BEAUFORT, S.C. (Sept. 15, 2022) – The City of Beaufort’s commitment to diversifying its economy is paying results – the latest examples being a fully leased spec building at Beaufort Commerce Park, with an additional spec building in the planning stages.
This comes on top of the City’s commitment to the Beaufort Digital Corridor, which launched in 2017 as a place to nurture tech startups.
The companies Norman USA and Critical Role are each leasing half of the 64,000-square-foot spec building. Construction of the building, at 74 Schein Loop and developed by Magnus Development Partners, was completed earlier this year.
Norman USA, which is headquartered in La Palma, Calif., manufactures and distributes window treatments worldwide. Its site in Beaufort – its first on the East Coast -- will be used for distribution of its products. The company is expected to start operations by October 2022. Norman USA expects to create 67 jobs over a five-year span and invest an estimated $16.17 million, according to Charlie Stone, senior project manager at the Beaufort County Economic Development Corporation (BCEDC), which has helped to develop Commerce Park in partnership with the City of Beaufort and Beaufort County.
Norman is hiring and said anyone interested can email their resume to NormanCareers@NormanUSA.com.
Critical Role, a multi-platform video gaming company headquartered in Los Angeles, will use the facility to distribute merchandise related to its video game company. It expects to hire 15 people, and is expected to also open in October.
“The addition of these two companies to the Beaufort Commerce Park demonstrates that the City’s commitment to improving the park – from adding infrastructure to the construction of the Spec Building – is paying off,” said Mayor Stephen Murray. “We are determined, over time, to diversify our economy beyond the military and the hospitality industry, so that young people can see a future for themselves and their families.”
BCEDC Executive Director John O’Toole, speaking at the Sept. 13 Work Session of City Council, said that Magnus is currently in the engineering phase to build a 72,000-square-foot spec building next to the first one.
Materials Research Group, a glass manufacturer based in New Jersey, is planning to begin operations by November, according to Stone of BCEDC. It has invested $4 million, and expects to create 26 new jobs at its 10,000-square-foot plant. The company specializes in ready-to-press glass powders and various glass components used in aerospace, medical, battery and other markets.
Knight’s Companies, a concrete manufacturer with operations in South Carolina and Georgia, has acquired Lowcountry Concrete, just outside Commerce Park, Stone said, and plans to add 80 positions. Stone said that the company was very complimentary of the City’s responsiveness as it determined whether to expand here.
About the Beaufort Commerce Park:
The Beaufort Commerce Park, which is owned by the City of Beaufort, is comprised of 196 acres just off U.S. Highway 21 and S.C. Highway 116. It is 20 minutes from Interstate 95, and a short distance to Charleston and Savannah international airports and ports. Contact Charlie Stone at the Beaufort County Economic Development Corporation at 843-226-3462 X2 or email him at cstone@beaufortscedc.org for more information.
BCEDC website: https://southerncarolina.org/beaufort
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