Plumbers in Ridgeville, SC

Construction on Interstate 26, widening it to three lanes each way in parts of Berkeley and Dorchester Counties will begin soon.

RIDGEVILLE, S.C. (WCSC) - Construction on Interstate 26, widening it to three lanes each way in parts of Berkeley and Dorchester Counties will begin soon.

State officials gathered Tuesday to announce the official start of construction on seven miles between Jedburg Road and SC-27. SCDOT says the stretch initially was set to cost $218 million. But thanks to the legislature approving $320 million in June, the project is being moved up an estimated six years.

Gov. Henry McMaster addressed the officials gathered saying South Carolina is booming in terms of business and tourism.

“In a nutshell, this is the product and the result of a vision, common sense, talent and determination by the people that are here today. That commerce is thriving in South Carolina and there really is no end in sight. We’re doing it right,” McMaster says.

SCDOT estimates more than 22 million vehicles use I-26 every year. That includes tourists, families, trucks and commuters. Rick Todd is the President & CEO of S.C. Trucking Association, a 90-year-old alliance of businesses. He calls I-26 the central nervous system of the State of South Carolina for tourism, commerce and commuters.

“Our transportation distribution and logistics sectors thrive on efficiency. Efficient use of time, equipment and fuel, all of which is very costly. So when this corridor opens up and spreads out, that velocity will become even greater. And that is the competitive advantage and the quality of life improvement that our leaders are investing in,” Todd says.

McMaster and others noted that as South Carolina grows as a hub for major business and manufacturing headquarters, the infrastructure needs to grow at the same rate. Sara Hazzard is the President & CEO of the S.C. Manufacturers Alliance. She says more than 5,000 call South Carolina home creating an estimated annual economic impact of more than $200 billion.

“As manufacturers continue to confront and tackle global supply chain disruptions, it is more important than ever that South Carolina to improve and modernize our state’s transportation infrastructure system which is critical to manufacturers’ success,” Hazzard says.

The stretch from mile marker 187 to mile marker 194 is all part of a nearly $2 billion investment widening from Charleston to Columbia. Bob Morgan is President & CEO of the S.C. Chamber of Commerce. He says South Carolina is the 10th fastest growing state in the country and projects like widening I-26 are an essential part of continuing to grow.

“This will help companies address the supply chain challenges that are so critical. It will help them get product to market faster. It will help all companies who enjoy the river of commerce here and elsewhere in our state.”

SCDOT awarded Banks Construction the bid for work. SCDOT Secretary of Transportation Christy Hall says the company is pledging that $13 million in work on this project will be done by small and minority-owned businesses with the majority of materials being sourced from South Carolina.

“All of that is homegrown and is amplifying the impact of a single road project. Think about that. The ramifications of what that investment does to our economy,” Hall says.

Hall says the state is looking forward to announcing more portions of the project next year.

Copyright 2022 WCSC. All rights reserved.

A Charlotte-based real estate developer has revealed the next phase of a large mixed-use park in Ridgeville.

Childress Klein, the project’s developer, and Altus Equity Group Inc., a real estate sponsor, operator and investment company, said the finalization of securing an $86.5 million loan needed for construction of their industrial project located in the Camp Hall Commerce Park has been arranged with New York Life Real Estate Investors, according to an Altus Equity Group Inc news release.

This is said to be one of the largest historical spec build industrial projects within Charleston proper with the Camp Hall Commerce Park Campus 8, the next phase of the larger Camp Hall mixed-use park, equaling more than 1.4 million square feet, according to the release.

“While construction started in June of last year, we are pleased to announce the closing of our financing for this project,” said Matt Harper, partner at Childress Klein. “Despite some headwinds in the capital markets, we were able to secure attractive financing through New York Life Real Estate Investors and look forward to working with them to complete construction in the second half of this year.”

Camp Hall has been ranked by “Business Facilities Magazine’s” annual rankings as the No. 7 best industrial park in the nation in 2022 – and the only industrial park to make the list in the Southeast. Moreover, the project’s access to Interstate 26 provides convenient connection to the logistics and distribution capabilities of the Charleston market, including the Port of Charleston and Charleston International Airport, the release said.

“We are extremely excited about this project,” said Andrew Eicher, Altus Equity senior vice president. “Charleston is a strong economic center with growing industrial demand from manufacturing, logistics, and the continued growth of the Port of Charleston. There are many complications in a deal of this size, and we appreciate the attentiveness of the local and state governments to the project. In addition to our trusted local industry relationships, Camp Hall and Santee Cooper were instrumental in working through challenges as they arose during the pre-construction phases.”

Construction started in June upon purchase of the land, which was facilitated by Cushman and Wakefield’s Charleston Office. The Charleston office of Jones Lang LaSalle Inc has been selected as the leasing broker for the project by the combined management team, the release said.

Childress Klein has developed more than 51 million square feet of commercial real estate and owns assets valued at more than $3 billion.

“We continue to see opportunities in construction lending and look forward towards solidifying and expanding our relationships with top tier sponsors such as Childress Klein and Altus," said Elizabeth Roy, New York Life Real Estate Investors’ Structured Debt Team senior director.

RIDGEVILLE, S.C. (WCSC) - A cold storage solutions company plans to invest more than $70 million to establish operations in Dorchester County, the governor’s office announced Thursday.

Arcadia Cold Storage & Logistics is a third-party cold chain services provider that focuses on handling, storage, distribution and value-added services for the food industry. The company works to bridge supply gaps within the cold chain industry through modern cold storage warehouse development and services.

“We are extremely excited about this project and want to express our sincere thanks to the South Carolina Ports Authority, Dorchester County, our Saxum Real Estate partners, the Governor and the Department of Commerce in the great state of South Carolina for their support,” Arcadia CEO Chris Hughes said. “We are very bullish on the Charleston market — the advantages of the Port of Charleston as a Southeast gateway out of and into the U.S. — and on our ability to provide the specialized and unique handling and storage services that will be required for retailers, frozen and refrigerated food manufacturers, and fruit and produce importers to grow their market share in the region. Most importantly, we are proud to bring new jobs to Dorchester County and the surrounding communities.”

The new operation, which will be located at the Ridgeville Industrial Campus, will support high-volume throughput handling services including a variety of value-added services, full pallet handling, case picking and transportation management. The company will utilize the Port of Charleston to support both import and export trade.

“The demand for efficient food distribution across the United States will only continue to grow, and it’s innovative companies like Arcadia Cold Storage & Logistics that are answering the call and addressing supply gaps,” Gov. Henry McMaster said. “We are proud to welcome this company to Dorchester County, and look forward to the positive impact they will make in South Carolina and on the U.S. food supply chain.”

The company expects the investment will create 69 new jobs.

“We are excited to welcome Arcadia Cold Storage & Logistics to Dorchester County and celebrate the 69 new jobs that the company will create,” Secretary of Commerce Harry Lightsey said. “South Carolina’s talented workforce, ideal East Coast location and efficient infrastructure network make our state the perfect location for Arcadia Cold Storage & Logistics’ new operations.”

The facility is expected to be operational by early 2024. Those interested in joining the Arcadia Cold Storage & Logistics team should visit the company’s careers page.

Copyright 2022 WCSC. All rights reserved.

RIDGEVILLE, S.C. (WCIV) — Phase two of construction of the Campus 4 in Camp Hall Commerce Park is underway.

The second phase involves the construction of a 1,123,360-sq-ft industrial facility on 110.6 acres of land.

“We’re proud of the progress we’ve made on Phase I of this project, and our team is excited to carry that momentum through to Phase II. Camp Hall is an expertly planned, best-in-class park, and we’re honored to be involved in the full development of Campus 4," said Keith Horton, senior project manager at Frampton Construction.

Read More: Clyburn: $25M in federal funding for new railway tracks to support Camp Hall Commerce Park

The Camp Hall project was designed and promoted by Santee Cooper in partnership with the South Carolina Department of Commerce, Berkeley County, Edisto and Berkeley Electric Cooperatives, the South Carolina Power Team, the Charleston Regional Development Alliance, and the South Carolina Ports Authority.

“The full development of Campus 4 at Camp Hall Commerce Park gives Portman Industrial a substantial land position with state-of-the-art logistics facilities in the highly constrained Charleston market. Campus 4 provides us with the ability to target a diversity of tenants desiring smaller, single-load facilities that have been the hallmark of Charleston’s tenant demand,” says John Gaskin. “Campus 4 also fills a void in immediate supply of cross-dock logistics facilities of +/- 500,000 square feet and +1,000,000 square feet, which are in short supply in Charleston and desired by present and future port customers.”

Frampton Construction Company, LLC. is leading the construction project.

Read More: McMaster touts new Volvo Car University, electric vehicle investment in Ridgeville

Phase one of the Campus 4 construction is still underway. It includes three industrial facilities with a combined 940,000-sq-ft. That phase is over 60% leased at this time.

Last June, nearly two dozen miles of new railway track were given federal funding to the tune of $25 million.

The money was slated for the South Carolina Department of Commerce's Palmetto Railways division to construct approximately 22.7 miles of new track and related facilities. This will connect the Camp Hall Commerce Park in Ridgeville to the CSX multi-state rail network.

The Ridgeville Walmart distribution center has officially opened.

Though the center off Highway 78 began operations in January, state and local officials held an official ribbon-cutting ceremony for the more than $200 million development on April 22.

It was a typical ceremony for a ribbon cutting in Ridgeville. But this is not the typical distribution center. What was once a rural swath of land off Highway 78, is now a sprawling industrial complex.

It’s the size of 52 football fields, and state and local leaders had to throw the deep ball to land it.

The regional distribution center will support 850 Walmart and Sam’s Club stores across South Carolina and the Southeast and is expected to increase local port volumes by approximately 5 percent. The economic impact is far reaching — that’s why when Walmart first started looking for a site, there were a lot of suitors.

“The discussions that led us here today started in Bentonville, Arkansas, in March of 2017, five years ago,” said Jim Newsome, president and CEO of South Carolina Ports Authority. “There was intense competition for this building. Every state wants be on Walmart’s radar screen for a number of reasons.”

There were several reasons Walmart picked Dorchester County. One was the proximity to the port, and another one is the state’s business friendly environment, which Gov. Henry McMaster mentions often at ribbon-cutting events. He also often talks up the state’s workforce, and the distribution center will be hiring a lot of the local workforce in some capacity.

So far the facility has hired over 1,000 locals and plans to bring on more in the coming months. Walmart is offering incentives as well, such as free training to get a commercial driver’s license (CDL) and tuition payments to further education.

State Representative Joe Jackson, who serves constituents in rural Berkeley and Dorchester counties, said for some of the new hires, it’s life changing.

“There shouldn’t be anyone without employment in this area,” he said at the event. “There was a time when Ridgeville and Harleyville were kind of left out of the picture. What Walmart has done, especially for this immediate community, is secure a livelihood for just about anybody who wants to work.”

The 3 million square foot facility is the anchor of Ridgeville’s Industrial Campus off of Highway 78. The future looks promising for those who want business coming to the rural area.

Dorchester County Council Chairman Bill Hern urged area residents and stakeholders to stay tuned.

“It’s really just the beginning. We’ve had tons of interest in our county for development projects, (so) this is really kind of just the start,” Hearn said. “We’re very excited and as we say, ‘It’s our time.’ … We have the opportunity, we have the infrastructure, we have a wonderful workforce, and it’s all come together at this point in time. ... We’re excited and a lot is coming.”

Statewide, Walmart employs 35,000 associates and operates 122 stores.