Allied Air Enterprises, a subsidiary of Lennox International, recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new, 405,000-square-foot warehouse at the Orangeburg County/City Industrial Park.

“The expansion of our operations is a testament to the positive business environment and the dedication of our employees in Orangeburg, South Carolina,” said Joe Nassab, vice president and general manager of Allied Air Enterprises.

“A key factor in deciding to expand the Allied Air facility has been the outstanding business relationship we have shared with local and state officials since the inception of the plant,” he said.

The company held the groundbreaking ceremony earlier this month for a small group of guests due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The new, $35.7 million facility will be located next to the existing 550,000-square-foot building at 355 Millennium Drive. The expansion will increase the company’s manufacturing, distribution and storage capabilities. It will create 20 new jobs.

The new facility will be one of the largest recently constructed in the county, according to economic development officials. Husqvarna added 500,000 square feet in 2017.

Construction of the expanded Allied Air facility has begun, with plans for it to be fully operational by the fourth quarter of this year.

The Coordinating Council for Economic Development awarded Orangeburg County a $150,000 Rural Infrastructure Fund grant for costs related to the project.

“We are very excited about the expansion in Orangeburg,” said Craig Fairley, plant operations director of Allied Air Enterprises. “This is a great development, because it allows us to grow our capabilities for our customers and continue to be a major contributor to the economy of this region,” he said.

Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the Orangeburg County Development Commission did not hold its typical ceremonial groundbreaking event.

The OCDC does plan to hold a ribbon-cutting and larger ceremony in the future as the COVID pandemic continues to wind down.

The expansion is the second the company announced in 2020.

In August, Allied Air announced it would expand into the $13 million, 200,000-square-foot speculative building at the OC/CIP.

The building will also be used for warehousing and production capacity. The number of employees did not increase with that previous project.

A division of Lennox International, Allied Air Enterprises serves residential and commercial marketplaces in the United States and Canada with the heating and cooling solutions. The company has five plants across North America.

AVirginia-based company will invest $22 million and create 50 new jobs in Orangeburg County, development officials say.

INDEVCO North America, Inc. is developing a new, 100,000-square-foot industrial facility at 715 Prosperity Drive, within the Orangeburg County Industrial Park.

“We’re very pleased to be working with the State of South Carolina and the Orangeburg community to establish our flexible packaging presence in the Southeast,” INDEVCO North America Plastics Division President Robert Laird said in a press release.

“We look forward to supporting the local community by recruiting and training local talent to grow our INDEVCO North America operations,” he said.

Founded in 1982, INDEVCO North America, Inc. produces high-performance protective products such as coated and laminated paper, plastic films and packaging.

Its new Orangeburg manufacturing facility will support the petrochemical, lawn and garden and salt markets.

Orangeburg County Council Chairman Johnnie Wright said, “We have another 50 jobs heading to Orangeburg County thanks to Indevco NA choosing to come to Orangeburg County.

“On behalf of the county council and citizens of Orangeburg County, we are grateful that Indevco has chosen to locate here in the Orangeburg County Industrial Park and we look forward to celebrating your success as part of the Orangeburg family.”

Orangeburg County Administrator Harold Young said, “We are happy to welcome INDEVCO to our county and say congratulations on their groundbreaking. We are very excited to see their business prosper with the help of our county and our citizens.”

Construction on the Orangeburg project began in February and is currently in the sitework phase.

The 100,000-square-foot, pre-engineered metal building will house manufacturing, storage, office and lab space.

The facility includes a 20,000-square-foot penthouse area with 63-foot-high ceilings designed to accommodate large manufacturing machinery. The remaining 80,000-square-feet has a 30-foot clear height.

Rail access will enable efficient transportation of plastic resin to the facility, which will then be manufactured into flexible packaging and distributed throughout North America.

Orangeburg County Development Commission Executive Director Gregg Robinson said, “This global leader in manufactured materials will be a great asset to South Carolina’s Global Logistics Triangle located on Norfolk Southern Main line rail.” Orangeburg County’s Global Logistics Triangle is formed by the intersections of Interstates 95 and 26 and U.S. Highway 301.

Robinson said Orangeburg County currently has over 600,000 square feet of industrial construction underway in 2021. INDEVCO will be the county’s 28th international company.

“We truly appreciate the support of the S.C. Department of Commerce, our Department of Public Utilities and the County of Orangeburg for assisting with this project,” Robinson said.

Central SC Alliance Chairman W. Keller Kissam congratulated INDEVCO and Orangeburg County, saying, “INDEVCO’s decision to locate in Orangeburg County will help make the community even more prosperous and provide new avenues for local workers to apply their talents and skills.”

The new facility is expected to be completed by the fall of 2021.

Individuals interested in joining the INDEVCO North America, Inc. team should visit the company’s careers webpage at www.careers.indevcogroup.com.

Brewer Renewables, a subsidiary of Seahorse Capital, announced plans Wednesday to establish an $85 million solar farm in Orangeburg County.

“We appreciate the help and support of the Orangeburg County Council, county administration and the Orangeburg County Development Commission to make this 100-megawatt solar energy project a reality and are excited to contribute to making Orangeburg County the solar capital of South Carolina,” Brewer Renewables President and CEO Kevin Casey said in a release.

Founded in 2019, Brewer Renewables develops sustainable, renewable energy projects in the southeastern United States.

Located in Orangeburg, Brewer Renewables’ new solar photovoltaic project will be located throughout a combination of cultivated farmland and managed timberland.

The project will include a 100-megawatt solar facility with the option for additional energy storage of up to 100 megawatts and 400 megawatt-hours, which can provide power to roughly 20,000 South Carolina homes.

The project is expected to be operational in 2023.

Gov. Henry McMaster said, “Brewer Renewables’ $85 million investment is a win not just for Orangeburg County, but for our entire state as our solar energy sector continues to flourish.”

Orangeburg County Council Chairman Johnnie Wright said, “As Orangeburg County continues to be a leader in renewable energy, we are pleased to see the addition of this project that not only provides the benefit of clean energy for our residents and businesses, but also provides economic opportunities for our communities. We are grateful to have the opportunity to supply clean, renewable energy.”

Allied Air Enterprises, Inc., a subsidiary of Lennox International, announced plans Dec. 9 to expand operations in Orangeburg County.

The $35.7 million investment will create 20 new jobs.

“The expansion of our operations is a testament to the positive business environment and the dedication of our employees in Orangeburg,” Allied Air Enterprises Vice President and General Manager Joe Nassab said in a release.

“In spite of the challenges associated with the pandemic, we are expanding our footprint and supporting our customers with quality products, while maintaining the safety of our employees,” he said.

Allied Air’s expansion will include the construction of a new, 405,000-square-foot warehouse to increase the company’s manufacturing and storage capabilities. The company is located at 355 Millennium Drive in the Orangeburg County/City Industrial Park.

The expansion is expected to be completed by October 2021.

The Coordinating Council for Economic Development awarded Orangeburg County a $150,000 Rural Infrastructure Fund grant for costs related to the project.

Orangeburg County Council Chairman Johnnie Wright Sr. noted the expansion shows Orangeburg County is “a location fit for success.”

“We are grateful for the creation of these new jobs for our citizens and the investment in our community,” Wright said. “The addition of these new jobs will take Allied Air to more than 500 employees and make them one of our top five manufacturing employers.”

The expansion will be one of the largest buildings recently constructed in the county, according to Orangeburg County Development Commission Executive Director Gregg Robinson. Husqvarna added 500,000 square feet in 2017.

“This will be an impressive new facility that expands the building over 1 million square feet,” Robinson said. “They also have other buildings in Orangeburg totaling an additional 380,000 square feet.”

Robinson said the expansion helps “create a hub” and create density in the OC/CIP which will help to elevate property values in the park.

Robinson recalled working with Lennox about 20 years ago and said he would never have envisioned the company having over 1.4 million square feet in Orangeburg County today.

The expansion is the second the company announced in 2020.

In August, Allied Air announced it would expand into the $13 million, 200,000-square-foot speculative building at the OC/CIP.

The building will also be used for warehousing and production capacity. The number of employees did not increase with that previous project.

Allied Air will lease the new building for a period of time.

Orangeburg Mayor Michael Butler praised the announcement.

“As one of the largest manufacturers already in Orangeburg County, Allied Air continues to impress by growing their footprint in the Orangeburg County/City Industrial Park,” Butler said. “These 20 new jobs will have a significant impact on 20 additional citizens and their families.”

OCDC Chairman Kenneth Middleton said the announcement solidifies the company’s presence in Orangeburg and the company’s continued growth.

“They are proving to be great corporate neighbors,” Middleton said. “This next step will obviously allow them to be more efficient, creating more and more highly satisfied customers. Great for Allied Air and great for Orangeburg County. We’ve created a powerful partnership.”

Lennox initially cut the ribbon for its Allied Air Enterprises Inc. plant in 2000, becoming the first tenant of the industrial park located on U.S. Highway 301. The company has continued to expand over the years.

Allied Air includes the brands of Armstrong Air, AirEase, Concord, Ducane, Allied Commercial and Magic-Pak. 0 comments

With the consumption needs of an increasing world population putting greater stresses on environmental sustainability, there is a challenge of how to balance demand with supply.

Fishing experts project global aquaculture production will need to more than double in the next 40 years to feed the close to 10 billion people by the year 2050.

These same experts say there are many threats to fishing from the ocean, including overfishing that has reduced fish populations in some cases to the point of extinction. Industrialization has led to heavy metals pollution of the oceans. Plastic breakdown has infested marine life with micro-plastics.

The challenging scenario is one Pure Blue Fish U.S. founder and Chief Executive Officer Nimrod Litvak is addressing head-on and a key focus on the solution will be based in Orangeburg County.

Creating

an (aqua) culture

Litvak founded Pure Blue Fish, a fish farming company, about four years ago in Tel Aviv, Israel, to grow yellowtail fish.

The raising and eventual harvesting of the fish include recirculating aquaculture systems with zero-water discharge technology. The technology reduces water costs and pollution.

Last month, Litvak announced the company will invest $28.1 million to open its flagship U.S. operation in Orangeburg County at the John W. Matthews Jr. Industrial Park. The company will create 82 new jobs.

“Unlike most intensive aquaculture systems, our technology treats the water with biological and microbiological subsystems that enable our system to function at top efficiency without discharging polluted water, or any water, to the environment,” Litvak said. 

The Blue Fish system Pure Blue’s Zero-Water Discharge Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS) Technology was developed by Professor Jaap van Rijn of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel.

RAS is a touted as a new way to farm fish in a safe, productive and sustainable way.

Instead of the traditional method of growing fish outdoors, this system raises fish at high densities in a “controlled” environment typically indoors.

The technology allows farmers to control environmental conditions year-round.

The technology removes the fish waste through converting ammonia to nitrate, converting nitrate to nitrogen gas, which evaporates; and converting organic-rich sludge and fish waste to a gaseous phase.

The processes provide a healthy environment for freshwater and saltwater aquaculture and minimize the discharge of waste.

The zero-water discharge RAS also treats the water circulating in the system by biotech and micro biotech technologies, according to the company.

This helps to save high costs of water and the cost of treating water going in; prevents polluting water from going out to the environment, and allows fish aquaculture to prosper on land away from oceans and lakes, Litvak said.

Pure Blue touts the RAS system as:

• Being suitable for a wide range of fish species.
• Providing optimal growing conditions to speed up production.
• Providing a clean, no hormones, fresh and healthy fish.
• Helping reduce exposure to diseases, due to unique growing methods.

There are challenges that include high initial capital investment, the need to capture a market and the need to build a brand name.

The Orangeburg project

In Orangeburg, Blue Fish will build a facility that will be 50,000 to 100,000 square feet at the John Matthews Industrial Park on about 30 acres.

The interior of the building is currently in the design phase. It is expected to be completed by 2022. It will be privately funded and owned by the company.

The company will raise the yellowtail fish from fingerling to the nursery stage, where the fish will stay a period of two months and grow under close observation.

The fish then enter into the grow-out phase of about one year where they reach a size of about four pounds. The fish then go into the final stage of harvesting, sorting by size and packaging.

The fish will go fresh to the market in eight hours, according to Blue Fish.

There will be about 18,500 fingerlings in each production cycle and six productions a year, according to the company.

Pure Blue Fish’s South Carolina operations will serve as a production and packaging facility for distribution to the restaurant market.

The plant will start with annual production capacity of 150-200 tons of fish a year and 11-16 employees. It will operate around the clock. The initial output is expected nine months after the plant is operational.

A packing/processing house will be built to serve the fish plant after the farm reaches 600 tons of annual production.

Eventually, the production facility plans to produce 3,000 tons of fish a year.

Yellowfish

Yellowtail is a species of sturdy ocean fish in the jack family.

The fish is typically harvested wild off the coast of central Japan, southern California and Baja, California, and farmed in Mexico and Australia, according to the company.

The fish is mostly eaten as sushi or sashimi in fine Japanese restaurants, or grilled and served widely in other cuisines. In retail shops and supermarkets, the whole fish is sold, as well as fillets.

Meeting demand

Litvak notes the demand for fish is there.

Citing researchers from Florida Atlantic University, Litvak says the United States was the fifth largest seafood consumer in the world in 2015 and ranked third in wild-caught volume.

FAU researchers also say the Unites States is the largest importer of seafood products in the world. In 2017 alone, about 5.9 billion pounds of seafood were consumed with more than 50% of seafood consumed coming from aquaculture.

Less than 1% is produced in the U.S.

Orangeburg County

seen as big catch

Litvak says the project is a win-win in that it provides the county a locally grown fish by a local workforce for local consumption. The county will also become a production and distribution center and will offer a healthy food option.

Litvak cites the Orangeburg area as a suitable location with the needed infrastructure and economical utility rates. The company also cited the available training for company employees and attractive manufacturing incentives.

The average wage at the Orangeburg plant is expected to be between $18 and $25 an hour. Orangeburg County’s average manufacturing wage is $15 an hour.

Orangeburg lures

Blue Fish

The company is receiving traditional incentives such as fee-in-lieu of taxes and a state grant for road infrastructure improvements.

The Coordinating Council for Economic Development has also approved job-development credits related to the project.

The company looked throughout the Southeast from Virginia down to Florida, but chose Orangeburg due to its logistics, pro-business environment and technical employee skill sets.

Blue Fish is the 22nd international company to call Orangeburg County home.