North Carolina Construction News staff writer
Construction equipment supplier Blanchard Machinery Company this week announced plans to expand its South Carolina footprint with new operations in Calhoun County. The $46 million investment will create 30 new jobs and about 150 existing jobs will be transferred from the Lexington County site.
Blanchard is Caterpillar’s exclusive distributor for machine and generator sales, rental, machine parts and service in South Carolina. The company serves a wide range of industries including construction, mining, agriculture, forestry, electric power generation and marine power.
“Calhoun County welcomes the Blanchard family and their team. We are truly grateful that a fourth generation family company with an established track record of success has chosen the Sandy Run Industrial Park in Calhoun County as their new operations campus,” said Calhoun County Economic Development Director John E. McLauchlin. :”This investment will have a long-lasting impact as it brings increased opportunity through quality good paying jobs for our citizens.”
The company plans to purchase 60 acres at Sandy Run Industrial Park in Calhoun County, to build a 150,000-sq. ft.facility and increase space for parts, service, component rebuilds, complete machine rebuilds, and provide additional support services for its other 14 branches across South Carolina.
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.
Construction is expected to be completed in 2026.
“As we look to the future, we must continue to expand our footprint and enhance our offerings to serve the ever-changing needs of our customers. As the fourth generation leading the dealership, our responsibility is to build upon the legacy of those who came before us and ensure that we leave the dealership and our communities better for future generations to come,” said Blanchard Machinery Company president Boyd Blanchard.