Italian Wood Company Margaritelli to Build in Sout
Richburg, SC, September 21, 2005--Italian wood flooring company Margaritelli will invest $4.4 million to bring up to 65 jobs to the Richburg, South Carolina area. The company is building a national headquarters as well as a manufacturing facility and distribution center on about 26 acres.
The 101-year-old company has sold its product in the United States before, but will manufacture in North America for the first time.
It is relocating all its office and distribution functions from South Easton, Massachusetts, to South Carolina. Three employees have decided to follow their jobs and will be moving to South Carolina, according the Chester County economic development director Karlissa Parker.
In June, Chester County gave Parker permission to negotiate with the company, listed then only as "Project Italy."
In July, the council approved spending up to $25,000 and sharing costs with some of its industrial partners to improve infrastructure at an industrial site, in order to attract the industry to Chester County.
Parker said she has been working on the deal since September of last year.
Daniel Young, director of grants and incentives for the Commerce Department, said he would not elaborate on Commerce's role in the incentives, only that they would be used to bring infrastructure to a site.
A release from the state Department of Commerce says Marco Cimmino, president and chief executive officer of Margaritelli USA, first became interested in relocating his company to South Carolina after attending a conference in Charlotte.
"I found the area to be very attractive, so we began contacting local economic developers in various counties in South Carolina and North Carolina to identify the best location," he said in the release. "We eventually decided that Chester County was clearly the best location for our company."
Cimmino cited the county's rural feel, but its access to the nearby major metro area, as well as Charlotte's airport. Interstate 77 provides a quick route to I 26 and the port of Charleston, he said.
Cimmino talked about the county have available space for future growth, and he said he got "excellent support from the county's economic development office."
This is the third manufacturing industry announced by the economic development office this year.
At Monday's Chester County Council meeting, the announcement of Margaritelli came at the end, but early in the meeting, the new Bojangle's restaurant was also discussed. It will bring 50 jobs.
County council chairman Gene Cudd told Parker, "That's more than a hundred jobs you brought tonight."
Parker said Margaritelli bought about 24 acres initially, but now has bought a little more and will build on a 26-acre site. The agreement is based on the company creating 32 jobs in Chester County, but Parker said it will bring about 65, including three senior management officials who are transferring from Massachusetts.
Parker said the company hopes to be up and running by June or July of next year.
The company gets its wood from five of the seven continents, and has what it calls a unique flooring system that combines 17 different kinds of woods.
Its premiere line is Listone Giordano.
Margaritelli's Samba clic range style of wood was nominated by an industry group for the flooring industry's best solid/engineered wood. It was also nominated as best overseas supplier, according to published reports.
