Ports authority’s new HQ building opens in Mount Pleasant

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The S.C. Ports Authority’s new 80,000-square-foot headquarters building will house around 160 employees at the Wando Welch Terminal in Mount Pleasant.

The port is relocating operations from its longtime office building at 176 Concord St. in downtown Charleston. Lowe bought the site for $38 million last year with plans to build a luxury hotel and extend Waterfront Park.

Port CEO Jim Newsome has said the relocation puts office staff closer to cargo operations, consolidates office employees into one building and creates a more modern space for the workforce.

The new office building has a glass atrium extending up all four floors. The site also has a nearly 1-mile walking trail.

The office has a fitness center, primary care and occupational health services provided by MUSC Health, a cafeteria and sit-to-stand desks in all workstations and offices. The open floor plan allows for better collaboration and communication, Newsome said.

“The port’s new headquarters offers a single, modern campus for employees with direct access to our biggest operating terminal, the Wando Welch,” Newsome said in a statement.

Workers broke ground on the building in fall 2017. Choate Construction and LS3P led the design-build project.