We have some wide ranging local news to share this month. Be sure to follow the links provided to find out more about any items of special interest to you.
On the transportation front, two airlines are adding nonstop services from Charleston: Breeze Airways will offer four flights per week to Los Angeles (LAX) starting mid-June and Spirit Airlines will fly four times per week to Detroit (DTW) beginning mid-July. Tradd Advisory, a third-party freight transport logistics services provider that advises clients, carriers and agents on effective freight handling strategies, will be expanding its operations in Mount Pleasant, creating 100 new jobs over the next five years.
In the technology sector, GovCIO has just opened a new office and high-tech lab in North Charleston, strategically located near Joint Base Charleston and US Naval Information Warfare Center Atlantic (NIWC, formerly SPAWAR). The company has more than $1 billion in government contracts, providing advanced technology solutions and digital services to the federal government. The SC Secretary of Veterans Affairs recently inducted Mount Pleasant-based Heirloom Cloud Corporation into its Veteran Friendly Employer Recognition Program at the Gold level. This veteran-owned small business is committed to employing veterans for its work in digitizing the personal collections of clients from obsolete media formats and transferring them to a secure cloud platform.
In manufacturing news, Nucor Steel is currently building a $425 million galvanizing line at its mill in Berkeley County to support its plans to increase production and gain market share for high-grade sheet metal production for the automotive and durable goods sectors. This expansion will add 50 new jobs to this mill that melts and recycles scrap steel. TTS Studios is investing $845,000 to expand its operations in North Charleston. This innovative technical design and custom fabrication company serves the performing arts, events and experiential marketing industries.
Lastly, in the retail arena, Columbia Properties and Worthen Development have begun site preparation for The Marketplace at Carnes Crossroads shopping center in Goose Creek. Anchored by a Publix grocery store, it will consist of three buildings totaling over 82,500 sq. ft. CBRE, a global commercial real estate services and investment firm, was instrumental in securing a $30.9 million construction loan for the development.
