SUNCOM now open

Executives from SunCom opened the company’s new $14 million facility in a formal dedication ceremony that included Charles S. Way, the state’s commerce secretary.

The 98,000-square-foot facility will serve as the new regional headquarters for Triton PCS, which provides digital wireless service in the Southeast and markets its services under the SunCom brand name.

The four-story building houses nearly 400 administrative, engineering, customer service, sales and marketing employees. The company has been in Charleston since January 1999, when the city was selected as SunCom’s Southern regional headquarters.

On a much smaller note, SunCom opened a much smaller facility, a retail store on James Island, in the Queensborough Plaza at 1175 Folly Road.

The Daniel Island facility, meanwhile, will occupy 10 acres near the Daniel Island-Interstate 526 interchange.

The brick building features a domed atrium rising from its central lobby. Construction on the facility began in March 2001 and was completed last month. The principals of the Daniel Island Company own the building.

“This beautiful, spacious building is a symbol of SunCom’s enduring commitment to the city of Charleston,” said Michael E. Kalogris, Triton PCS chairman and chief executive officer. “We are proud to play a leading role in furthering the development of Daniel Island, and as major provider of wireless services to the region, we hope our presence here will help convince other technology companies to locate here as well.”

Kalogris also pledged $5,000 to the Charleston Digital Corridor, a Charleston initiative to attract, nurture and promote knowledge-based enterprise in targeted areas throughout the city.

Triton PCS, based in Berwyn, Pa., is licensed to operate in an area covering more than 13 million people in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Northern Georgia, Northeast Tennessee and Southeast Kentucky.