Of the 120 industry projects unveiled in South Carolina in 2022, Spartanburg County’s BMW Manufacturing landed twice on the list of top 10 capital investments and once on the list of top job-creating announcements in a report aggregated by the state commerce department.
Across the Palmetto State, the more than 100 announced projects last year totaled more than $10.2 billion in capital investments and over 14,000 expected new jobs.
BMW temporarily held the record in October 2022 for having the largest economic development announcement in state history with its $1.7 billion investment into its Greer facility until battery recycler Redwood Materials made a late-in-the-year $3.5 billion announcement in Berkley County.
Still, BMW’s $1 billion to prepare the existing plant for electric vehicle production and $700 million to build a new high-voltage battery assembly facility in Woodruff made the German automaker second overall for highest dollar sign industrial projects.
The 300 expected new jobs at the incoming Woodruff facility ranked 10th in top job-creating announcements.
The car manufacturer also landed in 10th place on the capital investment list for its $200 million commitment to add a press shop to its Spartanburg campus. The shop will stamp metal body parts for X model vehicles.
BMW wasn’t the only Upstate-based company to earn spots on the lists. Greenidge Generation Holdings Inc.’s $264 million cryptocurrency datacenter in Spartanburg County was in sixth place. In eighth was the Anderson County’s Robert Bosch plant with a $200 million investment to produce hydrogen-powered technology for electric vehicles. The Anderson Bosch plant was ninth in job creation with 350 expected new jobs.
Other Upstate-based projects were recognized for job creation, including U.S. medical personal protective equipment manufacturer Health Supply U.S. in Greenville County, which created the third most new jobs with 600. In Union County, MycoWorks, a biotechnology company that specializes in materials for sustainable leather alternatives, ranked seventh for 400 jobs.
Top 10 capital investments for 2022: Redwood Materials (Berkeley County, $3.5 billion, 1st); BMW Manufacturing (Spartanburg County, $1.7 billion, 2nd); Envision AESC (Florence County, $810 million, 3rd); Nucor Corporation (Berkeley County, $425 million, 4th); Kontrolmatik Technologies (Colleton County, $279 million, 5th); Greenidge South Carolina (Spartanburg County, $264 million, 6th); Bosch (Dorchester County, $260 million, 7th); Bosch (Anderson County, $200 million, 8th); Nucor Corporation (Berkeley County, $200 million, 9th); BMW Manufacturing (Spartanburg County, $200 million, 10th).
Top 10 job creation for 2022: Redwood Materials (Berkeley County, 1,500 jobs, 1st); Envision AESC (Florence County, 1,170 jobs, 2nd); Health Supply US (Greenville County, 600 jobs, 3rd); Kontrolmatik Technologies (Colleton County, 575 jobs, 4th); Kion North America (Dorchester County, 450 jobs, 5th); Carolina Precision Foods (Florence County 402 jobs, 6th), MycoWorks (Union County, 400 jobs, 7th); Bosch (Dorchester County, 350 jobs, 8th, tied); Bosch (Anderson County, 350 jobs, 8th, tied); BMW Manufacturing (Spartanburg County, 300 jobs, 10th).
Greenville music venue pairs with Live Nation
Judson Mill’s recently rebranded all-genre music venue, The Foundry, announced on Jan. 10 it has paired with Live Nation, Entertainment Inc. “to bring more music, national touring artists and a variety of genres to the Upstate,” a press release said.
Braxton Wilson, owner of Palmetto Entertainment and business partner with the venue’s owner Howard Dozier, has had a relationship with Live Nation for almost five years now through other venues and amphitheaters he manages. Wilson said the owners were in conversations with Live Nation even before The Foundry opened in March 2022 under the former name of Cowboy Up. The partnership didn’t work out the first time around, though.
The Foundry is an all-genre music venue located in the larger Judson Mill redevelopment project. The venue was formerly known as Cowboy Up before a rebrand. Stephanie Mirah/Staff
Once the venue went through a rebranding in December 2022, the owners reopened a dialogue with the massive entertainment company.
Up until the partnership, the venue booked a number of artists and bands for one-night-only shows in Greenville. Live Nation, however, often books artists for multi-stop shows at its partner venues across the country.
“Upstate music fans can now catch some of the hottest touring shows without having to travel to the Orange Peel in Asheville, Red Hat Amphitheater in Raleigh or Music Farm in Charleston,” Wilson said in a press release. “2023 is shaping up to be a huge year for The Foundry at Judson Mill.”
Wilson’s goal is to have more than 50 shows by the end of the year. Acts already booked for this year are 49 Winchester, the Cadillac Three, Will Hoge, Sean Kingston and more. The venue will be mainly open for ticketed events but occasionally will host a free night for line dancing or a DJ.
A mechanical bull was a defining feature of the venue when it was Cowboy Up. After the rebranding, though, the bull will be sold.
Nail salon opens on Augusta Street in Greenville
Doug and Laura Stout opened a franchise of Freecoat nails on Augusta Street in Greenville on Dec. 7.
“We hope that our Greenville Freecoat nails salon becomes a destination for women, men, and families to experience the latest clean beauty trends in personal health and wellness and view our salon as a mini-retreat, even if only for an hour,” Laura Stout said in a press release.
Freecoat was founded in Charleston in 2017, branding itself as “the nation’s first nontoxic nail and beautiful franchise system.” The brand was bought by Kat and Landon Eckles, founders of Charlotte-based juice bar, Clean Juice. There are six locations of Freecoat with another South Carolina spot located in Mount Pleasant, per its website.
The Greenville location can be found at 1445 Augusta St.
The salon’s next-door neighbors at 1441 Augusta St., The Cheese Wheel, also recently moved in. The shop offers some 200 cheeses, charcuterie boards and wines.
That’s all for this week. Email your thoughts, tips, releases and newsy bits to smirah@postandcourier.com.