Global container startup selects Charleston for HQ

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A global privately held startup looking to change the way containers are purchased is setting up its North American logistical hub in Charleston.

Eveon Containers Inc. announced in a news release Tuesday it has selected the Lowcountry for its North American headquarters. Eveon is an international provider of sustainable building, shipping and storage solutions with European headquarters in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and operations in Germany and Canada.

Launched in 2019, the startup sees Charleston as an ideal match, both professionally and culturally, primarily due to it being a port city, according to the release. Although Charleston and Rotterdam are more than 4,000 miles apart, the company feels they share many qualities including being steeped in history, having a reputation for friendly people, and being established and thriving port cities, the release said.

The company’s native Dutch name translates to “low land” or “lowcountry.”

“We don’t just sell containers, we sell opportunities for customers to launch a business, start a pop-up restaurant or simply to save money on storage,” Eveon CEO Aad Storm said in the release. “With 45 million containers in the world, our goal is to recycle, repurpose and reduce emissions, one container at a time. We believe these containers, once retired from sea, can serve another purpose on land.”

The container company launched three hubs in the United States in summer 2021 alone, while continuing to experience rapid growth, which is reflective of the demand for sustainable online container options, according to the release. Eveon is currently set up to provide decommissioned containers (20-foot, 40-foot and 40-foot high cube) from 30 hubs nationwide, hoping to change the way consumers are looking for storage needs or transportation for goods, the release said.

The company’s goal is for consumers to give these used steel and wood containers “a second life on land,” the release said. The shipping containers are available for purchase 24/7 online with delivery available within a few hundred miles of each of the hubs across the country, which range from Long Beach, Calif., to Newark, N.J.

“Rotterdam is the 10th largest port in the world and like Charleston, our economy and business environment depend on the waterways,” Storm said in the release. “Being near the port and on East Coast times are both logical moves for Eveon.”

Eveon has already begun operating out of the Charleston hub, with sourcing and delivery of containers across the country within five to 10 business days, the release said. As part of its U.S. expansion, Eveon has filled local marketing and communications, customer service, and logistics positions, both locally within Charleston and nationally.

“We want customers to find our business as warm and approachable as the ‘Holy City,’” said Storm in the release. “We look forward to what the future entails and bringing a little of the Charleston way and approachability to our global brand. As we expand across the country, we can’t think of a better city for our U.S. team to call home.”