Business

Large Manufacturer Eyes Berkeley County, Could Bring 4,000 Jobs To The Area

jobsBERKELEY COUNTY, S.C.–Thousands of new jobs could be headed to the area, according to Berkeley County officials. The county filed a permit on Thursday with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Charleston which could pave the way for a big-named manufacturer to set up shop in Berkeley County.

At this time, the name of the company has not been revealed–and county leaders are remaining tight-lipped.

It’s described, however, as an “advanced manufacturing and assembly facility” reliant on transportation, distribution and logistics infrastructure located within 50 miles to deepwater seaport and airport facilities.

The manufacturing facility would employ up to 4,000 people over the next ten years. Camp Hall Commerce Park in Ridgeville is the proposed site for the company. It would sit on 6,770  acres of land, according to the public notice.

“As outlined in the public notice, this project offers a tremendous opportunity to bring needed jobs and economic activity to northern Berkeley County, near the I-95 corridor, and do so in a way that also preserves and enhances the local environment. This project’s aggressive timeline necessitated filing at this time, but because plans are still in progress, we cannot yet discuss the client or confirm additional details,” read a statement by Berkeley County and the South Carolina Department of Commerce officials.

Development of Phase 1 for the new facility would involve 575 acres and the creation of 2,000 jobs. Phase 2 would included the development of 322 acres and and additional 2,000 jobs. The project would also include administrative offices and a visitor’s center.

According to the public notice document, 1,533 ares of wetlands would be preserved, restored and enhanced within 2,496 acres of property on multiple tracts.

The tracts are located in the Dean Swamp and Walnut Branch watersheds and tributaries of Four Hole Swamp.

At this time, the manufacturer has only been identified as “Project Soter” on the permit application. There is some speculation that it is a “code name” for a Volvo automobile manufacturing plant.

According to The Charlotte Observer, South Carolina is a finalist for a Volvo plant, which would join BMW as a major automaker in the Palmetto State.

State Sen. Paul Campbell, a Berkeley Republican who helped broker the deal that brought the Boeing jet plant to North Charleston said, “Volvo is giving South Carolina serious consideration.”

Nikki Gaskins Campbell
Follow Me

Comments are closed.