Agriculture-based company will move HQ to Charleston

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After more than a century in a lake land, a seed and turf company is moving to the coast.

Patten Seed Co., one of the largest turfgrass producers in the Southeast, announced plans Wednesday to relocate its corporate headquarters to Charleston County. The company’s $2.2 million investment will create 40 new jobs, according to a Commerce Department news release.

The company was founded in Lakeland, Ga., in 1892 by school teacher Robert L. Patten and expanded into an agriculture supply company over the years. Today it is most recognized by consumers for its Super Sod brand, launched in 1980 as urban and suburban growth spread across the expanding Southeast, according to the company website.

Patten Seed Co. will relocate its corporate headquarters from Lakeland to an existing facility at 22 Westedge St. in Charleston.

“Charleston County is central to our current footprint throughout the southeastern United States,” Patten Seed CEO Ben Copeland Jr. said in the news release. “As we continue to grow, it was important to centralize the senior management team and take advantage of a more robust hiring market and Charleston County fits that need well. Vibrant companies need vibrant cities.”
In addition to centralizing the management team, the new headquarters will create a marketing and technology hub, the news release said. Additionally, the relocation positions the company to take advantage of the area’s talent pool “as it transitions from an agriculture-centered company to a vertically integrated, industry leader,” the release said.

“Patten Seed Co.'s new headquarters operation is a fantastic addition to South Carolina’s thriving agribusiness community,” Agriculture Commissioner Hugh Weathers said in the release. “With its rich history and regional reach, Patten Seed Co. will contribute jobs, support existing farmers and strengthen our economy.”
The company already has a presence in the state, with retail stores in Greenville, Columbia, Orangeburg and a new location in North Charleston. In addition, the company operates one of its largest farming operations in Orangeburg. The retail centers offer the company’s Super-Sod turfgrass brand and a portfolio of farm products, including two of the company’s fastest growing products, OMRI Listed Soil3 organic compost and Soil3 Veggie Mix, the release said.

“With a $2.2 million investment and the creation of 40 new jobs, Patten Seed Co. remains a leading player in the turfgrass industry,” Charleston County Council Chairman Herbert Ravenel Sass III said in the release. “Patten Seed Co.'s forward-thinking initiatives continue to pave the way for success and prosperity, and we welcome them to their new home in Charleston County.”

Operations are expected to be online by the first quarter of 2023 and the company is hiring.

The Commerce Department’s Coordinating Council for Economic Development approved job development credits related to this project. The council also awarded a $200,000 Set-Aside grant to Charleston County to assist with the costs of building improvements.