfill. This is the first secondary re-melt facility of its kind in the Southeast region of the United States. Founded in 2021, ZEB Metals is a buyer and trader of non-ferrous scrap, as well as a recycler of metals other than iron and steel. The company processes metals through shredding, melting, screening and sorting materials while providing full-service metal recycling including industrial clean-up and off-site demolition. Operations are expected to begin by late 2023.
Patten Seed Company
March 15, 2023
Corporate headquarters for one of the largest turfgrass producers in the southeastern U.S.
Expanding its South Carolina footprint, Patten Seed Company will relocate its corporate headquarters from Lakeland, Georgia, to an existing facility at 22 Westedge Street in Charleston. The new headquarters will centralize the company's senior management team and create a marketing and technology hub. Additionally, the relocation, which is central to Patten Seed Company's current Southeast operations, positions the company to take advantage of the area's robust talent pool as it transitions from an agriculture-centered company to a vertically-integrated industry leader.
Downsizing
Utilimaster, a Shyft Group company (formerly Spartan Motors)
November 15, 2022
Mercedes-Benz Vans upfitter
Closure by January 2023 affecting 71 positions. The firm's Michigan-based parent company announced plans to manufacture its own electric commercial van, to be called Blue Arc.
Borden Dairy
April 12, 2022
Dairy products manufacturing
Borden announced the Charleston area manufacturing plant would be closing at the end of May 2022, and that products would be withdrawn from the South Carolina retail market. The decision was made following a recent financial and operational review, affecting 177 jobs. The company said it will assist affected employees through the transition by offering notification pay, the opportunity to apply for roles at other locations as well as outplacement assistance to help them find new employment.
