American Roll-On Roll-Off Carrier Group (ARC), a global logistics and shipping services company, recently announced a relocation of its corporate headquarters, bringing about 50 new high-wage jobs to Ponte Vedra Beach in St. Johns County, Florida. The announcement was made at the St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce Economic Development Council Breakfast on June 25, 2021.
“When we proposed St. Johns County, Florida, for the company’s new headquarters, we received overwhelmingly positive feedback from our team,” said Chris Heibel, senior vice president commercial at ARC. “We worked closely with St. Johns County government, JAXUSA Partnership and the St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce to finalize our decision. As we finalize the move to Ponte Vedra Beach, we couldn’t be happier with our decision and with the area, quality of life, and local and regional economic development partnerships. There is also a fantastic cluster of shipping and logistics companies in the area, many that we work with already.”
ARC and its U.S. affiliates own and manage the largest U.S.-flag roll-on roll-off (Ro-Ro) fleet. The company carries wheeled cargo, such as cars, trucks, trailers and aircraft, as well as other types of cargo, including household goods and breakbulk project cargo. ARC provides American-owned, managed and crewed Ro-Ro shipping and intermodal logistics services for the Department of Defense, other U.S. Government departments and agencies, and commercial customers. The company is relocating from New Jersey and will officially begin operations in the Ponte Vedra Beach office on July 1, 2021, at 816 A1A N., Suite 101 in The Veranda Office Park. In the near future, ARC plans to expand in St. Johns County and hire additional local talent.
“We proudly welcome ARC to the St. Johns County community,” said Joy Andrews, deputy county administrator for St. Johns County. “Economic development is unequivocally identified by the St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners as the highest priority, which was the exact principle our team operated on to collaborate with ARC, JAXUSA Partnership and the St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce. From the inception of this collaboration, we made a commitment with no ambiguity that we will be a resource for the ARC team and that no bureaucracy should stand in the way of our goal to bring such a high-caliber business as ARC to the community along with jobs for our local talent, which is, gratefully, what we are celebrating today.”
The project was brought to the attention of the region by JAXUSA Partnership, which worked together with several local economic development organizations, including St. Johns County government and the St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce, to bring ARC to St. Johns County.
“We work diligently with our partners in the region to match relocating businesses with the ideal community for the business and its employees, and St. Johns County was a perfect fit for ARC,” said Aundra Wallace, president at JAXUSA Partnership.
As part of its ongoing role, the St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce is assisting ARC with fulfilling workforce needs, initiating connections with local business and community leaders, and welcoming relocating employees.
“The effort to bring ARC to St. Johns County was truly a collaborative effort between JAXUSA Partnership, St. Johns County government and the St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce,” said
Isabelle Renault, president and CEO of the St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce. “We are thrilled that ARC has found a home for its corporate headquarters and employees in our county and look forward to working together with ARC as the company takes an active role in our chamber and our community.”
For more information about ARC, visit www.arcshipping.com.