Packaging company investing $70M in Colleton County

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Evanesce Packaging Solutions Inc. is investing $70 million in its first large-scale production facility, to be located in Colleton County. The investment is expected to create 368 jobs during the next five years.

The Vancouver-based company, which specializes in sustainable packaging alternatives, will occupy a 100,000-square-foot, expandable industrial building located within the 260-acre Colleton County Commerce Center in Walterboro. The facility, which will manufacture compostable food service trays, is expected to be operational by early 2019.

“We spent considerable time assessing locations in a number of states and were impressed by the reception we received in South Carolina, and particularly the interest displayed by Colleton County, to accommodate us and work with us to locate there,” Evanesce President and CEO Douglas Horne said in a news release. “We are very impressed with the many advantages, and our location directly on an Interstate 95 interchange is second-to-none.”

The Coordinating Council for Economic Development approved job development credits as well as a $1.5 million Rural Infrastructure Fund grant to Colleton County to assist with project costs.

“Colleton County welcomes Evanesce Packaging Solutions Inc., and we appreciate the new jobs and investment in our community,” said Colleton County Council Chairman Joe Flowers. “This innovative company has selected Walterboro as their new home because of our proximity to domestic and international markets and for our workforce, as many other companies do.”