Military supplier to call Indian Land home

Defense firm oversees making of armored vehicles, run-flat tires

By Matt Garfield - mgarfield@heraldonline.com

INDIAN LAND -- A supplier of armored vehicles and security products will move its headquarters from Charlotte to northern Lancaster County, bringing 220 new jobs over five years, state and local officials announced Monday.

Defense Venture Group owns subsidiaries that make tactical trucks, run-flat tires and armored glass for the U.S. military and other customers.

Among its newest products: A four-wheel drive truck that can take on customized body armor, traverse water up to 36 inches deep and roll into action from the belly of an MH-47 helicopter.

The company will move its manufacturing, research and development and headquarters operations into the former BMB Steering building in Indian Land, a burgeoning area just south of the North Carolina state line.

County officials hailed the news Monday, noting the arrival of high-paying jobs in an area racked by unemployment. The local jobless rate has hovered around 20 percent amid the recession and, before that, the collapse of the textile industry.

“This is a quality company owned and operated by military veterans who are doing great work to provide for and protect our troops,” County Council Chairman Rudy Carter said.

‘Project Shield’

Lancaster County has used incentives to lure a string of Charlotte companies across the state line, including Continental Tire, the Inspiration Network and a Web marketing business called Red Ventures.

Many settled in newly built office parks along U.S. 521, where glimmering corporate campuses rose on land once filled with woods.

With Defense Venture Group, behind-the-scenes negotiations took place for almost a year. The company was dubbed “Project Shield” during talks about potential incentives.

According to county documents, Project Shield would be required to invest at least $24 million in economic development property, not including the purchase price of land. The company also would commit to creating new full-time jobs by agreed-upon deadlines, culminating with 220 jobs by the end of the fifth year.

Jobs will pay $20 an hour on average, county officials said. Sixty jobs will transfer from Charlotte, while 160 will be new, said Keith Tunnell, director of the county’s Economic Development Corp.

Lancaster County agreed to offer fee-in-lieu-of-tax credits and a fixed millage rate, meaning the county portion of the company’s taxes will not change for 20 years.

The company also gets property tax rebates based on how quickly it builds a facility and hires workers, Tunnell said.

As part of the agreement, the company will hire locally using the state Employment Security Commission’s One-Stop office in Lancaster County. York Technical College will offer work force training.

The company was acquired last year by J.F. Lehman & Co., a private equity firm focused on the defense, aerospace and maritime fields.

“Our company and its subsidiaries needed a new facility in which to grow, and Lancaster County provided that. The area’s strong work force and business environment will help our company continue to provide top service to our customers,” John M. Zinn, president and CEO of Defense Venture Group, said in a statement.

The Fort Mill Times contributed to this story.