Dillon County’s largest employer to add 500 more jobs

DILLON COUNTY, S.C. (WOLO) – Dillon County’s largest employer, Harbor Freight Tools, announced Tuesday that it plans to add one million square feet to its East Coast distribution facility, and in the process, 500 new jobs.

The Governor’s Office said that brings the company’s total investment in South Carolina to more than $200 million.

“Since we opened our first facility here in 2001, the company has continued to grow and so has our need for a larger distribution center,” Harbor Freight Tools Founder and CEO Eric Smidt. “We’ve made an investment in Dillon, becoming part of the community, and we’re proud to expand our presence in this region.”

Officials said this is the third expansion of the company’s distribution center; the first happened in 2006, with another in 2014. The current facility employs 650 people, in positions from managers to warehouse stockers.

Contruction on the addition is expected to begin by the end of 2015, with a target finish of early 2019.

A governor’s spokesperson said a $5 million Rural Infrastructure Grant was awarded to Dillon County to assist with the costs of site preparation.

Harbor Freight was founded in 1977 and has more than 800 stores nationwide.