2 companies moving into Beaufort’s Commerce Park. Between them they’ve got 80 jobs to fill
Two California-based companies — one that makes windows furnishings and the other video games — plan to begin distribution operations in a new commercial building at the Beaufort Commerce Park next month, which economic development and city officials said will create more than 80 jobs and lesson the city’s dependence on the military and health care sectors.
In addition, two more companies are planning to open in or near the park later this year, creating another 100 positions. One was previously announced, and the other recently acquired an existing business and plans to expand its workforce.
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, about eight miles northwest of the city.
Construction of the 64,000-square-foot building at 74 Schein Loop was completed earlier this year by Columbia-based Magnus Development Partners, which began construction of the “spec building” in August 2021. A spec building is constructed for the purpose of resale or lease.
A year later, the city of Beaufort announced Thursday, the building, longer than a football field, now has two tenants: Norman USA and Critical Role, each of which is leasing half of the building.
Both are expected to open in October.
La Palma, Calif.-based Norman USA manufactures and distributes window treatments worldwide. Its site in Beaufort — its first on the East Coast — will be used for distribution of its products.
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.
The addition of the 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, Beaufort Mayor Stephen Murray said.
“We are determined, over time, to diversify our economy beyond the military and the hospitality industry,” Murray said in a news release, “so that young people can see a future for themselves and their families.”
The Economic Development Corporation recruited Magnus to build the first spec building, John O’Toole, BCEDC’s execuitive director, told the Beaufort Gazette and Island Packet. Part of the deal, he said, was an option to build a second. Now Magnus is planning a 72,000-square-foot building next to the first, O’Toole said. Magnus is moving quickly on the second because the first one was leased just 368 days after construction began.
“For better than two decades, people at the county and city level have been looking for activity in the Commerce Park,” O’Toole said, “and now as a result of this we have proof of concept Beaufort is in fact a great place for light industry to locate.”
The city bought the park out of foreclosure for $1.8 million in 2012 from S.C. Bank and Trust. The park was owned by the Lowcountry Economic Network before it went bankrupt.
A previous lack of success in drawing companies to the 20-year old Beaufort Commerce Park was overcome through efforts by the city, Beaufort County, Dominion Energy and Hargray Communications to provide contemporary infrastructure, O’Toole said.
In 2017, municipalities and the county came together in 2017 and created and financed the BCEDC, O’Toole said, because a regional approach to economic development was needed.
Since then, O’Toole said, there’s been $255 million in investment from companies that have created 1,350 new jobs with an average compensation of $47,500.
There’s additional development in the works at the Commerce Park or near it, the BCEDC’s Stone said.
It was previously announced that Materials Research Group, a glass manufacturer based in New Jersey, was constructing its own 10,000-square-foot plant at the Commercial Park, investing $4 million and creating 26 jobs. Stone said the company, which specializes in ready-to-press glass powders and various glass components used in aerospace, medical, battery and other markets, plans to open in November.
Knight’s Companies, a concrete manufacturer with operations in South Carolina and Georgia, has recently acquired Lowcountry Concrete. Stone said the business, located just outside of the Commerce Park, plans to add 80 positions.
This story was originally published September 15, 2022 at 3:15 PM.
