Williamsburg County breaks ground on new industrial building

Original story posted by The News

Williamsburg County held a ground-breaking ceremony on a new industrial building on Thursday, March 31, 2022. The new building is expected to be a 52,500 square foot structure with an additional 21,000 square feet expansion possible.

The new building will be right across from the building Citadel Brands is moving into in June at the Williamsburg Cooperative Commerce Center.

“We don’t have an actual design yet. I will meet with the civil engineers and architects in mid-April to complete a design,” Williamsburg County Economic Development Executive Director Gilleon Frieson said. “The building will be approximately 52,000 square feet to 75,000 square feet and possible a little larger. The pad (the area where the building is built on) will be constructed first, providing the County with a “pad ready” site while the bidding process for building construction is undertaken.”

The building is part of an overall economic boom in Williamsburg County. Since 2019, there has been over $80 million worth of investment into the county, says Williamsburg County Supervisor Tiffany Cooks.

“I am just elated by what is happening here. And again, it’s not just us, it’s our partners also. They make it possible and make us more marketable and competitive for the other industries out there,” Cooks said. “So I’m just elated about our progress, and I look forward to more progress in the future.”

The building is expected to take 12-18 months and the cost for the pad will be around $700,000 according to Frieson. The money for new building comes from the sale of the previous industrial building to Citadel Brands.

While the new building doesn’t have a buyer yet, Cooks is preparing for when the day comes.

“There’s always people looking for a place to go,” she said. “We’re just preparing for that time.”

The county isn’t done yet. The county has multiple other projects in the work, but those involved don’t want the projects announced until it becomes official, Frieson says.

“Some companies prefer not to have big announcements,” Frieson said. “And we honor their wishes to not do so.”