Spartina 449 Remains Rooted in Beaufort County

March 26, 2018

(Bluffton, SC - March 22, 2018) Spartina 449, an Inc. 5000 Fastest-Growing Company, has announced that the company is expanding its accounting and operations divisions at a 40,000 square-foot facility in Bluffton, South Carolina.

Established in 2009 in Beaufort County, the Daufuskie Island-based company is an upscale women’s lifestyle brand featuring handbags, accessories, jewelry and more, currently employing 79 in Beaufort County.  The expansion will include moving 48 jobs to the larger facility, located at 10 Buck Island Road in Bluffton, with plans to add 15 new jobs in the near future.

‘We’re very pleased to keep all of our employees local as we make this transition to a larger facility,” said Spartina 449 President, Curt Seymour. “Spartina 449 has so many loyal fans in the area and it supports our brand to remain rooted here. The Lowcountry is the essence of our company - the lifeblood of all our designs and creativity, from the people on our own team to the beautiful place in which we live.”   

S.C. Governor Henry McMaster applauded the company, saying, "Today, we celebrate another local, South Carolina-based success story. I congratulate Spartina 449 on today's expansion announcement and look forward to watching this remarkable firm continue to grow and thrive within our borders."

"South Carolina has a pro-business environment that allows entrepreneurs and homegrown firms to be successful, and today's announcement by Spartina 449 is a testament to that. I congratulate Beaufort County and the company's leadership on this exciting news," added S.C. Secretary of Commerce Bobby Hitt.

“SouthernCarolina Alliance salutes the Spartina team for their success and appreciates the company’s growing investment in the people of Beaufort County and our region,” said SCA Chairman Charles “Buddy” Phillips.  “We look forward to working with this homegrown Lowcountry company in the coming years as they build their brand and expand their operations.”

SouthernCarolina Alliance, Palmetto Electric Cooperative, Beaufort County Economic Development Corporation, and the Don Ryan Center of Bluffton worked with the company’s leadership to create the best conditions for the company to expand locally in a competitive market.

“Palmetto Electric is proud to serve growing local companies, like Spartina 449, and we congratulate the Spartina team for investing in Beaufort County once again. Palmetto Electric is pleased to assist in the expansion, and we stand ready to support Spartina and our community in any way that we can,” said Palmetto Electric Cooperative President and CEO Berl Davis.

Paul Sommerville, Chairman of Beaufort County Council, said, “This development underscores the great value proposition investors and business owners see in our communities.  Spartina executives were concerned about retaining its dedicated and loyal workforce.  We're pleased that the solution to its business needs could be found in Bluffton.  We continue to be very pleased and proud to have Spartina as a part of our community.”

Stephen Murray, Chairman of the Beaufort County Economic Development Corporation (BCEDC), added, “Economic development is a team sport.  Knowing how competitive it is for business, we’re glad that the team Beaufort County has in place at the local, county and regional levels, along with our partners at Palmetto Electric, was successful in retaining Spartina’s growing operations.” 

 “We welcome Spartina 449’s Operations Center in the Bluffton business community. It is only fitting one of the nation’s fastest-growing companies is located in Bluffton, one of the fastest-growing towns in the Southeast,” said Mayor Lisa Sulka. “We are proud to be a part of Spartina 449’s next chapter as it continues its trajectory of success. It is important this company, which began as a local, home-based business, stays in the Lowcountry since its high-quality collection of handbags and accessories reflect the colors and beauty of our region as well as our local entrepreneurial spirit.”

“The Don Ryan Center for Innovation is proud to be a facilitator with Spartina 449’s relocation of its Operation Center to Bluffton,” Matt Green, chairman of the board of directors for the Don Ryan Center for Innovation, added.  “Spartina 449’s evolution into an industry leader from a home-based business is an example of what is capable when a business has a solid support system and business fundamentals. Spartina 449 is also an example of how a rapidly-growing business can thrive in Bluffton, a town which prides itself on its pro-business culture while offering an extremely high quality of life. We hope other companies follow Spartina 449 to this region.”  

Inspired by Daufuskie Island’s character and natural beauty, Spartina 449 founder and CEO, Kay Stanley, has developed a lifestyle brand, featuring signature linen and leather handbags, accessories, jewelry, apparel, and more. Seasonal collections combine colorful patterns with inspirational Lowcountry stories. Designs are a combination of coastal and chic; classic and modern. Spartina is carried in more than 1,500 specialty retailers nationwide, as well as in its own eight brand store locations, including  Bluffton, SC, Hilton Head Island, SC, Savannah, Ga., Pooler, Ga., Charleston SC and Highlands NC.  For more information about the company, please visit Spartina449.com.