The Latitude Corp. had several choices when it came to where it should set up its new manufacturing plant with the goal of expanding its footprint to enter untapped markets.
The Wisconsin-headquartered company, a vertically integrated, contract manufacturer of precision metal products, serves the agriculture, aerospace and defense, commercial appliances, government, healthcare, electric vehicle, energy, and construction sectors.
After pondering the options, last year, Latitude chose to invest $29 million in acquiring a 50,000 square foot facility in the City of Manning in Clarendon County, South Carolina. The plant, which began operations in June 2024, manufactures large metal components.
Why did Latitude choose Clarendon County?
Because the new manufacturing plant “will allow us to better serve customers regionally and continue the growth story of Latitude Corp,” said Latitude Corp. President Tom Verbos.
Speaking at the time of the announcement he lauded the South Carolina team that put together the deal that reeled in Latitude. “They were all very supportive through the due diligence process and Santee Electric, having constructed a spec building suitable to our needs, helped us to narrow down our facility choice.”
Many companies “are going to have to retool, reinvest in new technologies, whether it’s AI-related, or not,” says George Kosinski, executive director of the Clarendon County Economic Development Board.
The agency works cooperatively with regional and state-wide economic development agencies and, as a result, the Board can look at being remarkably diverse in the industries that its attracting to the County.
Clarendon County, he says, “has a very robust existing industry program just to make sure we’re front and center.”
Key to that “robust industry program,” is Clarendon County’s key location and infrastructure – the I-95, the major north-south route on the U.S. East Coast, runs directly through the center of the County and has ready access to the main CSX rail line, which serves every major industrial center in the eastern U.S. The Port of Charleston, one of the largest deep-water container ports on the Eastern seaboard, is within a 90-minute drive.
“The I-20 and I-26 highways are within 30 minutes of all of our industrial sites and also offer direct access to east-west trade routes, as well as, the port,” he says, adding the County is just 30 minutes from the Florence Regional Airport and just a little over an hour from the Columbia Metropolitan Airport, Charleston International Airport, and Myrtle Beach International Airport.
In terms of infrastructure, Clarendon County businesses are served by a reliable electrical grid with costs generally 15–20 percent below the national average; and an abundant, dependable supply of water and natural gas available at highly competitive rates.
In addition, two separate solar farm projects are planned in the County over the next few years that will make it the largest solar energy project to date in the region.
“Companies today are diversifying and investing in many technologies, and we’re working hard to stay up with the times and continue to develop our infrastructure around that, while still focusing on the existing businesses that we already have here,” says Kosinski. “What makes us stand out is that we want to keep the ones we have and continue to grow at the same time.”
The examples of companies with a history in Clarendon County are more than impressive.
- In February 2022, pulp and paper giant Georgia-Pacific (GP) pumped nearly $40 million into expanding operations at its oriented strand board (OSB) facility in Clarendon County that began operations in 2013.
OSB is like particle board and is used in wall sheathing, floor underlayment, roof cover, and I-joist in both commercial and residential building. OSB also is used in furniture, reels, trailer liners, and recreational vehicle floors
“The Clarendon facility is a tremendous asset in our OSB portfolio of five facilities,” said Andy Konieczka, president – Georgia-Pacific Structural Panels. - The Bicycle Corporation of America (BCA) currently operates two facilities in Clarendon County and is the only mass producer of bicycles in the USA.
In 2013, Kent International, brought bicycle manufacturing back to the U.S. with the acquisition of a 200,000 sq ft facility in the City of Manning and began a bicycle assembly program under the Bicycle Corporation of America name that eventually morphed into a full-blown bicycle manufacturing facility producing three types of bikes for which retail giant Walmart is the sole customer.
The manufacturing plant in Summerton, a few miles away, produces specialty brand bikes that are sold by dealers throughout the U.S. east. - Long Island, New York-headquartered Quality Enclosures is a manufacturer of tempered glass shower enclosures. Last December, the company announced plans to invest $7.4 million in a new manufacturing plant in Manning.
“Our decision to expand in Manning, South Carolina, is strategically anchored in both the location’s unique potential and the vibrant community it hosts,” says Quality Enclosures President and CEO Steve Schwartz. “This area presents a remarkable opportunity for growth, owing to its advantageous geographical position, which offers optimal access to key transport routes and markets.” - In 2020, Fortune 500 giant Westinghouse Electric Co. LLC said it would build a new welding and machining facility with the $24.5 million investment becoming the largest capital investment by a company in the county in more than 10 years.
The company, which has had a presence in South Carolina for more than 50 years, provides a wide range of nuclear power plant products and services to utilities throughout the world. It also specializes in advanced nuclear plant designs, nuclear fuel, service and maintenance and instrumentation and control systems.
Westinghouse’s operation became operational in 2023 and is located at the Clarendon County Industrial Park, which is owned and operated by the Clarendon County Business Development Corporation.
Joining Westinghouse at the Industrial Park is Cummins Meritor, which makes drivetrain, brake and aftermarket products for the diesel truck market.
In 2018, Meritor –acquired by engine, filtration, and power generation product designer and manufacturer Cummins in 2022 – expanded its existing operations in Clarendon County with a $5.2 million investment in its existing plant there.
Commenting at the time, Meritor Senior Vice President Chris Vallavarayan, said, “As our company continues to grow, we are pleased to make this significant investment in our Manning, South Carolina facility. This plant is vital in providing a leading share of the brakes for the commercial vehicle industry in the United States and plays an important role in our global operations network.”
The 500-acre Clarendon County Industrial Park lies just off the I-95 interstate highway outside the town of Summerton.
According to Kosinski, a 104,000-square foot spec building is under construction on a 30-acre parcel of land. The new building is expandable to cover 350,000 square feet, while plans call for construction to begin soon on three additional buildings.
Designated a South Carolina Certified Site, the Park is currently home to Westinghouse and Cummins Meritor, as well as several other companies including Alucoil North America, which manufactures high-tech aluminum materials for building, transport and industrial applications; industrial valve maker Powell Valves; and Swift Green Filters, a maker of replacement refrigerator filters.
Water and air filtration manufacturer On Time Distribution has a facility at the Park, as does Loctek, which was founded in 1999 and designs and manufactures sit-stand desk risers, height-adjustable desks, and other products for office environments.
“The boom really started last year when Loctek, moved into the industrial park,” says Kosinski. “The company’s move was soon followed by Westinghouse Electric Company, Palmetto Yacht Management, and F. Hunt Enterprise.”
To get all those companies to relocate, he says, the county’s economic development team worked with officials in the City of Manning, the Clarendon County Council, and others “to make it all happen.”
According to Kosinski, a second site – the 150-acre Alcolu Technology & Industrial Park – is currently under construction about a mile from the I-95 with full water, sewer, and electrical connections, as well as a CSX rail line adjacent to the site.
“One of my board members who’s been on my development board for many, many years, always says that we compete above our weight class when it comes to these projects. And that just has to do with a lot of – we’ve got to make sure we’re ready for these projects when they come around and make sure we can talk the talk and walk the walk kind of thing. So, I think we’re there.”
“We’re investing about $2.5 million in road extensions and grading a 250,000 and a 150,000-square-foot building pad in that industrial park to cut down on the time it takes for someone to come in and erect a building,” he says.
“We may be rural, but we can compete,” says Kosinski. “We’re always looking for new and great things to bring to the community.”
