Confirmed: Car Manufacturer To Open Spartanburg Plant

An electric car company is expected to announce that they will be coming to Spartanburg and bringing more than 200 jobs with them.

Kalvin Li, a group project manager with CT&T United confirmed to News Channel 7 that the company will be setting up a manufacturing company in Spartanburg and will hire more than 200 people. The announcement is expected to be Thursday in Columbia, as company officials told our coverage partners at the Spartanburg Herald-Journal that they will make an announcement at 10 am in Columbia, while Governor Sanford and the South Carolina Department of Commerce will make an economic announcement expected to impact Spartanburg at the same time and location.

When asked by the Herald-Journal if the two announcement were about the same project, a CT&T United representative said, "I think you have already put two and two together."

CT&T United is the subsidiary of a South Korean company that last year acquired a $400 million contract to build 38,000 electric vehicles — most to be distributed in the United States.  Officials here have been courting CT&T United for months.

In November, sources close to negotiations said Spartanburg was one of three sites under consideration, the others being in the Lowcountry of this state and in Georgia.

At the time, CT&T Senior Marketing Director Curt Westlake said his company was looking at the sites in the Southeast not only for an assembly and sales plant, but for a North American headquarters and research and development center. The latter facility — which could bring up to 2,500 jobs over five years — is not expected to be a part of Thursday's announcement. It was unclear today whether that's totally off the table.

"We are happy to be setting up a manufacturing facility in Spartanburg," Li told News Channel 7. "We took a long time to find the right location and we believe Spartanburg is it. We are looking to fill more than 200 electric car manufacturer positions. People can start applying after Thursday on our Web site."

He also said, "This is a joint venture with the company 2AM group. We are coming together to form one company."

For unemployed resident Victor Waddell, the news was music to his ears.

"The economy kinda took down the small family business that I worked for and unfortunately I am out here looking for something else," Waddell said. "This sounds good. I am a very trainable person."

"You have to have assembly experience, high school diploma or GED, 1-3 years of experience," said James Thompson, Coordinator of One Stop. "When they come in, they'll go to one of our interviewers, they'll look the jobs up for them, make sure they have the experience and the education for the job before we send them out to the company."

Thompson said this is the first time he has heard of CT&T, but Li said the company is a joint venture with 2A-M Group. Local job placement agencies do not have job listed, but it could be awhile before they do.

Li was not immediately aware of the qualifications or pay that the jobs will bring to Spartanburg.