Charleston in the News - November 2025 Edition

Good news continues for the Lowcountry as we enter the holiday season! Read on to learn about local news relating this month to communications and technology, manufacturing, building and construction, redevelopment and conservation. Be sure to follow the links provided where you see bold blue font to find out more.

The biggest news this month comes from the communications and technology sector! Google has announced its commitment to invest a further $9 billion in the SC Lowcountry by 2027. Yes, that’s a “b” for “billion” over the next two years! The funds will go to expanding its Berkeley County campus and constructing two new campuses in Dorchester County in order to boost its data center infrastructure. This follows last year’s $2B Dorchester County data center project. The company also plans to add 200 new jobs. 

There’s been lots of activity in the local manufacturing sector. Santee Cooper will be extending its supply of power to Century Aluminum’s Mount Holly aluminum smelter in Berkeley County until 2031. This will allow Century to invest $50 million to open an idled pipeline that will increase plant capacity by 25% and add 100 local high-paying jobs. KEEL, a defense manufacturer headquartered in Ladson, is investing $67 million to expand its Yonges Island shipyard in Meggett, with the first phase state-of-the-art prep and paint facility already underway and 170 new jobs to be created. QMP Inc., a water filtration systems manufacturer based in Valencia, California, has selected Walterboro in Colleton County to establish the company’s first East Coast manufacturing operation, with a $5.1 million investment that will create 233 new jobs. ABA Automotive, a Turkey-based belt tensioners and idler pulleys manufacturer ranked 10th in the world, is establishing its first U.S. operations in North Charleston with a $400,000 investment in a new facility. 

As for building and construction news, Maars, a global architectural wall producer headquartered in the Netherlands, has chosen Mount Pleasant in Charleston County for its first US production facility with a $3 million investment. Family-owned construction supplier NEFCO recently opened its first South Carolina location in North Charleston to serve contractors across the Southeast. 

In the area of redevelopment… Planning for the Union Pier site in downtown Charleston continues, with several initiatives being spearheaded by Beemok Capital, the local private investment firm headed by Ben Navarro seeking to acquire the site. As part of a first step in this process, Beemok is focused on working with the City to reimagine the portion of Market Street that runs east of East Bay Street so that it becomes a gateway to the city and the Union Pier. This includes working with the College of Charleston to convert the site of the abandoned Carroll Building to a new business school. Concurrently, Beemok has organized a delegation to Europe this month to meet with experts in public space design and resiliency. 

Lastly, in conservation news, the Lowcountry Land Trust is in the process of protecting at least two more natural sites. The Trust has acquired the 266-acre Knight Tract in Dorchester County to support its goal of connecting 13,000+ acres of Brosnan Forest with 12,300 acres surrounding the Audubon’s Beidler Forest to help strengthen wildlife corridors and water quality and provide more opportunities for residents to connect with nature. The Trust has also partnered with the Town of McClellanville to protect the scenic entrance to the town along Highway 17 and North Pinckney Street through a conservation easement, with funding support from the Charleston County Greenbelt Program and the SC Conservation Bank.

And that’s a wrap for noteworthy news that crossed our desks in October!