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5/12/2005 |
Economic Development |
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S3 Technologies Announces Move to Cleveland County |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 12, 2005
S3 Technologies Announces New Facility in Grover, NC
(Grover, NC) – A company that specializes in the production of carbon fiber components for the racing industry is officially announcing its move from Mooresville to Grover today during a press conference at the facility on May 12 at 11 a.m. S3 Technologies, owned by Jason Courtney and David Whittaker, is now located in the former Wirtz Manufacturing facility at 703 South Battleground Avenue in Grover.
According to co-owner Jason Courtney, the business has experienced substantial growth since first opening its doors in Mooresville in February of 2004. “The facility in Mooresville was 4,000 square-feet. The new building gives us a total of 18,000 square feet. We chose to locate in Cleveland County because other communities just couldn’t match the value for our dollar.”
With dozens of out-of-state clients and the desire to further expand the business, Courtney says they began working with John Barker, Sr. of Barker Realty, Inc. to locate a larger manufacturing facility. “We are pleased that a company like S3 Technologies could find the right community and the right building to accommodate their operations,” said Barker. “We are certain that with the support of the community they will be very successful.”
Kings Mountain Mayor Rick Murphrey says the city is looking forward to adding S3 Technologies as a new utilities customer. "We are very excited about S3 Technologies coming to our area,” said Murphrey. “This will be a new client for the City of Kings Mountain's utility service and will provide additional jobs to our community. Being that S3 is a well-known supplier to the racing industry, this will also bring more attention to our area for related businesses."
S3 Technologies is a manufacturer of carbon fiber components for the racing and sports-related industries. The products of S3 include light weight bodywork and structural components for the Grand-Am Daytona Prototypes, LeMans LMP, IRL cars, Formula Mazda as well as several GT cars. Courtney says the operation currently employs seven full-time staff members, but he hopes that within the next few years, that number will grow to nearly 20. “Our operation is so specific that we have to carefully train each new employee,” Courtney said. “The raw material is molded, processed, heated and pressurized, and then trimmed and assembled to such precise specifications. We are currently training new employees to better understand our process, and look forward to future expansion.”
Cleveland County Commission Chairman Ronnie Hawkins believes it is businesses of this type that will propel Cleveland County to a prosperous economic future. “Like many communities, it would be easy for us to fall into the trap of thinking that bigger is automatically better,” said Hawkins. “But it is the smaller operations with advanced technologies that are a true catalyst for attracting industry-specific manufacturers to the area. We wholeheartedly welcome S3 Technologies to Cleveland County and wish them every success with their future plans.”
Grover Mayor Bob Sides believes the area will continue to benefit from industry growth in the Kings Mountain-Grover corridor. “The announcement today is a wonderful thing,” said Sides. “We look forward to new businesses coming in and hope they will enjoy their new location in Cleveland County.”
Scott Darnell, Senior VP of Economic Development for the Cleveland County Chamber, agrees that S3 Technologies is a terrific operation that will garner much positive attention throughout the Charlotte Region. “We are excited that through this company, Cleveland County has now branched into the racing industry, which enjoys such a popular reputation among area citizens,” said Darnell. “We will do whatever we can to assist this company as they expand their products and continue to grow in this community.”
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