South Carolina Ports Opens New HQ

South Carolina Ports Authority celebrated the dedication of a new headquarters building at the Wando Welch Terminal with its Board of Directors, local leaders, business partners and employees.

The Ports Authority, which owns and operates public seaport facilities in Charleston and Georgetown, as well as Inland Ports in Greer, South Carolina and Dillon, South Carolina, said in a press note that the 80,000-square-foot building consolidates approximately 160 employees working from multiple office locations in the Charleston area.

Accoding to the press release, the building design features a glass atrium in the lobby extending up all four floors and a terrazzo floor pattern depicting the Charleston Peninsula and waterways. Artwork throughout the building is provided by local artists.

“The Port’s new headquarters offers a single, modern campus for employees with direct access to our biggest operating terminal, the Wando Welch,” said SCPA president and CEO Jim Newsome. “The building design provides a open floor plan to support cross-functional internal communications, allowing our team to better collaborate and serve the needs of our customers and stakeholders.”

The Port’s employee wellness focus is reflected in numerous aspects of the headquarters, including an on-site fitness center and ¾ mile walking trail surrounding the building campus, on-site primary care and occupational health services provided by MUSC Health, a cafeteria and sit-to-stand desks in all employee workstations and offices.

Meanwhile, SCPA Board reviewed the record volumes handled by the Port in 2018. SCPA’s container business grew six percent over the previous year, with a record-breaking 2.3 million twenty-foot equivalent container units (TEUs) handled. The Port moved 199,701 TEUs in December alone, marking the strongest December in the Port’s history.