“A Bright Future” for South Carolinians as Maxis Client Brings 100 New Jobs to Rock Hill
- Maxis Main Points:
- Type of Project – FDI
- Location – Rock Hill, SC
- Investment – $3.7M
- Jobs – 100
- Negotiated Incentives – 100% of Upfit Cost
Maxis Advisors is proud to announce that Optimized Armor, Inc. is establishing its first U.S. operation in York County – a $3.7 million investment that is expected to create 100 new jobs.
Optimized Armor, Inc. provides armored steel to a variety of industries, including defense and security, off-highway equipment manufacturers and transportation vehicle manufacturers. The company is recognized as a leader in the U.S. market for complex bending of specialized, ultra-high-hard armored steel.
Optimized Armor’s York County operations will specialize in high-quality components and fabrications manufactured from high-grade materials. The company’s investments in the latest generation of large-scale laser cutting machines and heavy-duty brake presses, coupled with highly-skilled welding engineers, has earned the company a reputation of being a valuable proposition supplier to leading blue chip original equipment manufacturers.
“We have experienced tremendous growth across the globe and look forward to continuing to serve our U.S.-based customers out of our new facility,” says Simon Hurst, Director at Optimized Armor, Inc. “The city of Rock Hill, York County and the South Carolina Department of Commerce are key partners in making this next level of growth a reality. The willingness to support Optimized Armor, Inc. helps ensure a bright future for those that will work with us here and the surrounding community.”
Officials with the City of Rock Hill, York County, and the South Carolina Department of Commerce have expressed excitement at the potential for economic development brought about by the expansion, including Gov. Henry McMaster, Secretary of Commerce Bobby Hitt, York County Council Chairman Michael Johnson, and City of Rock Hill Mayor John Gettys.
“Following a study of various locations in the US we made the decision to locate our operation in Rock Hill, South Carolina. We rated each area based on factors such as local economy, the availability of labor, transport links and local taxes. We also considered the incentives offered and Rock Hill was the clear choice. We are very excited to be here and look forward to building a company we can all be proud of,” says Tim Leam, Director at Optimized Armor, Inc. “I was first introduced to Dianne of Maxis Advisors during my initial visit to Charlotte. During our meeting Dianne explained the incentives on offer in South Carolina and assisted us along the way in building our case to locate here. I am very pleased with the service we received from Maxis and would highly recommend them.”
Maxis offset 100% of the company’s upfront cost of entry to the location through a grant reimbursement, with John Cashion of Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) brokering the real estate deal. John and his team were instrumental in staying ahead of the incentives process by providing details of the upfits needed for Maxis to offset to make the deal work.
Projects that have lower range investment amounts, but higher job counts, can often be tricky to navigate. Jason Flora, Project Manager with York County Economic Development, and Rick Norwood, Director of Industrial Recruitment with the City of Rock Hill, went above and beyond making sure the company knew the community wanted this project.
“Working with a company establishing their first U.S. operation is always a privilege. The leadership at this company has a fantastic vision for the future and I know they will be extremely successful in Rock Hill, South Carolina,” says Dianne Jones, Senior Manager of Client Services at Maxis Advisors.
Based in Charlotte, N.C., Maxis Advisors is a highly-skilled site selection and negotiated incentives company that helps clients in various industries including manufacturing, logistics, technology, financial, and real estate development to maximize opportunities. For more than 20 years, Maxis Advisors has built a strong reputation serving clients, working in over 40 states, and helping companies grow through projects resulting in more than $10 billion in capital investment and 9,500 jobs.
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