(Image provided)

Redwood Materials, a producer of anode and cathode battery components for electric vehicles, along with Gov. Henry McMaster, announced Wednesday 12/14/2022 plans to establish operations in Berkeley County. 

The company’s $3.5 billion investment, which marks the largest economic development announcement in the history of South Carolina, will create 1,500 jobs, according to the South Carolina Department of Commerce 

“Redwood Materials’ record-breaking announcement shows that our state’s strategic plan to remain a top destination for automobile manufacturers and their suppliers as the industry innovates is working,” McMaster said. “This $3.5 billion investment, and the 1,500 jobs it will create in Berkeley County, is a transformative accomplishment that can only be attributed to the strong, talented, hardworking South Carolinians who make our state as great as it is.”

Headquartered in Carson City, Nev., and founded by Tesla’s former Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder JB Straubel, Redwood Materials will use its South Carolina campus to create a circular supply chain for electric vehicles, Commerce officials said. 

To do so, the company will onshore production of the most critical components in batteries – the anode and cathode – to drive down costs and emissions while securing the supply chain within the United States, the officials said.. 

All battery components will be built from as much recycled material as possible. The more than 600-acre campus, located at Camp Hall Commerce Park in Ridgeville, will initially produce enough anode and cathode material for 100 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of battery cell production or 1 million electric vehicles each year. 

“South Carolina’s commitment to creating a secure energy future and a competitive landscape for electric vehicle manufacturing, supported by a world-class workforce, fast and efficient logistics, zero-carbon electricity and a phenomenal site made it a smart decision for Redwood to invest here," Straubel said. 

He said Redwood’s South Carolina Battery Materials Campus will recycle, refine and remanufacture anode and cathode components.  

He added, "We're ready to support this region and U.S. electrification by driving down battery costs, emissions, and reducing reliance on foreign supply chains.” 

Currently, nearly 100 percent of the components required for electric vehicle batteries are manufactured overseas, Commerce officials said.

Redwood Materials works to recover more than 95 percent of the critical minerals and rare earth elements from batteries, like nickel, cobalt, lithium, and copper, and then reintroduce those materials into the supply chain through the anode and cathode materials it produces for U.S. battery manufacturers.

Redwood Materials works with multiple partners that have existing operations across the U.S., such as Volvo, Envision AESC, Proterra, Panasonic, Volkswagen and Audi, for reclaiming and recycling end-of-life batteries and production scrap to produce battery components.

Operations will begin in 2023. 

Those interested in working for Redwood Materials may apply by going to the company’s website.

After the Joint Bond Review Committee recommended approval, the State Fiscal Accountability Authority authorized the issuance of General Obligation State Economic Development Bonds not exceeding $226 million, and notes in anticipation to offset the cost of acquiring the site, site improvements, related infrastructure and bond issuance costs.

The state's Coordinating Council for Economic Development also awarded job development credits related to the project.

Clemson University Athletics and distinguished speakers broke ground on a comprehensive Women’s Sports Expansion project on Dec. 7.

Columbia, S.C., firm Garvin Design Group and national sports architecture firm HNTB have worked together with Clemson Athletics and the lacrosse, gymnastics, and rowing programs since 2020.

Since then, the teams have produced feasibility studies, concept and final designs, and will continue to provide construction administration through completion. 

The Women’s Sports Program Expansion project includes facilities for Clemson’s existing women’s rowing program and the new women’s lacrosse and women’s gymnastics programs in their inaugural year.

When completed, the complex will include a new lacrosse stadium and operations complex, a new gymnastics operations complex and practice facility, renovations and improvements to the existing rowing center, and a new athlete recovery center and student-athlete village.

The project’s first phase is set to be complete in Fall 2023 when the gymnastics program will move into its new home.

Garvin Design Group is the project’s architect of record with national sports design firm HNTB serving as sports architect.

A longtime Clemson design partner, Garvin Design Group has led many athletics projects in recent years, including the Soccer Operations Complex and the renovation of the women’s basketball locker rooms.

HNTB has a portfolio of sports fields, stadiums, practice facilities, team spaces, Elite Athlete Recovery Centers, and other facilities for women’s sports nationwide.

USPTO China IP Road Show December 15

9am - 4:30pm

Greenville Technical College (Barton Campus) Student Success Center

506 Pleasantburg Dr., Greenville, SC

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s China Intellectual Property (IP) Road Show comes to Greenville, South Carolina, with a free one-day program bringing together experts from the U.S. government, academics, IP attorneys, and local business people to share insights on China and IP issues that will benefit U.S. IP rights holders. Join us to hear from these experts about how to protect and enforce your IP rights in China and the United States. To register CLICK HERE.

In celebration of the holidays and the season of giving, Kohl’s (NYSE: KSS) said it will donate $5 million to more than 150 nonprofits across the country that support the company’s overarching philanthropic platform focused on family health and wellness.

Through the company’s A Community with Heart program, Kohl’s associates nationwide are empowered to nominate nonprofits making a difference in their local communities for these grants.

Funding is made possible through the Kohl’s Cares merchandise program, which sells children’s books and toys, and donates 100 percent of the net profit to charitable organizations that support family health and wellness.

In South Carolina, the nonprofits awarded a grant include the Pee Dee Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Assault, Boys & Girls Club of The Grand Strand and YMCA of Columbia.

Pee Dee Coalition is a nonprofit volunteer organization dedicated to the reduction of sexual assault, family violence, and child abuse, and to the needs of its victims.

The coalition will receive a $20,000 grant to help fund parenting classes through Parent Education Parent Support and the 24-hour Parent Helpline.

According to the Most Popular Christmas Movies Report - a study of the preferences and trends of people in the United States conducted by Scholaroo, an educational research company and website search engine - Americans' favorite movie to watch in the holiday season is the animated comedy-fantasy, The Grinch.

But do you know which is the favorite in South Carolina? Here are the preferences of the state:

The most popular Christmas films in South Carolina ranked in order of popularity in 2022:

#1 Home Alone
The classic is the favorite movie in 18 states including New York, Nevada, and Massachusetts.

 #2 The Grinch

The favorite movie in 23 states including Alabama, Montana, and Tennessee.

#3 Falling for Christmas
The newest Lindsay Lohan’s movie is the favorite in eight states including California, Florida, and Colorado.