Textile manufacturer to bring 100+ new jobs, $24 million investment to Travelers Rest

TRAVELERS REST, S.C. — The Greenville Area Development Corporation on Wednesday announced that a global textiles manufacturer is establishing its U.S. roots in Travelers Rest with the creation of Cold Mountain Material Corporation.

Suzhou Glacier Import & Export Co., Ltd., is investing $24 million to open the manufacturing facility, creating an expected 109 new jobs, according to the GADC.

The company’s Greenville County operations, the newly formed Cold Mountain Material Corporation, will be housed in an existing 170,000-square-foot building located at 19 Page Court. The facility is the former home of Aurora Specialty Textiles Group Inc., which closed its doors in Travelers Rest in 2014.

Headquartered in China, Suzhou was established in 1996. Serving markets all across the globe, the company specializes in textiles for the automotive industry. In an effort to better serve its expanding North American customer-base, and the rapidly growing automotive sector in South Carolina, Suzhou decided it would be a strategic move to establish manufacturing roots here in the U.S.

Solely focused on serving the automotive industry, the new operation will produce fabric for automobile interiors.

“The facility in Travelers Rest was a critical component to the success of this deal,” said GADC President and CEO Mark Farris. “From our initial discussions with Suzhou we understood what they were looking for in a factory. We shared these insights in our discussions with potential locations and briefed the key stakeholders in the area to ensure we’d be able to bring this deal to a close with both parties.”

“The city of Travelers Rest is pleased to welcome another high quality manufacturer to our community,” said City Administrator Dianna Turner. “We have worked tirelessly to create a prosperous community that is balanced in housing, employment, commercial development, and recreation. Recruitment of new industry is a critical part of that equation, as it provides jobs for our outstanding workforce.”

The Coordinating Council for Economic Development has approved job development credits related to the project. The facility is anticipated to be fully operational within the next year.

“Score another win for Greenville County’s automotive economy,” said Greenville County Council chairman Dr. Bob Taylor. “We’re 7,000 jobs and growing. We look forward to welcoming Cold Mountain Material Corporation into the fold.”

“Today’s news is proof positive that Greenville County’s track record for establishing and maintaining collaborative relationships with automotive organizations is recognized globally,” said GADC Chairman Dick Wilkerson. “I know that Cold Mountain Material Corporation employees will quickly see the benefits of our growing automotive sector.”

(To stay up to date with the news that matters most to residents of northern Greenville County, subscribe to the Tribune's free eNews and never miss a story again.)