Cherokee County, SC Industrial Market Great things are happening!
Great things are happening in Cherokee County, SC! With the economic development leadership team of Jim Cook and Ken Moon, Cherokee County is seeing excellent growth of their industrial sector through corporate expansions and recruitment of new companies into the county. Cherokee County continues to attract companies to this area due to the positive business climate and excellent quality of life. The following are some recent deals in Cherokee County…
-Bobby Lyons, CCIM, President, Lyons Industrial Properties
____________________________________________
1) Freightliner Custom Chassis new 200,000 SF logistics facility
Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp. / Daimler Trucks North America completed the 200,000 SF, $22.7 million facility and is now operational.
Bobby Lyons, CCIM and Adam Padgett with Lyons Industrial Properties handled site negotiations for Freightliner /Daimler and the sellers of the property. Freightliner purchased the 25.75-acre tract in December of 2016 and completed the construction a few months ago utilizing Sossamon Construction Co. as the general contractor.
This expansion will boost the production line’s use of assembling chassis parts by 60%. The company employs over 600 people in their Gaffney plant.
David Carson, president of Freightliner Custom Chassis, says the expansion sets up the plant for growth. “The leadership at DTNA wants to ensure we have the tools and facilities we need to continue delivering the best chassis for all our customers across all product lines,” he says.
Bobby Lyons, President of Lyons Industrial Properties, said “We are proud to be a part of such a fantastic expansion in Cherokee County. Freightliner was a pleasure to work with as was the seller. It was a rewarding transaction all the way around. Great things are happening in the Upstate of SC and we are very proud to be a part of this community.”
The Gaffney plant makes truck frames for use in recreational vehicles, buses and trucks.
____________________________________________
2) Project Cedar 2
The county is hopeful that Project Cedar 2 will become a reality soon with a deal at the 60,000 SF Cherokee County spec building. This facility is located on a 24-acre site at the Upstate Corporate Park. The building was constructed through the efforts of the Cherokee County Development Board along with a Santee Cooper loan, utility tax credits from Broad River Electric Co-Op, and Piedmont Natural Gas. It’s the first spec building built here in more than 10 years.
An announcement will, hopefully, be coming soon with full details on the transaction. Stay tuned!
____________________________________________
3) Ace Bakery 80,000 SF Expansion
ACE Bakery, an artisan bakery that produces baked breads for a variety of retail and foodservice sectors is expanding its existing Cherokee County operations. The 80,000 SF, $31.9 million investment is expected to create 40 new jobs over the next several years.
This addition will be adding a production line and doubling the size of its existing freezer. Hiring for the new positions should begin in the third quarter of 2018.
“We at ACE Bakery are very excited with the opportunity Cherokee County has provided us to expand our business. The region’s growth, as well as the workforce and infrastructure, were key factors in expanding our bakery. We appreciate the support from the State of South Carolina and Cherokee County, and look forward to continuing this great partnership.” –ACE Bakery President Roy Benin
____________________________________________
4) Home Fashions purchases 350,000 SF plant for expansion
Home Fashions International, a supplier of home textile finished products, is expanding its existing operations in Cherokee County, SC. The $5.5 million investment is expected to create 60 new jobs.
The company purchased the 350,000-square-foot facility at 859 Victory Trail Road in Gaffney to accommodate its expansion. The new facility, formerly DSE, Inc., will allow the company to quadruple its business over the next five years and reduce its reliance on imported and out-of-state raw materials.
“I have been very happy with both the caliber of the workforce and the business-friendly environment in Cherokee County. When the business conditions dictated expansion, we considered other locations, but determined that the best course of action was to stay right here where we knew the labor force and business climate would allow us to be successful,” -Home Fashions International Owner David Li.
____________________________________________
5) Project Peach. New 337 Acre, 2.8 Million SF Industrial Development Announced
Project Peach has been announced and will consist of a 337,000 acre industrial development which will total over 2.8 Million SF of space once completely built out. Tamarack Investments is the developer and Patillo Construction out of Atlanta has been selected as the general contractor.
Pod A (photo above) has recently been cleared and grading will begin soon. Pod A is schedule to have two 80,000 SF buildings and one 112,500 SF building although sizes of buildings and layouts can change based on demand.
____________________________________________
6) Steel Creek Galvanizing breaks ground on their 82,000 SF facility in Blacksburg, SC
Clearing is almost finished and grading will begin soon on the Steel Creek Galvanizing Company’s new Cherokee County facility. The development is projected to bring $14.1 million of new capital investment to the county and lead to the initial creation of 72 jobs.
The site is located at 576 Tribal Road (Exit 104 interchange off of I-85 seen in the background) in Blacksburg, S.C.. Steel Creek is constructing a new, 82,000-square-foot building for their new operations. Designed to protect steel against rust and other corrosion, the hot-dip galvanizing operation will be an environmentally-friendly, zero-emission operation.
“After an exhaustive search for an ideal location, we are pleased to announce that we have found it in Cherokee County. The assistance and cooperation of state, county and local officials has been outstanding, and we look forward to beginning construction soon.” –Steel Creek Galvanizing Company President Jim Mack