Company investing $26.2 million to expand Richland County operation, SC officials say
A produce company will invest millions to expand their longtime operation in Richland County, and it will create 40 jobs, according to South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster’s Office.
On Wednesday, McEntire Produce, a full-service fresh produce supplier, announced it’s investing $26.2 million to develop its state-of-the-art facility in Columbia, the governor’s office said in a news release.
“We are proud to see a company with such a long-standing history in our state continuing to succeed,” McMaster said in the release. “After over eighty years of operations in South Carolina, McEntire Produce’s announcement today is further proof that our state has the tools businesses need to find long-term success.”
Operating in Richland County since 1938, McEntire Produce is a family-owned fresh produce processor, repacker and wholesaler, officials said. The company also handles the general processing of lettuce, tomatoes, onions and coleslaw mix for numerous fast-food restaurants, according to the release.
The company will “upfit its existing facility” at 2040 American Italian Way in with automation advancements that will improve production capacity, officials said. That’s in the area between Shop Road and Garners Ferry Road, where several industrial operations and businesses are located.
The expansion is expected to take five years, according to the release.
“The investments planned over the next five years will improve the capacity, enable customer expansion and create more jobs for South Carolinians,” McEntire Produce President and CEO Carter McEntire said in the release.
Anyone interested in applying for a job with McEntire Produce should go to the company’s careers page.
“McEntire Produce’s expansion will create more agribusiness jobs for South Carolinians and more opportunities for South Carolina farmers,” South Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture Hugh Weathers said in the release.
In addition to creating new jobs, Richland County Council Chairwoman Jesica Mackey said the investment will “afford future growth” that will serve to strengthen the area’s roots on a global level.
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This story was originally published March 6, 2024 at 11:40 AM with the headline "Company investing $26.2 million to expand Richland County operation, SC officials say."
