Greenville Leader

Laurens County can expect an economic investment of $47.2 million and the creation of 240 new job opportunities with the opening of a new operations facility owned by Utah-based Malouf Companies.

Founded in 2003, Malouf specializes in lifestyle and wellness products, home furnishings, and an assortment of consumer goods, boasting that they sell one product every 2.6 seconds.

Ryan Egbert, Malouf's director of national distribution, said the strategic move to open their newest facility in Laurens County is beneficial for the company and the surrounding community.

"This space will simplify our supply chain process by allowing us to consolidate all of our specialty retail products in one place for East Coast fulfillment," Egbert said in a release from Gov. Henry McMaster's office. "We are excited to be in Laurens and hope to impact the community in a positive way as we have done at our other locations.”

Site preparation and building improvements will partially be funded by a $200,000 Rural Infrastructure Fund Grant issued by the Coordinating Council for Economic Development to Laurens County.

Glassdoor, an employment website that also offers company ratings and reviews, ranks Malouf as one of the top five best places to work in the nation.

The company is actively recruiting new employees as their new facility is expected to be operational by Nov. 30.

Laurens County Council Chairman Brown Patterson said he sees this latest addition to the corporate community as a prosperous long-term relationship with the county.

"Laurens County continues to create good jobs and capital investment in manufacturing and distribution operations, and we are excited about the opportunities that Malouf will provide for our citizens," Patterson said in McMaster's release.