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PolyQuest Inc., North America’s largest distributor of virgin and recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resins, today announced the expansion of its Darlington County recycling and distribution facility. The expansion will involve a total estimated investment of $8 million and create approximately 20 new jobs.
“We are pleased to continue our expansion efforts in South Carolina, and more specifically, Darlington. The cooperation and aggressive posture of the state, county and private sources have helped to make this possible,” said Vice President and General Manager Brad Dutton.
PolyQuest is adding 25 acres of land with an 80,000-square-foot building to its current campus as well as additional recycling equipment and rail spurs. The facility will provide 25 million pounds of additional capacity annually for recycled PET with full production starting in January 2012.
“We are going to celebrate PolyQuest’s decision to grow in South Carolina and create jobs. This announcement is also another win for one of our rural areas and shows we are doing the right things to encourage economic development,” said Gov. Nikki Haley.
Since January, Commerce has been involved in recruiting more than $30 million in investment and more than 400 jobs in the recycling-related sector. Commerce supports recycling start-ups and offers industry resources.
“This is the second announcement we’ve made this month involving a recycling company expansion. The industry continues to grow in South Carolina thanks to companies like PolyQuest,” said Bobby Hitt, Secretary of Commerce.
The expansion will increase the facility to 300,000 square feet and provide total recycle capacity of 120 million pounds annually. Total company employment will exceed 100 people upon completion of the expansion.
“The expansion will enable us to successfully meet the rapidly growing demand for recycled PET and to better serve our customers,” Dutton added.
“With the conclusion of this expansion, PolyQuest will be providing more than 100 jobs to the citizens of our community,” said Billy Baldwin, chairman of Darlington County Council. “Congratulations to PolyQuest’s management team and their outstanding employees that made this expansion possible.”
“PolyQuest’s continued growth and success is a testament to the quality of the workforce and pro-business climate in Darlington County,” said Robert Long, executive director of the Darlington County Economic Development Partnership.
Anyone interested in job opportunities with the company should visit the South Carolina South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce One-Stop located at 1558 West Evans Street, Florence, S.C. 29501 or go to www.sconestop.org.
PolyQuest is a privately held entity with corporate offices in Wilmington, North Carolina, and its flagship recycling and distribution facility located in Darlington, South Carolina. For more information about the company, please visit www.polyquest.com.
About S.C. Department of Commerce
The S.C. Department of Commerce works with economic development professionals throughout the state to recruit new jobs and investments and help existing businesses grow. This year, Commerce won the Gold Shovel Award and the Deal of Year Award from Area Development magazine. Commerce has been part of recruiting world-class companies to South Carolina such as Boeing, Monster.com, Heinz, ZF Group, BMW and Google Inc. Commerce also supports small and existing business, rural development initiatives and offers grants for community development and infrastructure improvements. For more information, visit www.SCcommerce.com.
