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NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) — Saudi Arabia is buckled in and ready to take flight with Boeing.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) and Gov. Henry McMaster joined other U.S. and Saudi dignitaries Friday to celebrate.

In March, Riyadh Air and Saudia Airlines announced the purchase of 787 Dreamliners from Boeing's North Charleston plant.

Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud, Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the United States, stood in front of a photo taken in 1945 to show the evolved relationship of the two countries.

The picture showed the plane gifted to Saudi Arabia by former President Franklin Roosevelt.

"The good people of Boeing are the right people to build the future of my nation," the princess said.

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She announced they will spend trillions of dollars over the next decade to modernize their country and open up tourism to the world.

"You're creating jobs in the kingdom. You're creating a future for young people. You're helping my nation open up and invite others in," the princess said.

Their goal is to bring in 100 million tourists each year on Boeing flights.

"We don't get a second chance to make a first impression. And for many people coming from all of the world to enjoy the benefits of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, that first impression will be at 38,000 feet," said Tony Douglas, the CEO of Riyadh Air.

Riyadh Air purchased 39 Dreamliners with the option to bring in 33 more jets.

"Because we've got no legacy, it allows us to become a really modern airline that takes guests' experiences to the next level," Douglas said.

Saudia Airlines purchased 39 Dreamliners to bolster their fleet.

The CEOs from both airlines say they considered many factors before choosing Boeing.

Saudi Arabia is buckled in and ready to take flight with Boeing. (WCIV)

"Some of it is sustainability. Some of it is fuel consumption," said Captain Ibrahim Koshy, CEO of Saudia Airlines.

Sen. Lindsey Graham says this is a $36 billion investment in South Carolina.

"We're gonna be building airplanes in Charleston for decades now because of this simple buy, and there's more coming," Graham said.

But the senator says it's more about the two countries coming together.

This is maybe the most consequential purchase for our state, and maybe in the history of Boeing, because it allowed us to engage a problematic ally in a new way," Graham said. "This is not about 121 jets.

NORTH CHARLESTON — The landmark paper mill here will close for good this summer, more than 86 years after establishing itself along the Cooper River as an industrial economic pillar for the Lowcountry through good times and bad.

WestRock Co. announced May 2 that the site will be shut down Aug. 31, citing a “combination of high operating costs and the need for significant capital investment.”

“WestRock is committed to improving its return on invested capital as well as maximizing the performance of its assets,” the Atlanta-based company said.

The hulking blue industrial complex known for emitting a distinctive sulfur-like odor employs about 500 workers, down about 44 percent over the past five years.

It’s been manufacturing goods from pine trees since July 1937, when a distant corporate ancestor of the current owner and operator fired up its machinery for the first time off of Virginia Avenue.

“WestRock and its predecessor companies have had a long history in the region operating the North Charleston mill, and the contributions of the team members over the years have been greatly appreciated,” CEO David B. Sewell said in a written statement.

He added that the decision “to close a facility and impact the lives of our team members is never easy, and we are committed to assisting our North Charleston team with exploring roles at other WestRock locations and outplacement assistance.”

Mayor Keith Summey lamented the closure but said he realized it was only a matter of time when, in 2019, the company announced it was shuttering a local production line and eliminating about 260 jobs.

“We’ve known for a while that the industry has been going down,” Summey said May 2. “The biggest thing we will be doing now is trying to find jobs for those folks who are laid off so they won’t have to leave.”

It wasn’t immediately clear what will become of the roughly 331-acre waterfront site between U.S. Interstate 526 and the State Ports Authority’s North Charleston Terminal. The company said that after the 120-day shutdown period “the property will be prepared for sale.”

“It will make a valuable piece of land for development for the future,” Summey said.

WestRock acquired the mill in late 2018 as part of its buyout of KapStone Paper & Packaging Corp. At the time, the North Charleston site employed about 900 workers.

The plant manufactures several products, including containerboard, and can turn out about 550,000 tons a year. WestRock said it plans to stop making a commodity known in the industry as “unbleached saturating kraft paper” after the shutdown is completed.

WestRock estimated in a federal securities filing Tuesday that the cost of the closure against its earnings will be $515 million, including asset write-offs and $28 million in severance and other employee-related expenses.

Remarkably, the mill has changed hands just twice since it made its debut near the end of the Great Depression. Many old-timers in the Charleston region still refer to it as “Westvaco,” reflecting a truncated name of the company that built it.

It started with William Luke, whose Piedmont Pulp & Paper Co. was incorporated in 1899 as West Virginia Pulp & Paper Co. The name was shortened to Westvaco Corp. in 1969 and then became MeadWestvaco about 20 years ago, reflecting the buyout of a rival manufacturer. It sold the North Charleston mill in 2008 to Chicago-based KapStone.

The acquisition of MeadWestvaco by Rock-Tenn Corp. in 2015 gave rise to the WestRock brand. The ownership of the mill came full circle nearly five years ago, when the company snapped up KapStone.

WestRock’s other forest-product operations in South Carolina include several manufacturing plants in Florence, Cowpens, Latta and Spartanburg. It sold its Summerville sawmill to a Canadian company in 2021.

WestRock also exited a land development venture that MeadWestvaco had launched. And it spun off a chemical division into what is now Ingevity Corp., a publicly traded company headquartered just down the road from the North Charleston paper mill.

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--WestRock Company (NYSE: WRK) today announced it will permanently cease operating its paper mill in North Charleston, South Carolina, on August 31, 2023.

“The decision to close a facility and impact the lives of our team members is never easy, and we are committed to assisting our North Charleston team with exploring roles at other WestRock locations and outplacement assistance.”

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“WestRock and its predecessor companies have had a long history in the region operating the North Charleston mill, and the contributions of the team members over the years have been greatly appreciated,” said David B. Sewell, chief executive officer at WestRock. “The decision to close a facility and impact the lives of our team members is never easy, and we are committed to assisting our North Charleston team with exploring roles at other WestRock locations and outplacement assistance.”

The North Charleston mill produces containerboard, uncoated kraft paper (KraftPak^®), and unbleached saturating kraft paper (DuraSorb^®), with a combined annual capacity of 550,000 tons. Containerboard and uncoated kraft currently produced at the mill will be manufactured at other WestRock facilities. The Company intends to exit the unbleached saturating kraft paper business when the mill shutdown is completed.

WestRock is committed to improving its return on invested capital as well as maximizing the performance of its assets. The combination of high operating costs and the need for significant capital investment were the determining factors in the decision to cease operations at the mill.

The North Charleston mill employs approximately 500 people. Employees will receive severance and outplacement assistance in accordance with WestRock policy and labor union agreements.

About WestRock

WestRock (NYSE: WRK) is a global leader in sustainable paper and packaging solutions, with more than 58,000 teammates in the Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific. Our integrated packaging capabilities offer end-to-end solutions to help customers address their greatest challenges.

Forward-looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations, beliefs, plans or forecasts and are typically identified by words or phrases such as “may,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “would,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “expect,” “project,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “target,” “prospects,” “potential” and “forecast,” and other words, terms and phrases of similar meaning. Forward looking statements involve estimates, expectations, projections, goals, forecasts, assumptions, risks and uncertainties. We caution readers that forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of future performance and that actual results could differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements. Our businesses are subject to a number of general risks that could affect any such forward-looking statements. These risks are described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including in Item 1A under the caption “Risk Factors” in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2022.

Contacts

Media: Robby Johnson, 470-328-6397 Senior Manager, Corporate Communications robby.b.johnson@westrock.com

Investors: Rob Quartaro, 470-328-6979 Senior Vice President, Investor Relations robert.quartaro@westrock.com

NORTH CHARLESTON — The city of North Charleston is planning to make a $6 million purchase of about 400 acres of land around Ingleside Boulevard, property that will be used to develop what the city is calling an urban park.

But this recreational amenity that some say will enhance quality of life is raising concerns about livability.

City Council voted unanimously April 27 to move forward with buying the property, currently owned by Weber USA Corp. The tracts of land make up what is known as the Ingleside Weber Park System, located west of Interstate 26.

Most of the property consists of wetlands, though just over 100 acres are highlands, or areas that can be walked or built upon. The idea is to use the 400-acre space to create a passive park that will include boardwalks, walking paths and nature trails.

Instead of having to travel elsewhere to hike or enjoy the outdoors, people in North Charleston will be able to practice that kind of recreational activity essentially in their own backyard, Mayor Keith Summey said.

To pay for the land purchase, $3 million is being provided in Charleston County Greenbelt funds, $1 million in city tax-increment finance district funds, $1 million from the South Carolina Conservation Bank, and $1 million from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

City spokesman Ryan Johnson said North Charleston is doing the project because the plan is a good use of greenbelt funds, which are designed to help conserve outdoor space. It was also convenient that North Charleston was able to secure additional grant opportunities, Johnson added. There is no timetable yet for the park’s construction.

“Having a big park in an urban core is a very good amenity,” he said.

The idea of a park that could potentially bring more noise to the area alarmed Councilwoman Virginia Jamison, who has been fighting for a decade for a sound barrier to be built along I-26 to protect members of Deerpark, Northwood Estates and other adjacent communities from the blaring sounds of traffic commuting along the highway. Acquiring necessary funding from the city, county or state to build the wall has not been successful.

During a recent Finance Committee meeting, Jamison said her constituents are concerned about the increased levels of sounds emitting from the interstate and they are also worried that more noise will come from the new park. Traffic could also increase soon, as the county’s new Palmetto Commerce Interchange will soon be constructed nearby at Weber Boulevard.

Other development is also on the way to Ingleside Boulevard, which is already home to a few neighborhoods, several churches and a handful of businesses. Developers are planning on the southern end of the boulevard to build a town center that will include retail and restaurant space, a parking deck, hundreds of apartment units, and hundreds of hotel rooms.

Jamison called on City Council to take noise reduction seriously.

“If this body is not concerned about the livability and quality of life in our city, then I have a problem,” said Jamison, who did not attend the April 27 full council meeting.

Councilwoman Dorothy Williams echoed her concerns.

Summey implied that the park will center on passive nature, pointing to its focus on walking trails. The only physical building that will be constructed at the park is a facility to house restrooms and first aid.

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ingevity Corporation (NYSE:NGVT) announced today that operations at the company’s North Charleston, South Carolina, plant will continue as normal with the announced closure of WestRock Company’s (NYSE:WRK) North Charleston, South Carolina, paper mill. The two companies will work together to transition limited shared services ahead of the August 31, 2023, closure of the WestRock facility. The companies share a common history, but Ingevity has operated as a stand-alone public company since May of 2016.

“While we anticipate some cost with the transition of shared services, we expect minimal disruption to our operations,” said Ingevity president and CEO, John Fortson. “Our primary focus as WestRock exits their plant site is to ensure safe operations and continue to meet the needs of our customers.”

WestRock’s plant closure does not impact Ingevity’s recently announced long-term supply agreement for crude tall oil (CTO) with WestRock.

Ingevity: Purify, Protect and Enhance

Ingevity provides products and technologies that purify, protect and enhance the world around us. Through a team of talented and experienced people, we develop, manufacture and bring to market solutions that help customers solve complex problems and make the world more sustainable. We operate in three reporting segments: Performance Chemicals, which includes specialty chemicals and pavement technologies; Advanced Polymer Technologies, which includes biodegradable plastics and polyurethane materials; and Performance Materials, which includes activated carbon. Our products are used in a variety of demanding applications, including adhesives, agrochemicals, asphalt paving, bioplastics, coatings, elastomers, lubricants, pavement markings, publication inks, oil exploration and production and automotive components that reduce gasoline vapor emissions. Headquartered in North Charleston, South Carolina, Ingevity operates from 31 countries around the world and employs approximately 2,050 people. The company’s common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE:NGVT). For more information visit www.ingevity.com. Follow Ingevity on LinkedIn.

Contacts

Contact: Caroline Monahan 843-740-2068 caroline.monahan@ingevity.com

Investors: John E. Nypaver, Jr. 843-740-2002 investors@ingevity.com