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RIDGEVILLE, S.C. (WCBD)- Researchers have confirmed the discovery of fossils belonging to a 24-million-year-old whale in Dorchester County.

The newly discovered bones belonged to Eomysticetus, an extinct ancestor of baleen whales, according to experts. A team from Palmetto Fossil Excursions unearthed the fossils earlier this month along the Chandler Bridge formation near Ridgeville.

“It was extremely exciting knowing how rare Eomysticetes are and knowing that’s what we were pulling out of the ground,” Founder Skye Basak said.

Basak and Thomas Gilpin first located the posterior end of the Eomysticete’s skull around 6:00 p.m. on March 29.

The following day, Basak and Gilpin were joined by Joshua Basak, Dr. Elizabeth Kane, David Ryan, Ken Pullen, Mike Bona, and Dr. Robert Boessenecker to continue the excavation process.

By nightfall, the team had expanded the hole to nearly 25 feet wide and 10 feet deep and discovered several more bones—one lower mandible, the sternum, 10 vertebrae, including the atlas, multiple ribs, a flipper bone, and multiple throat bones.

“That’s all that we were able to locate in the bottom of the hole as of last week, but the hole needs to be expanded…so we can look for the rest of the animal,” Basak said.

The lower mandible was finally freed from the hole by about 9:30 p.m. on March 31 and a few hours later the 6-foot-long, 2,000-pound block containing the skull was also freed, according to Basak.

Dr. Boessenecker, a research fellow at the College of Charleston’s Mace Brown Museum of Natural History and one of the world’s leading experts on Eomysticetes, called the specimen a rare find as less than 20 complete skulls exist worldwide.

“It is likely to be more complete than the original specimen of Eomysticetus that was discovered in the 1970s,” he explained. “The more complete a fossil is, the more you can tell about its functional anatomy and how it may have behaved in life.”

Eomysticetes were the largest living whales during the Oligocene Epoch which dates back about 33.9 million to 23 million years ago, according to the American Museum of Natural History. They are believed to have been between 25 and 35 feet long, which is much smaller than modern baleen whales.

Researchers also believe that while the whales may have already had baleen, a filter-feeding system, which allowed them to eat zooplankton. There is also evidence to suggest that Eomysticetes may have also had a few residual teeth, according to experts.

Remains of the extinct whales have primarily been found in South Carolina, New Zealand, Japan, Washington, and Oregon. But, Dr. Boessenecker said the first named specimen of Eomysticetus was discovered in Ladson.

“There’s some isotopic evidence that they perhaps underwent seasonal migration,” he said.

After experiencing machinery-related setbacks, Basak said she hopes the team will continue the excavation efforts in the coming weeks.

“Knowing what this specimen will do for science is kind of mind-blowing, especially if we’re able to locate the rest of the animal and bring it to a point where it’s the most complete specimen of its kind,” she continued.

If you find a fossil in the ground or on the beach in the Charleston area, you can reach out to the Mace Brown Museum for identification.

A Charlotte-based real estate developer has revealed the next phase of a large mixed-use park in Ridgeville.

Childress Klein, the project’s developer, and Altus Equity Group Inc., a real estate sponsor, operator and investment company, said the finalization of securing an $86.5 million loan needed for construction of their industrial project located in the Camp Hall Commerce Park has been arranged with New York Life Real Estate Investors, according to an Altus Equity Group Inc news release.

This is said to be one of the largest historical spec build industrial projects within Charleston proper with the Camp Hall Commerce Park Campus 8, the next phase of the larger Camp Hall mixed-use park, equaling more than 1.4 million square feet, according to the release.

“While construction started in June of last year, we are pleased to announce the closing of our financing for this project,” said Matt Harper, partner at Childress Klein. “Despite some headwinds in the capital markets, we were able to secure attractive financing through New York Life Real Estate Investors and look forward to working with them to complete construction in the second half of this year.”

Camp Hall has been ranked by “Business Facilities Magazine’s” annual rankings as the No. 7 best industrial park in the nation in 2022 – and the only industrial park to make the list in the Southeast. Moreover, the project’s access to Interstate 26 provides convenient connection to the logistics and distribution capabilities of the Charleston market, including the Port of Charleston and Charleston International Airport, the release said.

“We are extremely excited about this project,” said Andrew Eicher, Altus Equity senior vice president. “Charleston is a strong economic center with growing industrial demand from manufacturing, logistics, and the continued growth of the Port of Charleston. There are many complications in a deal of this size, and we appreciate the attentiveness of the local and state governments to the project. In addition to our trusted local industry relationships, Camp Hall and Santee Cooper were instrumental in working through challenges as they arose during the pre-construction phases.”

Construction started in June upon purchase of the land, which was facilitated by Cushman and Wakefield’s Charleston Office. The Charleston office of Jones Lang LaSalle Inc has been selected as the leasing broker for the project by the combined management team, the release said.

Childress Klein has developed more than 51 million square feet of commercial real estate and owns assets valued at more than $3 billion.

“We continue to see opportunities in construction lending and look forward towards solidifying and expanding our relationships with top tier sponsors such as Childress Klein and Altus," said Elizabeth Roy, New York Life Real Estate Investors’ Structured Debt Team senior director.

RIDGEVILLE, S.C. (WCSC) - Walmart’s $220 million-dollar international distribution center in Ridgeville is now open for business.

Officials from Dorchester County and Gov. Henry McMaster spoke at the grand opening on Friday.

“This is just one more sign of our great prosperity that’s going to keep on going,” McMaster says. “This is one of the three largest such distribution centers in the world.”

So far, Walmart has hired over 900 associates and they are looking to hire a total of 1,300 full-time employees. The Walmart distribution center is expected to increase the Port of Charleston’s volume by 5 percent, bringing them more jobs as well.

Jeffrey Holzbauer, General Manager of Imports with Walmart says this center will have a huge impact on Dorchester County. Not only for the number of jobs they are bringing but the pay rate as well.

Along with the distribution center, there are 122 retail stores in the state. In total, Walmart employs over 30,000 associates in South Carolina.

This will be the 5th distribution facility in the state, and its impact will reach farther than South Carolina. The center will supply 850 Walmart and Sam’s Club stores across the southeast.

Holzbauer says over the past few years keeping shelves in stores stocked has been an issue. The distribution center’s main purpose is to limit situations like that happening by making sure the right stores have the right products at the right time.

“Trailers come in from the port, folks then unload them,” Holzbauer says. “They go to a storage rack until a store is running low on inventory. Then we send associates to pick that product, take it to the ship dock, and put it in containers that’s destined for a regional distribution center.”

The town of Ridgeville was chosen for the distribution center for a few reasons. It’s strategically located relatively close to the port of Charleston. Holzbauer says there were a lot of qualified associates in the area, and there’s access to major transportation channels to get their products to their stores as fast as possible.

South Carolina Ports Authority President and CEO Jim Newsome says this building could be the tip of the iceberg for a county focused on business.

“We own this whole industrial campus, except we granted this to Walmart, so we’re working on other projects out here,” Newsome says. “I think there’s a number of distribution projects that can come here because of the location between I-26 and I-95.”

Source: Live 5

Copyright 2022 WCSC. All rights reserved.

RIDGEVILLE, S.C. (WCIV) — Phase two of construction of the Campus 4 in Camp Hall Commerce Park is underway.

The second phase involves the construction of a 1,123,360-sq-ft industrial facility on 110.6 acres of land.

“We’re proud of the progress we’ve made on Phase I of this project, and our team is excited to carry that momentum through to Phase II. Camp Hall is an expertly planned, best-in-class park, and we’re honored to be involved in the full development of Campus 4," said Keith Horton, senior project manager at Frampton Construction.

Read More: Clyburn: $25M in federal funding for new railway tracks to support Camp Hall Commerce Park

The Camp Hall project was designed and promoted by Santee Cooper in partnership with the South Carolina Department of Commerce, Berkeley County, Edisto and Berkeley Electric Cooperatives, the South Carolina Power Team, the Charleston Regional Development Alliance, and the South Carolina Ports Authority.

“The full development of Campus 4 at Camp Hall Commerce Park gives Portman Industrial a substantial land position with state-of-the-art logistics facilities in the highly constrained Charleston market. Campus 4 provides us with the ability to target a diversity of tenants desiring smaller, single-load facilities that have been the hallmark of Charleston’s tenant demand,” says John Gaskin. “Campus 4 also fills a void in immediate supply of cross-dock logistics facilities of +/- 500,000 square feet and +1,000,000 square feet, which are in short supply in Charleston and desired by present and future port customers.”

Frampton Construction Company, LLC. is leading the construction project.

Read More: McMaster touts new Volvo Car University, electric vehicle investment in Ridgeville

Phase one of the Campus 4 construction is still underway. It includes three industrial facilities with a combined 940,000-sq-ft. That phase is over 60% leased at this time.

Last June, nearly two dozen miles of new railway track were given federal funding to the tune of $25 million.

The money was slated for the South Carolina Department of Commerce's Palmetto Railways division to construct approximately 22.7 miles of new track and related facilities. This will connect the Camp Hall Commerce Park in Ridgeville to the CSX multi-state rail network.

RIDGEVILLE, S.C. — Portman Industrial has broken ground on Phase II of Campus 4 within Camp Hall Commerce Park in Ridgeville, a suburb of Charleston. The second phase comprises a 1.1 million-square-foot industrial facility situated on 110.6 acres near the Port of Charleston and adjacent to Volvo Cars’ manufacturing plant. The cross-dock facility will feature tilt-up concrete walls, a structural steel frame, TPO roof, 40-foot clear heights, 215 dock doors, four drive-in doors, 759 car spaces and 851 trailer spaces.

The design-build team includes general contractor Frampton Construction, architect McMillan Pazdan Smith and civil engineer Thomas & Hutton. Lee Allen and Kevin Ross of JLL’s Charleston office are handling leasing for the project. Phase II is set for a summer 2023 delivery. Phase I, which comprises three buildings spanning 940,000 square feet, is currently under construction and is more than 60 percent preleased.

PLAINFIELD, ILL. — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the $1.9 million sale of a Chili’s ground lease in Plainfield, about 40 miles southwest of Chicago. The restaurant building spans 6,150 square feet. The property at 12740 Illinois Route 59 is situated near Target, Ross Dress for Less and Five Below stores. Austin Weisenbeck and Sean Sharko of Marcus & Millichap represented the seller, an individual trust. The duo also secured and represented the buyer, a Chicagoland private investor and limited liability company. The property sold at the full list price.

ADDISON, ILL. — Clear Height Properties has acquired a 34,700-square-foot industrial building in Addison, a western suburb of Chicago, for an undisclosed price. The property at 1404 W. Fullerton Ave. features convenient access to I-355 between I-290 and Route 83. The facility features six exterior docks, seven drive-thru service bays and an additional 1.5 acres of secured land for outdoor storage or trailer parking. Nick Saraceno and Howard Caplan of CTK Chicago Partners represented the undisclosed seller. Robin Stolberg and Dominic Carbonari of JLL are marketing the property for lease.

GAHANNA, OHIO — PEBB Enterprises has sold Hunter’s Ridge Shopping Center in Gahanna near Columbus for $10 million. WB Ventures LLC purchased the 84,724-square-foot retail center, which is 93 percent leased. Planet Fitness and Goodwill are the anchor tenants. PEBB acquired the asset in 2018. The property was originally built in 1975. Evan Halkias and Hank Davis of Cushman & Wakefield represented PEBB in the sale.

QUAKERTOWN, PA. — New Jersey-based investment firm First National Realty Partners (FNRP) has acquired Richland Marketplace, a 162,000-square-foot shopping center in Quakertown, about 50 miles north of Philadelphia. Built in 2009, the center houses tenants such as Aldi, Best Buy, PetSmart, Planet Fitness, Staples, Ulta, Visionworks, Sally Beauty and Skechers. Colin Behr, Jim Galbally, Chris Munley and James Graf of JLL represented the seller, KPR, in the transaction.