Mattress storein Ridgeville, SC

RIDGEVILLE, S.C. (WCSC) - Walmart’s $220 million-dollar international distribution center in Ridgeville is now open for business.

Officials from Dorchester County and Gov. Henry McMaster spoke at the grand opening on Friday.

“This is just one more sign of our great prosperity that’s going to keep on going,” McMaster says. “This is one of the three largest such distribution centers in the world.”

So far, Walmart has hired over 900 associates and they are looking to hire a total of 1,300 full-time employees. The Walmart distribution center is expected to increase the Port of Charleston’s volume by 5 percent, bringing them more jobs as well.

Jeffrey Holzbauer, General Manager of Imports with Walmart says this center will have a huge impact on Dorchester County. Not only for the number of jobs they are bringing but the pay rate as well.

Along with the distribution center, there are 122 retail stores in the state. In total, Walmart employs over 30,000 associates in South Carolina.

This will be the 5th distribution facility in the state, and its impact will reach farther than South Carolina. The center will supply 850 Walmart and Sam’s Club stores across the southeast.

Holzbauer says over the past few years keeping shelves in stores stocked has been an issue. The distribution center’s main purpose is to limit situations like that happening by making sure the right stores have the right products at the right time.

“Trailers come in from the port, folks then unload them,” Holzbauer says. “They go to a storage rack until a store is running low on inventory. Then we send associates to pick that product, take it to the ship dock, and put it in containers that’s destined for a regional distribution center.”

The town of Ridgeville was chosen for the distribution center for a few reasons. It’s strategically located relatively close to the port of Charleston. Holzbauer says there were a lot of qualified associates in the area, and there’s access to major transportation channels to get their products to their stores as fast as possible.

South Carolina Ports Authority President and CEO Jim Newsome says this building could be the tip of the iceberg for a county focused on business.

“We own this whole industrial campus, except we granted this to Walmart, so we’re working on other projects out here,” Newsome says. “I think there’s a number of distribution projects that can come here because of the location between I-26 and I-95.”

Copyright 2022 WCSC. All rights reserved.

A 3 million-square-foot facility – equivalent in size to 52 football fields – is Walmart’s first import distribution center in the state of South Carolina to leverage the Port of Charleston.

Walmart has opened a $220 million import distribution center in Ridgeville, S.C. The April 22 grand-opening event featured remarks from South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster and Mike Gray, Walmart’s SVP supply chain of operations, along with a congratulatory video from John Furner, president and CEO of Walmart, and ended with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

“Our team of more than 980 associates from Dorchester County and the surrounding communities are excited to officially open the doors to our new import distribution center,” said Jeff Holzbauer, general manager of the new facility, at the event. “South Carolina is home to some of the country’s most convenient and efficient modes of transportation, including the Port of Charleston and Interstates 26 and 95. Being a member of this community means having the advantage of the region’s existing infrastructure as well as a pool of experienced associates familiar with it. Cutting this ribbon today signifies our commitment to that community.”

“Walmart has been a long-time partner of South Carolina, and as years have passed, they have continued to double down on their commitment to our people and reinvest in our state,” noted McMaster. “Walmart hasn’t only created thousands of jobs in our state – it has become an integral part of the communities in which it operates. Today’s celebration is the result of our state working hard to be the ideal place to do business and a company recognizing the benefit of having our incredibly skilled workforce and premier ports system in its backyard.”

Dorchester County was chosen as the location for the facility because of South Carolina’s business-friendly environment and the county’s proximity to the nearby deep-water Port of Charleston. The new import distribution center will store and sort imported goods that arrive through Charleston – the country’s eighth-largest port – for delivery to 850 regional Walmart and Sam’s Club locations across the Southeast. Once fully up and running, the facility is expected to boost local port volumes by about 5%.

“Walmart is the recognized leader in supply chain innovation and performance,” observed SC Ports CEO Jim Newsome. “Having this world-class company choose our market for their seventh import distribution center is the ultimate vote of confidence in SC Ports and in South Carolina, further solidifying SC Ports as a leader in retail distribution. The strategic investments we have made in port infrastructure enable SC Ports to support global retailers’ supply chains. We are thrilled to partner with Walmart to further their growth and impact for years to come.”

The company also reportedly operates import distribution centers in Alabama, Georgia, Texas and Virginia, among other locations.

“We know our customers count on us for a broad assortment, and this new import distribution center will give us expanded access to seaports, in turn allowing us to deliver a wide selection of merchandise from around the globe,” said Mike Gray, SVP supply chain operations at Walmart. “We also strive to be a store of the community and are proud of how we’ve been able to leverage our investments in supply chain to create economic opportunity and jobs for the Dorchester County area.”

To bolster its supply chain network, the company is building and upgrading distribution and fulfillment centers in various U.S. and Canadian locations.

During the grand-opening event, Holzbauer revealed that the new facility is well on its way to exceeding its initial hiring goal of 1,000. Working with the Department of Commerce, Walmart expects to soon employ more than 1,300 local full-time associates at the facility. The company celebrated its commitment to the community with a contribution of $10,000 to Going Places, an area nonprofit organization that gives bicycles to kids in need.

Located at 1030 Timothy Creek Road, the 3 million-square-foot facility – equivalent in size to 52 football fields – is Walmart’s first import distribution center in the state of South Carolina to leverage the port.

Bentonville, Ark.-based Walmart operates approximately 10,500 stores under 46 banners in 24 countries, and e-commerce websites, employing 2.2 million-plus associates worldwide. Walmart U.S. is No. 1 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2021 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. The company operates 122 retail units and employs more than 35,000 associates in South Carolina.

Sponsored Message

Learn More

RIDGEVILLE, SC - Bolstering its import network, Walmart recently held a grand opening event for its new import distribution center. Located in South Carolina, the 3 million-square-foot facility will leverage the deep-water Port of Charleston to provide convenient cargo access.

“We know our customers count on us for a broad assortment, and this new import distribution center will give us expanded access to seaports, in turn allowing us to deliver a wide selection of merchandise from around the globe,” said Mike Gray, Senior Vice President, Supply Chain Operations. “We also strive to be a store of the community and are proud of how we’ve been able to leverage our investments in the supply chain to create economic opportunity and jobs for the Dorchester County area.”

Walmart selected South Carolina for the facility due to its business-friendly environment and decided on Dorchester County for its proximity to the Port of Charleston, a press release explained.

This new import distribution center will store and sort imported products that arrive through the port for later delivery to 850 regional Walmart and Sam’ Club locations in the Southeast. As soon as the facility is fully operational, it is expected to increase local port volumes by almost 5 percent.

“Our team of more than 980 associates from Dorchester County and the surrounding communities are excited to officially open the doors to our new Import Distribution Center,” said Jeff Holzbauer, General Manager, Import Distribution Center #8980, at the grand opening event. “South Carolina is home to some of the country’s most convenient and efficient modes of transportation, including the Port of Charleston and Interstates 26 and 95. Being a member of this community means having the advantage of the region’s existing infrastructure as well as a pool of experienced associates familiar with it. Cutting this ribbon today signifies our commitment to that community.”

The retailer’s initial hiring goal for the distribution center was 1,000 associates, meaning that Walmart is well on its way to achieving those numbers. Working with the Department of Commerce, Walmart expects to employ over 1,300 local full-time associates at this new operation.

“We are actively staffing Ridgeville with a team that will play an important role in serving our customers,” said Andrew Dale, Senior Director of U.S. Supply Chain People. “Walmart is dedicated to the training and development of its associates. Each of the positions we’re currently hiring for in Ridgeville brings with it a pathway of lifelong career opportunity that, with Walmart’s scale, has industry-changing impact. Walmart is full of everyday people doing extraordinary things.”

To read more about Walmart’s latest facility, click here.

What other benefits will this new distribution center provide for the retailer? Only time and AndNowUKnow will tell, so keep reading.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Parents in Dorchester County gathered for a meeting in Ridgeville on Thursday night following rumors that Dorchester District 2 and Dorchester District 4 would consolidate.

State House Representative Joseph Jefferson was at the meeting and quashed those rumors saying that before any merger could happen, the legislature had to discuss and approve a merger of the school districts.

According to him, there are two reasons the districts could merge, and neither are being discussed right now.

“The one is the South Carolina Department of Education has to approve that, and the reason they would want to merge is if the grades were not adequate,” Jefferson said. “The other one is I am part of the Democratic caucus. So that means before anything happens, the delegation members, have to come together for the consensus and agree that the merging must take place. That has not happened either.”

Still, Jefferson took the time to listen to people’s opinions at the forum.

The group of mostly DD4 parents said they’ve heard rumors about the state merging the districts. Most parents at the meeting, like Jessica Morris, were against consolidation.

“I grew up in district four schools and now I have kids that are in the district, and I like the smaller teacher and student ratio. And I like the small town feel that I have when I call the school,” Morris said.

Jefferson admitted he is also personally against consolidation, since the community around district four is growing rapidly and may increase in students and resources soon.

“Who would have thought that the biggest and one of the largest distribution centers for Walmart is being implemented right here in Ridgeville? Who would have though Volvo is five miles up the road? And from what I’m understanding, they’re looking to hire another thousand employees,” Jefferson said.

He also cited the growing subdivisions as new tax money and students that will be coming in to the district four area in the future.

Some parents, including Dorothy Milligan, say that’s not good enough and it would be best for all students in the county to have the larger range of resources and opportunities that district two provides right now.

“For example, both my boys wrestle. DD4 has no wrestling team. And so my boys just have no options for wrestling at the middle school or high school level. DD2 does have wrestling, so that’s one example,” said Milligan. “Ashley Ridge has a great farming program. DD4 doesn’t have anything like that. DD2 Somerville High School has several programs like culinary arts that I think would be great advantages just for students to have just choices.”

Jefferson emphasized multiple times that the consolidation is a rumor and he doesn’t know how it got started.

He says he’s happy he went to the meeting and was able to take down notes to get an idea of how people are feeling.

Copyright 2022 WCSC. All rights reserved.

The Log Book is a weekly rundown of human-interest stories related to the transportation industry. This week: J.B. Hunt recognizes its first female driver to hit 3 million safe driving miles, FedEx Ground announces its Entrepreneurs of the Year and Walmart gives back to the community of its new distribution center.

J.B. Hunt recognizes 69 drivers for safe driving

Supply chain logistics provider J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. hosted its Million Mile Celebration on Tuesday, honoring 69 drivers for achieving between 2 million and 4 million miles driven without a preventable accident.

Drivers, their families and fellow J.B. Hunt employees celebrated their achievements at the company’s headquarters in Lowell, Arkansas. Corporates employees lined up to congratulate the drivers on their way to a honorary lunch, which wrapped with an awards ceremony with company leaders.

At the event, drivers were awarded more than $900,000 in safety bonuses and J.B. also honored its first female driver, Edwina, to achieve 3 million safe miles.

“This celebration is one of our favorite events of the year. It takes a great amount of patience and dedication to drive 2 million-plus safe miles, and we’re honored to recognize the men and women who go above and beyond each day to ensure J.B. Hunt remains one of the safest fleets on the road,” said Nick Hobbs, chief operating officer and president of contract services at the company.

J.B. Hunt began its Million Mile program in 1996 and first celebrated its employees’ achievements at its headquarters in 2001.

FedEx Ground announces Entrepreneurs of the Year

Parcel shipper FedEx Ground announced the six winners of its Entrepreneurs of the Year awards, which celebrate its contracted transportation services that have provided outstanding customer service throughout the past year.

Each year, FedEx Ground contracts about 6,000 service providers in the U.S. and Canada. The Entrepreneurs of the Year are selected from the top 40 regional contractors with the highest ratings for scaling their companies, delivering on time, and retaining and engaging members of their individual teams.

“These exemplary companies have navigated unprecedented challenges over the last two years, and through it all have continued to place the highest priority on safety and exceptional service to FedEx Ground customers. Since 2007 we have been recognizing outstanding businesses that successfully demonstrate an unwavering commitment to these principles, and we are proud and excited to honor this year’s winners,” said John Smith, president and chief executive officer of FedEx Ground.

This year’s winners are:

Walmart donates $10,000 to charity near new distribution center

Walmart recently opened its $220 million import distribution center in Ridgeville, South Carolina, that will serve as a distribution point for more than 850 regional Walmarts and Sam’s Clubs. The facility is near the Port of Charleston.

“We know our customers count on us for a broad assortment, and this new import distribution center will give us expanded access to seaports, in turn allowing us to deliver a wide selection of merchandise from around the globe. We also strive to be a store of the community and are proud of how we’ve been able to leverage our investments in the supply chain to create economic opportunity and jobs for the Dorchester County area,” said Mike Gray, senior vice president of supply chain operations for Walmart.

During the grand opening ceremony of the distribution center on April 22, Jeff Holzbauer, Walmart general manager of the new DC, announced Walmart would be donating $10,000 to a local charity, Going Places, which purchases bicycles for kids in need.

Watch now: Damon Hatcherson on WTT?!?

The FREIGHTWAVES TOP 500 For-Hire Carriers list includes FedEx (No. 1), UPS (No. 2) and J.B. Hunt (No. 4).