BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C.–Fruit of the Loom, the athletic/casual/intimate apparel designer and manufacturer is increasing its economic investment here in the Lowcountry.
Fruit of the Loom announced it has now more than doubled the size of its Palmetto Distribution Center in Summerville, Berkeley County. It means new equipment and putting more people to work. The expansion will bring with it at least 50 jobs.
“We sincerely thank you. It’s a special occasion. This is a strategic move for us,” said President and CEO Rick Medlin to a group of invited guests that included local and state business and civic leaders and the local media.
The Palmetto Distribution Center facility sits on a 50 acre site. The corporation hosted a ribbon cutting event in honor of the facility expansion and to celebrate moving forward to the next chapter of Fruit of the Loom’s growing e-commerce and intimates divisions.
The Fruit of the Loom-manufactured products are made at a different site, but brought to Summerville for distribution, the sorting and delivery to multiple retail customers in all 50 states and globally. The company owns multiple brands. Some other well-known brands include Russell Athletics, Spalding, and Vanity Fair.
Jay Medlin, the Senior Director of Distribution and a Lowcountry resident, says with the expanded facility, they will have about 225 employees, and up to 350-400 during peak season. These workers will prepare pallets of items made by Fruit of the Loom, package them up for delivery, add labels, and have them ready to be loaded up and delivered to customers by truck. The items distributed from this center include children’s and adult’s casual wear, with intimate apparel being the biggest shipper out of the facility.
Medlin says it’s the staff in place at the Summerville distribution center who ensure its success. “It’s the work ethic. You can challenge this team, and tell them we will be the first to do this, and they buy into that challenge.”
On any given day Medlin estimates they will send out 60-70 truck containers a day, with those trucks having 53 foot containers.
The ribbon cutting ceremony also included lunch for the employees at the facility, a memorial for the man who helped clear land and construct the facility who has since passed away, and the recognition of several employees who have worked at the Palmetto Distribution Center since it opened 10 years ago.
The County says the partnership with Fruit of the Loom has been win-win. Supervisor Bill Peagler is happy to have 50 new jobs available. “That
means they are going to be able to spend more money in Berkeley County. That contributes to the local option sales tax, which reduces tax burden,” said Peagler.
“Berkeley County is open for business. Berkeley County means business. We are providing opportunities for businesses to expand, to be profitable, and to provide jobs for people to live, work, and play in Berkeley County.”
The facility is Located at 1116 Business Park Road in Summerville. The Palmetto Distribution Center has been in operation since 2006. The center, which has not sent anything to a landfill since 2011, will remain a landfill-free operation and is LEED certified.
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