Mortgage Broker in Gaffney, SC

The largest ever capital investment in upstate South Carolina's Cherokee County will begin late this spring when Chicago-based Glenstar Properties will start building the $415 million Cherokee Commerce Center 85 (CCC 85) in the town of Gaffney.

From start to finish, the warehouse's construction is slated to wrap up in about one year, noted the American Journal of Transportation (AJOT), a national publication.

The 550,520-sq.-ft. spec-to-suit warehouse, known as Building 2, will be built so that it can be expanded to 1.3 million sq. ft., if needed.

It is only one of five buildings planned by Glenstar and its partner, Creek Lane Capital, for the 290-acre warehouse park that will encompass 3.6 million-sq.-ft. at the intersection of S.C. Highway 105/Hyatt Street and the Interstate 85 corridor. It is an area of rapid growth between Greenville-Spartanburg, S.C., to the southwest, and Charlotte, N.C., to the northeast.

Glenstar, known for two decades as a national office and multifamily developer, is expanding its recent focus in industrial development with the Gaffney project. The news of CCC 85 follows the firm's 2022 debut in the southeast U.S. industrial sector with the groundbreaking of Tri-County 75, a new 72-acre, four-building industrial park in Fort Myers, Fla., totaling 818,000 sq. ft.

Last year, Glenstar also made the strategic hire of 30-year industrial veteran Brian Netzky as its principal. He joins company co-founder Michel Klein in leading the firm's new industrial initiatives, which are primarily focused on the Sunbelt region, and specifically the Southeast's booming I-85 corridor.

CCC 85 to Offer Massive Product Storage Space

All the warehouses at CCC 85 are being built on a speculative basis with pre-leasing now under way.

Building 2 will have a cross-dock orientation, 40-ft. clear heights, up to 232 dock doors, four drive-in doors, and parking for 452 trailers and 540 cars.

The next to break ground will be Building 4, which will include a rear-load orientation, 36-ft. clear heights, 56 dock doors, two drive-in doors, and parking for 132 trailers and 324 cars.

"Due to CCC 85's massive scope and ideal location, tenants can choose from a range of mid- to bulk-size, and best-in-class industrial space adjacent to the I-85 corridor, one of the most critical supply chain links in the Southeast," said Netzky. "The ample space also allows for flexibility to accommodate up to 1.7 million sq. ft. under one roof."

CCC 85 will be located 33 mi. from the BMW Group Plant in Spartanburg, 38 mi. from Inland Port Greer and 50 mi. southwest of Charlotte. From CCC 85, tenants can reach 100 million consumers within a one-day drive, noted AJOT. Tenants and owner/occupiers also will have access to Tier-3 incentives to further maximize their return on investment.

The Conlan Company, a Texas-based firm with an office in Marietta, Ga., will serve as the project's general contractor; South Carolina's SeamonWhiteside will provide civil engineering services.

In addition, Ware Malcomb, a nationally known architecture firm in Irvine, Calif., was selected to design CCC 85.

The industrial space will be leased by Charlotte-based Colliers, recognized as one of the nation's top commercial real estate companies.

"Despite headwinds and talk of cooling in some markets, we see only room to run for industrial, particularly in the Southeast, which has record-low occupancy combined with tremendous population growth that's creating even more demand," said Glenstar's Klein. "We anticipate significant pre-leasing on our ground-up, big box, institutional-quality industrial facilities, which enables us to modify the spec space to suit tenant needs in real-time."

GAFFNEY, S.C. —

More than 250 jobs are coming to the Upstate thanks to a new bakery, officials said Wednesday.

State officials announced that Gaffney Bakery, LLC and its partners plan to establish operations in Cherokee County.

The company’s $96 million investment will create more than 260 new jobs, officials said.

“Gaffney Bakery, LLC recognizes that South Carolina is the key ingredient for success," Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee Harvey S. Peeler Jr. said. "Our greatest asset – our people – is what makes that ingredient so strong."

Gaffney Bakery, LLC plans to purchase an existing state-of-the-art bakery facility located at 131 Corporate Drive in Gaffney that once housed ACE Bakery operations until it closed late last year.

Here is a look at the inside of the bakery facility when ACE opened in 2013.

The company will make significant renovations and improvements to assist in manufacturing frozen bakery products, officials said.

Operations are expected to be online by mid-2024.

More news (story will continue after links.)

Anyone interested in applying for a job at the new bakery should visit readySC in late 2023 and early 2024 for job postings, officials said.

Company officials look forward to opening this facility and partnering with South Carolina and Cherokee County.

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"This is a testament to the strength of our workforce, our business-friendly environment and our strategic location," Cherokee County Council Chairman Tim Spencer said. "We look forward to supporting their growth and success in our community."

The Coordinating Council for Economic Development approved job development credits related to this project. The council also awarded a $2.5 million Rural Infrastructure Fund grant to Cherokee County to assist with the costs of building improvements.

GAFFNEY, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - The Cherokee County Development Board announced on its Facebook page that an Upstate manufacturing facility is closing its doors in 2024.

BIC, a global brand that produces crayons, markers and other writing utensils, said operations housed at Gaffney will be transitioning to two larger factories in France and Mexico.

The company has more than 20 factories on five continents that support the distribution of products in over 160 countries. Approximately 60 employees work at the Gaffney plant.

According to board officials, the Gaffney facility has been a part of Cherokee County since 1992 and has had a huge impact on the community.

BIC said the decision to close the facility was not made lightly and does not reflect the workforce, but they are committed to providing support during this transition.

“As part of a global plan to regionalize select aspects of our manufacturing footprint in Europe and North America, we will be transitioning the operations housed at Gaffney, which produces a limited supply of BIC Markers, to two larger BIC factories in our global network in France and Mexico. All reasonable alternatives were carefully considered prior to making this strategic business decision. This decision was not made lightly and is not reflective of the performance, skill, or commitment of the Gaffney workforce. Although a smaller facility, operations will transition with a phased approach through the third quarter of 2024.

The well-being of our team members remains at the forefront of our planning. Every employee has been individually considered and will be provided with as much advance notice as possible. We are fully committed to providing ample support during this time, including a customized benefits package as well as access to assistance programs and outplacement services.”

BIC

The full statement from the Cherokee County Development Board can be read below:

Copyright 2023 WHNS. All rights reserved.

GAFFNEY, S.C. —

More than 200 Upstate workers were informed on Monday they will soon be out of a job.

The Timken Company notified about 225 people who work at its bearings facility in Gaffney that the plant will be closing and gradually winding down operations by the end of the year, according to Scott Schroeder, the company's media relations director.

The plant, which makes roller bearings, is located on Timken Road, off Morgan Drive, near Old Georgia Highway.

"It’s just a sad day in Gaffney and Cherokee County," Cherokee County Development Board's Executive Director Jim Cook said. "Timken has been here for 50 years. “They were the first major non-textile industry to come to our county and Gaffney, I think, in the late 70s, and they’ve just really put us on the map. They diversified our economy. They’ve changed so many lives in our county. It’s like losing just a good friend.”

Cook says the numbers had been dwindling, so the announcement wasn't a shock. However, he said the county as a whole had more major business and economic development announcements in the last year than it has had in the last 10 to 15 years.

“We had our best year ever with job announcements and capital investment," Cook said. "Numbers are still yet to be released, but we had a really good year. At the same time, there were several industries though that were struggling, and we’re just keeping our eye on it. We’re doing the best we can. We’re trying to help those people who are being displaced by Timken closing.”

Cook says they've welcomed several other major companies to the county over the years, like DHL, Dollar Tree and Milliken.

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He says they're working to bring more companies into the county.

“Right now, we’re working several projects, so with the widening of 85 in Cherokee County and our growth in the Upstate, business all along the Upstate, we’re going to help the people at Timken, but we’re going to get somebody back in that building,” Cook said.

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"While difficult, we’re making this change to streamline our operations and restructure our manufacturing footprint to better compete in a global market," Schroeder said.

He said the company is helping affected employees by offering support, benefits planning and retention and severance pay. He said they are also giving them the opportunity to apply for open positions at other Timken locations.

"We wanted to be transparent and provide as much time as possible so associates can plan for their future," Schroeder said. "We’re committed to providing at least 60 days' notice prior to an associate’s last day," he said.

GAFFNEY — Cherokee County’s largest industrial park is officially under construction in Gaffney as crews begin work on the first of up to six buildings at the 290-acre site.

The first phase of the $400 million Cherokee Commerce Center 85 started Sept. 18 and the 555,520-square-foot spec building should be complete by late 2024. Phase one is estimated to cost $38 million, though the building could be expanded to 1.3 million square feet based on tenant needs.

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Only 20 miles outside Spartanburg, 45 miles from Charlotte and 47 miles from Greenville, the park at the intersection of Old Post Road and Highway 105 will eventually house 3.6 million square feet of industrial space.

Chicago-based Glenstar, a national commercial real estate developer, secured financing for the project’s first phase from CrossHarbor Capital Partners in Boston. Michael Klein, Glenstar managing principal, told The Post and Courier the site was chosen in Cherokee County based on the region’s strong labor force.

“We think the I-85 corridor will continue to expand and the location is right off the interstate,” Klein said. “That’s why we decided to build here. The site will have up to six buildings.”

The first building will be cross-docked, meaning products can be offloaded from one truck and immediately loaded onto another without interim storage, with up to 232 dock doors, four drive-in doors, 540 parking spaces for vehicles and 452 parking spaces for trailers.

Cherokee County has experienced an increase in industrial growth over the past decade. The new industrial park is expected to meet growing demand for spec building space, Cherokee County Development Board executive director Ken Moon said.

“I think the new industrial park will be huge for us,” Moon said. “It will allow us to up our game with industrial recruitment. There’s not that many industrial buildings available in the county. Last year we had 28 projects looking for buildings but we had nothing for them. We want to make sure we have the ability to provide space and this project is the way to do it with developers.”

SPARTANBURG — The new Spartanburg County Courthouse is scheduled to open to the public on Jan. 22 with construction now complete on the 344,000-square-foot building.

The $120 million facility at West St. John and Magnolia streets includes 17 courtrooms, one hearing room, a jury assembly room, jury deliberation rooms and other space for future use. Funding for the project was approved by voters in 2017 when they passed a 1-cent sales tax increase. The building’s highest point reaches 124 feet. The new courthouse is more than three times the size of the existing courthouse.

“It is spectacular, not only in appearance, but makes a statement about who we are and where we are going,” Spartanburg County Councilman David Britt told The Post and Courier. “The old courthouse opened in 1957, and it was built when the county’s population was just over 100,000 people. We needed a new courthouse in the ’90s but couldn’t afford a new courthouse at that time due to finances.”

Judicial Planning Associates reported in May 2017 the Spartanburg Judicial Center at 180 Magnolia St., Spartanburg, needed to be replaced because it no longer met the required standards for technology or security required for courts. The old county courthouse will be demolished in 2024, and a plaza will be built in its place. The new courthouse design includes white precast exterior with classical architecture. A parking deck garage with 700 spaces was completed in 2021 at Library Street as part of the overall construction project.

Spartanburg County Clerk of Court Amy Cox said in a statement the current courthouse will be closed from Jan. 8 through Jan. 19 to normal traffic during staff’s transition to the new building.

“Our staff members will still be working, answering phones and emails, processing filings and sending required notices,” Cox said. “There may be times when our phones and computers are in transition.”

The only non-employees who will be allowed in the old building during the move will be attorneys, litigants and witnesses who are on the small family court docket. No one else will be allowed in the building for any other reason. A drop box will be located at the front entrance for any paper filings for any court located in the building.