Spartanburg, South Carolina April 4, 2014

Edgewater Automation has opened a new location in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

The grand opening event took place on April 4th, 2014. With over 150 people in attendance, the open house showcased the 44,000 square foot facility that features complete in-house capabilities to design and build custom automation equipment.

Partners from overseas, clients from out of state and local manufacturing technology professionals came to support the core team of 6 employees that Edgewater Automation sent last July to rehabilitate the building and begin operations. Since then, the team has quadrupled in size, and created an apprenticeship program with the Spartanburg Tech College, with 2 apprentices already enrolled and more on the way.

Leader of the Spartanburg Economic Development Group, Tony Allen, applauded Edgewater Automation’s ability to move in to a new state and make such a sudden impact saying “I’ve never seen anything like it”. The economic development group was a vital component in making the move successful and made Spartanburg the perfect home for a high-tech manufacturing company like Edgewater Automation. Tony then challenged Edgewater Automation to compete with BMW “down the street” who have created 9,000 jobs and even offered to be their 56th employee if they need him.

“The new location is thought of as an extension of the original Edgewater Automation” said Rick Blake, President and Founder of Edgewater Automation. He ensured that “Customers can expect the same expertise, quality work, technology, and even some of the same faces at the Spartanburg facility.”

In his formal address at the ribbon cutting ceremony, the Managing Director of the Spartanburg location, Preston Patnoude, explained the motivation behind the expansion, stating that “To better serve our customers and grow our company, we realized we needed to expand…This day has been a culmination of the Edgewater vision for the past 5 years.”

Check out this video from the grand opening event:

Founded in 2001, Edgewater Automation designs and builds custom automation equipment for a wide variety of industries. Edgewater Automation has multiple locations in St. Joseph, Michigan and Spartanburg, South Carolina where engineering, machining, and building all takes place. Featured three times on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing companies in America, Edgewater Automation is constantly improving and growing in talent, experience, and technology.