CHARLESTON, S.C. (Oct. 12, 2009) — TBC Corp. will consolidate some of its East Coast distribution late next year at a 1.1-million-sq.-ft. warehouse distribution center to be built near Charleston.
TBC expects to occupy the new facility—to be built in the Rockefeller Group Foreign Trade Zone/Charleston in Berkeley County, S.C.—by late 2010. Financial terms were not disclosed; TBC will lease the facility.
TBC picked the site for its proximity to Charleston's deepwater port and access to the interstate highway system via nearby I-26, according to Rockefeller Group Development Corporation (RGDC) and MeadWestvaco Corp.'s (MWV) Community Development and Land Management Group, which are partnering with TBC to build the facility.
Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.-based TBC said the site will allow the company to streamline its product and inventory management to the benefit of its customers. Construction of the new center is expected to begin in the fourth quarter.
“The infrastructure and location of the Port of Charleston complements our growth and will allow us to meet the growing demands of our customers,” said TBC Wholesale Group President and CEO Erik Olsen, President and CEO.
The firms did not disclose the facility's expected capacity, but TBC indicated it would be bringing thousands of containers of tires through the Port of Charleston annually.
TBC operates 36 warehouses in 15 states under the Carroll Tire banner. Of these, 20 are in the Southeast, including three in South Carolina. TBC will close its Fayetteville, N.C., center and consolidate activities from there and a few other unnamed locations at the new warehouse.
South Carolina state, regional and local officials and private enterprise worked together to land the deal in competition with bids from other states, according to information released by TBC. The extent of financial incentives offered to secure the deal was not disclosed.