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Summerville-based Scout Boats plans to invest nearly $11 million into expanding its Dorchester County operations and creating 370 jobs, according to a news release.
The boat manufacturer, which also expanded in 2014, plans to build a facility at 2351 U.S. Highway 78 W. in Summerville that will be 120,000 square feet, large enough to house the company’s new, 53-foot yacht model.
The company, founded in 1989, designs and manufactures luxury coastal fishing boats.
The growth is spurred by the addition of new boat models to its product line, the release said. The company’s boats are sold globally by more than 70 dealers.
“We’ve been a long-standing boat builder and employer in South Carolina over the past three decades,” Scout Boats founder and CEO Steve Potts said in the release. “From our humble beginnings to now one of the most respected and innovative boat builders in the industry, we are proud of our heritage and excited about our future.”
The state Coordinating Council for Economic Development approved job development credits for the project, and Dorchester County received a $350,000 grant for road improvements related to the company expansion.
Hiring is underway.
