Volvo announced today that its first plant in the U.S. will be in Berkeley County, just 20 miles up the road from Atlas Commerce Center and Palmetto Commerce Park. Volvo’s $500 million investment in the plant could create as many as 4,000 jobs over the next decade and is estimated to have an economic impact on the area of $4.8 Billion. The plant will be built at the Camp Hall Commerce Park along U.S. 26 near Ridgeville. Construction will begin in Autumn of 2015, with the first vehicles expected to roll off the assembly line in 2018.

According to a recent study by CBRE, the Port of Charleston is the nation’s fastest-growing seaport. Since 2009, Charleston’s cargo volume has grown 52% compared with 25% growth at ports in the rest of the country. This is due in large part to South Carolina’s manufacturing boom which includes the likes of BMW, Westinghouse, Daimler and tiremakers Goodyear and Giti. The port is also midway through a $2 billion capital improvement program which involves deepening of the harbor, highway improvements and the construction of a new terminal.