GRAY COURT, S.C. — Shamrock Technologies Inc., a Newark, N.J.-based maker of micronized wax and specialty additives, will build a new corporate headquarters on its existing Laurens County campus, investing $39.6 million and adding 57 jobs in a move that deepens the Upstate’s growing footprint in advanced materials manufacturing.
The 85-year-old company, whose products go into coatings, inks, greases and lubricants sold worldwide, first arrived in South Carolina in 2022 when it bought a factory at 101 Connexial Blvd. in Gray Court that produces micronized wax, dispersions and emulsions. The site sits about three miles southeast of ZF Transmissions along Interstate 385, placing it inside one of the Upstate’s busiest manufacturing corridors.
“Shamrock Technologies is proud to continue investing in our South Carolina operations as we build the future home of our company,” CEO Michael Kellen said in a statement announcing the project. “For 85 years, our growth has been driven by strong partnerships and a commitment to people, and we look forward to deepening those ties as we expand in Gray Court.”
The new headquarters campus will include corporate offices, research and development labs, a pilot plant, and additional warehouse and production space, according to the company. Some operations are expected to come online by the end of 2027, with all phases of the project completed by the end of 2030 — a multiyear buildout that mirrors the patient, phased investment pattern seen across the Upstate’s industrial base in recent years.
For commercial real estate professionals, the project underscores continued demand for build-to-suit and expansion space along the I-385 corridor between Greenville and Laurens County, an area that has increasingly drawn manufacturers seeking proximity to Interstate 85 and the region’s skilled labor pool without competing for the tightest industrial space closer to Greenville and Spartanburg. Shamrock also owns a second facility nearby in Fountain Inn; a company representative said it is evaluating options for that property but does not expect a decision soon, leaving open the possibility of additional space coming to market.
The South Carolina Coordinating Council for Economic Development approved job development credits to support the relocation, a standard incentive tool the state uses to encourage companies to expand in place rather than relocate headquarters functions out of state. The announcement adds to a steady run of advanced-manufacturing investment across the Upstate this year, as companies in materials science, electric vehicles and industrial coatings continue to expand existing South Carolina operations rather than start from scratch elsewhere.
Laurens County, long overshadowed by its larger Greenville and Spartanburg County neighbors in economic development headlines, has quietly built a manufacturing base anchored by automotive suppliers and specialty chemical producers along the I-385 corridor. Shamrock’s decision to consolidate its headquarters functions there, rather than in a larger metro, signals continued confidence in the county’s workforce and site infrastructure as the broader Upstate region works through tightening industrial vacancy and rising land costs closer to its urban core.
Upstate Commercial Real Estate News 
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