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
2012
SPARC
December 21, 2012
IT services and software development
SPARC provides a broad range of technology services to government agencies, contracting organizations, and software solutions providers.
Southern Season
December 19, 2012
Gourmet food and kitchen accessories retailer
The Chapel Hill, NC-based specialty food, wine, beer and kitchen accessories store will open a retail location off Coleman Boulevard at the former Food Lion site in Brookgreen Town Center. During seasonal peaks, as many as 300 local jobs could be created by the Mount Pleasant location. The company is expanding rapidly across the Southeast U.S.
Millard Refrigerated Services
December 19, 2012
Cold storage
Millard provides refrigeration, cold storage and logistics services to major food manufacturing, food service, retail and food distribution companies.
NCO Financial Systems
December 17, 2012
Call center
NCO handles accounts receivable services for utilities and telecommunications companies and employs more than 600. NCO also has operations in Greenville and North Augusta.
Benefitfocus
December 17, 2012
Cloud-based benefits software services
Benefitfocus acquired a nearby 80,000 sq ft building to house their 300-employee expansion.
Advanced Inventory Solutions
November 19, 2012
Inventory auditing solutions
Provides physical inventory auditing services to grocery stores, convenience stores, pharmacies, specialty stores and other retail outlets.
McGill Environmental Systems
October 11, 2012
Recycling / composting facility
McGill Environmental Systems is constructing a state-of-the-art organics recycling facility to produce its line of premium compost products for the professional sports turf, landscaping and stormwater/erosion control markets.
Vaughn & Melton Consulting Engineers
September 12, 2012
Engineering and surveying services
Vaughn & Melton has offices in Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee and North Carolina. Charleston is its second location in South Carolina; there is also an office in Spartanburg. The firm's clients include local governments, private developers, utility districts and industrial boards, for which Vaughn & Melton provides site development, surveying and construction inspection, as well as designing water and wastewater systems, highways, streets and bridges.
Morgan Olson LLC
August 15, 2012
Modular interior packages for Mercedes
Morgan Olson strips and retrofits Mercedes-Benz truck chassis built at the Daimler Sprinter Vans plant in North Charleston. It also will upfit cargo vans with modular interiors for FedEx, Ryder and other customers.
Clemson University's Zucker Family Graduate Education Center
August 14, 2012
Advanced engineering graduate school
The Zucker center will offer master’s and doctorate degrees in energy systems engineering, and its graduates will be prepared for jobs in composite materials, energy systems, advanced computing, microscopy, aerospace and other fields. The center will be next to the Clemson University Restoration Institute at the former Navy base. Clemson will collaborate with The Citadel, the College of Charleston and the Medical University of South Carolina for the center’s needs. Plans are for the center to also offer K-12 students access to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (or STEM) education.
iQor
August 14, 2012
Inbound & Outbound Call Center Services
iQor specializes in providing data-driven customer support, retention and processing services. The company has operated in the Charleston area since 2007 and has nearly 14,000 employees in 31 facilities in the U.S., Canada, Hong Kong, India, Mexico, the Philippines and Britain.
Southern First Bancshares Inc
July 20, 2012
Financial services
Greenville-based Southern First Bancshares Inc. announced it will open a Charleston office at 480 E. Bay St. later this year and has hired a former NBSC executive Len Howell to be the regional president. Southern First Bancshares currently operates in six locations in the Greenville and Columbia markets and has assets of approximately $760 million.
Guardian Insurance
July 16, 2012
Insurance and financial services
The financial planning company is expanding in the South, and competes directly with Mass Mutual and New York Life. The local firm expects to have 10 advisors by the end of 2012 and 20 over the next three years.
Shimano American Corp.
July 12, 2012
Cycling & fishing products distribution
The sporting goods maker and distributor, who came to the Charleston area in 2003, is adding nearly 87,000 square feet to its distribution facility in Ladson. The expansion will be finished before the end of 2012.
Cummins Turbo Technologies
June 20, 2012
Manufacturer of turbochargers
Cummins Turbo Technologies is adding a new building and expanding its office space in Palmetto Commerce Park, where the business designs and manufactures turbochargers for diesel engines. Cummins is building a 125,000-square-foot warehouse, and construction crews will add 10,000 square feet of office space to the company’s existing building.
Green Cloud Technologies
May 10, 2012
Cloud-based IT solutions provider
Greenville, SC-based Green Cloud provides virtual server, unified communications and business continuity solutions to small- and medium-sized businesses in any industry sector. They chose Charleston as part of their nationwide expansion plan.
Residence Inn by Marriott
May 8, 2012
Extended stay hotel
A 96-suite Residence Inn by Marriott in North Charleston is scheduled to open in May 2012. It will be owned and managed by Summerville Hotel Associates LLC.
InTowndiscounts.com
March 31, 2012
Online merchant coupon portal
Online coupon posting/marketing portal allowing merchants to offer discounts and help consumers buy them without the risk of losing money, such as with traditional online coupon companies such as Groupon and Living Social
Nexans
March 21, 2012
Power cable manufacturing
This global expert in cables and cabling systems will locate its new high voltage power cable manufacturing operation at the Bushy Park Industrial Complex in Berkeley County.
Carter's Kitchen
February 27, 2012
Full service restaurant
Robert Carter, an award-winning Charleston chef, is opening Carter’s Kitchen at the Inn at I’On, serving American cuisine 7 days a week. “With Carter’s Kitchen, I am creating a space based on a range of experiences from the kitchens of Europe to the culinary traditions of Charleston,” Carter said in a news release.
Hannah Solar Government Services
February 7, 2012
Solar systems integration
Hannah Solar Government Services announced the relocation of its company headquarters from Atlanta to Charleston's Digital Corridor Flagship2 facility in downtown Charleston. In choosing Charleston for relocation, the company cited the region’s large military presence, available workforce and quality of life.
Key Logistics Solutions
January 31, 2012
Supply chain services
Key Logistics will provide supply chain services in support of The Boeing Company’s North Charleston plant. Key Logistics Solutions provides a variety of supply chain services including warehousing, inventory management, transportation, delivery, sequencing, and light assembly work.
ModernTech
January 23, 2012
3D technology products for manufacturing, mechanical design & engineering
ModernTech is a reseller of 3D CAD and engineering technology and supporting services for manufacturers in the Southeast including Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Tennessee. The company provides its services to the aerospace, defense, medical and manufacturing industries, and many others. They chose the Charleston area to expand to due to the high-tech manufacturing economy expanding rapidly.
Bighorn’s Sports Grill
January 17, 2012
Restaurant
Located at 7832 Rivers Ave., the new 12,000 square-foot sports bar and grill style restaurant offers Southern-style grill food as well as Western-style steak.
