CALHOUN COUNTY, S.C. — Blanchard Machinery Company (Blanchard), a leading construction equipment supplier, today announced plans to expand its South Carolina footprint with new operations in Calhoun County.
The company’s $46 million investment will create 30 new jobs.
Approximately 150 existing jobs will be transferred from its Lexington County operations to the new facility.
For Calhoun county, this sets a standard for more economic development to come on the horizon.
“Certainly the county has seen a lot of looks, we’re on I-26, like I say, we’re at a good location so there’s a lot to draw businesses here," said deputy administrator Richard Hall
Founded in 1952, Blanchard is Caterpillar's exclusive distributor for machine and generator sales, rental, machine parts and service in South Carolina.
While maintaining an existing corporate campus in West Columbia, Blanchard plans to purchase nearly 60 acres at Sandy Run Industrial Park, in Calhoun County, to build an approximately 150,000-square-foot facility.
This will allow the company to expand its footprint for parts, service, component rebuilds, complete machine rebuilds, and provide additional support services for its other 14 branches across South Carolina.
Currently, the Sandy Run Industrial Park houses three other companies including DAK, Carolina Eastman, and Zeus.
“The growth in the industrial and the business sector at the end of the day also helps keep our taxes low. It helps grow our economy without putting a burden on our home owners," said Hall.
Blanchard will relocate a portion of its operations to the new facility in Calhoun County, while some operations including corporate administration functions, machine sales, used parts and Blanchard Energy will remain at its West Columbia campus.
Operations are estimated to be complete in 2026.