BeGreen cites Charleston’s productivity

Charleston Regional Business Journal
Matt Tomsic
April 14, 2011

The Port of Charleston’s quick transit and unloading times helped convince a California-based packaging company that it should import goods through the Lowcountry instead of Savannah, which is about 40 miles closer to the company’s new S.C. plant, the company’s CEO said.

Be Green Packaging LLC announced Friday that it would transition its imports from the Northeast to South Carolina as it opens a new manufacturing and distribution plant in Ridgeland.

Ron Blitzer, the company’s CEO and co-founder, said Be Green will import 25 to 35 containers a month through the Port of Charleston for distribution from Ridgeland.

“We’ll immediately shift that into Charleston,” he said.

Blitzer expects the number of imported containers to increase.

Be Green also anticipates exporting goods through Charleston to its distribution centers in Europe.

Blitzer said Be Green approached the S.C. State Ports Authority and Georgia Ports Authority about its needs, and South Carolina won its business.

“Our initial commitment is to South Carolina and Charleston,” Blitzer said. “They seemed to have this fast transit time and unloading time, which was very attractive to us.”

SPA officials touted the port’s productivity during the authority’s most recent board meeting in March. Crane operators moved an average of 41.6 containers from ship to dock or dock to ship during February; truckers spent about 25 minutes to get into the port, pick up their container and leave.

Blitzer said the company hasn’t shut the door on Savannah, which is about 33 miles away from the Ridgeland plant. The trip to Charleston is about 75 miles.

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