Packaging giant Smurfit Kappa enters South Carolina market with purchase of facility

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Global paper-based packaging giant Smurfit Kappa has purchased the first building at Hunt Midwest‘s new Evergreen 85 Logistics Park immediately adjacent to Interstate 85 in South Carolina’s Anderson-Greenville-Spartanburg industrial corridor, according to a news release.

Smurfit Kappa will own and occupy the 258,801-square-foot Evergreen 85 Logistics Park Building I, the company’s first industrial development in South Carolina, as the sustainable packaging solutions company expands its U.S. operations, the release stated.

Evergreen 85 Logistics Park has immediate highway access to I-85 for two-day ground shipping to over 244 million customers and is adjacent to a major FedEx terminal, giving users a first-stop and last-stop provider for overnight deliveries, the release stated.

Future development at Evergreen 85 Logistics Park will support more than 1.7 million additional square feet of industrial space, according to the release. Build-to-suit options are available for buildings ranging from 200,000 square feet to more than 1.1 million square feet.

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Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“Evergreen 85 Logistics Park capitalizes on the strengths of the Anderson County workforce with a great logistics location on I-85,” Hunt Midwest Senior Vice President Mike Bell said in the release. “Our park’s strategic location, strong local labor pool, and nearby manufacturers provide all the key components to fuel supply chain, distribution, and fast fulfillment.”

Smurfit Kappa, a Financial Times Stock Exchange 100 Index company, is the latest in a series of advanced and internationally known businesses investing in the Anderson County submarket of South Carolina’s Upstate, according to the release.

Evergreen 85 Logistics Park is directly south of Bosch’s Anderson County campus, which supplies BMW’s manufacturing facility 36 miles away in Greer, and the park sits directly across I-85 from toolmaker Ryobi’s distribution center and Techtronic Industries’ North American headquarters, the release stated. Anderson County also is home to a Walgreens distribution center and production facilities for Electrolux, Michelin, Plastic Omnium, and Owens Corning minutes from Evergreen 85 Logistics Park.

“Smurfit Kappa’s purchase of Evergreen 85 Logistics Park Building I and future phases at the park will give our growing community more high-quality jobs close to home,” Anderson County Administrator Rusty Burns said in the release. “Anderson County boasts a skilled and dedicated workforce, and this investment aligns seamlessly with our vision to harness and nurture our abundant local talent.”

Hunt Midwest’s partners at Evergreen 85 Logistics Park included Seamon Whiteside for civil engineering, LS3P for building design, and Evans General Contractors as the general contractor overseeing construction. CBRE Executive Vice President Trey Pennington, senior associate Jeff Benedict, and associate Tripp Speaks represented Hunt Midwest in the transaction and will handle leasing for the remainder of the park.