By Charlotte Smith
In October there was a buzz all over Bladen County due to the news Bladen Community College would be hosting a regional informational session and networking event for a growing IT service organization interested in coming to the area. However, today, Provalus, the information technology company behind last month’s event announced they would be opening their new facility in Clarendon County, South Carolina.
Many Bladen County residents attended the October event and were excited about the prospect of having an IT company being close to their home and offering more than 100 jobs.
The Bladen County Board of Commissioners, Bladen County Economic Development Commission, along with the local college promoted the benefits the new IT company would bring to the area and encouraged anyone interested to attend the event.
The officials could not publicly identify the company in October due to an agreement. However, Chairman of the Bladen County Board of Commissioners, Charles Ray Peterson said the IT company would be a great boost to our area which, in some parts, has been devastated by hurricanes. However, Thursday morning Bladen County Economic Director Chuck Heustess announced the company holding the local event in October was indeed Provalus.
The reason the growing tech company decided to go with the SC location was due to the overall package, according to Chuck Heustess.
“Their mission is to help unemployed and vacated downtown areas rebuild,” Huestess explained, “SC already had the perfect size building downtown and the town already owned the real estate.”
“We’re on a mission to bring jobs back to the U.S. Provalus is not only solving the tech talent shortage in America, it’s also giving families an opportunity to improve their livelihoods,” Provalus President Chuck Ruggiero said in his announcement.
Provalus’ new innovation center will be located at 34 North Brooks Street in Manning, SC. The center will expand the company’s domestic services for technology outsourcing and support, according to their press release.
“We’re proud to welcome Provalus to South Carolina and excited for the 105 new jobs the company is bringing to Clarendon County. This announcement is a milestone for the community, and we’re excited to see what the future has in store for Provalus.” stated South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster.
This is the third facility to open in just two years of business for Provalus, according to Huestess. The company has two other locations, one in Alabama and one in Texas.
Heustess said, “From a local standpoint we appreciate everyone who came out and showed a strong interest in wanting jobs. We hear this sector of the technology industry is going to be a big part of job growth and this was a good opportunity to learn about the industry and be better prepared for this type of company in the future.”
Heustess added, “My next project is going to be the Bladenboro downtown revitalization and developing new strategies with that.”
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