Charleston, SC - FoodHandler, Inc., the market leader in disposable gloves and safe food handling products and programs for the foodservice industry, will relocate its distribution center from Memphis, TN, to North Charleston, SC. The company will occupy a 196,000-square-foot speculative building owned by Pattillo Construction in Charleston County's Palmetto Commerce Park. About 30 new jobs will be created over five years, with an investment of approximately $1.2 million. Today's announcement was facilitated by the Charleston Regional Development Alliance.
Headquartered in Westbury, NY, FoodHandler provides disposable gloves, bags, headwear, and apparel for the foodservice industry. FoodHandler manufacturing facilities are located in China, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. Thirteen other locations for FoodHandler's new warehouse were considered including Savannah, Jacksonville, Norfolk and Boston.
"Three factors were mandatory in this location decision: proximity with an East Coast port, the availability of an educated workforce, and competitive outbound freight rates to our customers," stated John Turner, president of FoodHandler. "The Charleston area offers everything we need in terms of logistics support and qualified labor."
Bill McCall, chairman of the Charleston Regional Development Alliance, welcomed the news. "This announcement is another step forward in our region's effort to make the Charleston area more competitive in terms of attracting jobs. We sincerely thank FoodHandler for having confidence in our port and available talent."
Charleston County Council Chairman Leon Stavrinakis commented on the great fit that FoodHandler represents for Charleston County. "We congratulate the company for choosing Charleston for its port, its workforce and its logistics. As a famous author recently said, the world indeed is 'flat,' and the Asian and Charleston FoodHandler employees will now become partners in prosperity."
North Charleston's Mayor Keith Summey also welcomed the company, noting that the city has long been attractive to port-reliant firms. "We know that FoodHandler also considered other port cities for this operation," he said. "We intend to prove every day that the company made the right decision in choosing to locate in North Charleston."
In facilitating announcements such as today's, the Alliance works with numerous public and private allies. Its relationship with the South Carolina Department of Commerce has been of particular importance through the years.
"With our highly efficient port at Charleston, our extensive road system, and our strategic geographic position among the major markets of the East Coast, South Carolina is an outstanding choice for this distribution center," said Commerce Secretary Bob Faith. "Moving forward, we will continue to build South Carolina's competitiveness, so that we can increase our aggressive pursuit of jobs and capital investment."
Alliance Media Contact:
Natalie J. Lawrence
843-760-4523
nlawrence@crda.org
FoodHandler, Inc. Contact:
Kim West,
VP, Marketing
800-338-4433 ext. 101