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Techo-Bloc, a landscaping products supplier, announced it selected Lexington County to establish the company's first South Carolina operation.

The $45 million investment will create 46 jobs, according to the South Carolina Department of Commerce. 

With factories in Illinois, Indiana and Pennsylvania, Techo-Bloc specializes in manufacturing high-quality hardscape products for residential and commercial outdoor spaces.

The company has more than 850 employees and distributes products to over 900 stores across the United States and Canada.

Techo-Bloc will build a new facility, located on Dixiana Road in Cayce, to manufacture hardscape products including pavers, slabs and retaining walls.

Operations are expected to begin in the fall of 2026. Those interested in joining Techo-Bloc should go to the company’s careers page. 

“Establishing a manufacturing facility in South Carolina marks a significant step in Techo-Bloc’s strategy to expand our national footprint,” said Techo-Bloc President Charles Ciccarello.

Ciccarello added, “The Southeast is experiencing dynamic growth, and this investment reflects both our confidence in the region’s potential and our dedication to contributing to its continued prosperity.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service has partnered with the South Carolina Department of Agriculture to award $4.1 million for 26 projects through the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure (RFSI) Program.

The 26 projects consist of four infrastructure projects and 22 equipment projects to build resilience along the middle of the supply chain while strengthening local and regional food systems.

“We‘ve learned that the American food supply chain is strongest when it’s diversified, and when local farmers and other business owners have some ‘skin in the game,’” said South Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture Hugh Weathers.

He added, “These RFSI grants will empower South Carolina agribusinesses to help each other serve new markets, scale up their operations, and create an adaptable food system.”

The grants will support expanded capacity for the aggregation, processing, manufacturing, storing, transporting, wholesaling, and distribution of locally and regionally produced food products, including specialty crops, dairy, grains and other row crops for human consumption, aquaculture, and other food products, excluding meat and poultry, and wild-caught seafood.

Projects include:

The Catawba Farm and Food Coalition will support ongoing efforts in rural areas of the Upstate and Piedmont regions of South Carolina through expansion of cold storage facilities and delivery vehicles to aid in the processing, aggregation, and distribution of local products and value-added items through producer partnerships.

RobinHood Group will establish a commercial kitchen in Union, South Carolina, to address the lack of adequate kitchen facilities and equipment for processing local food and creation of value-added products, allowing producers to diversify and gain new market opportunities.

Ridgeville Okra Company in Dorchester County will partner with local producers to increase product distribution into new markets across the state with a refrigerated delivery vehicle, ensuring efficiency and freshness along the supply chain.

Old Tyme Bean Co. will address supply chain issues with storage and processing capacity through processing equipment and cold storage, ultimately helping local Midlands farmers get their crop to market through efficient and sustainable processing operations.

Go to agriculture.sc.gov/rfsi for more information. The project is supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture with funding from the American Rescue Plan Act.

Dream Finders Homes, Inc. (NYSE: DFH) said it has closed on its acquisition of Alliant National Title Insurance Company, Inc. and a related affiliate after the initial deal announcement on October 23, 2024.

The acquisition formally closed on April 18, 2025.

Officials said the acquisition represents a significant expansion of Dream Finders’ financial services capabilities, as Alliant National underwrites title insurance policies with more than 700 independent agents in 32 states and the District of Columbia.

Said Patrick Zalupski, Dream Finders’ Chairman and CEO: “We are pleased to close on this transaction and formally welcome David Sinclair and the Alliant National team to our Dream Finders Homes family.”

Zalupski added, “This partnership creates significant value for both Alliant National and Dream Finders as a result of further vertical integration and additional service offerings to our stakeholders. We are committed to investing towards the continued success of Alliant National’s platform and look forward to expanding our presence in the industry.”

Dream Finders Homes is a homebuilder based in Jacksonville, Florida.

It builds single-family homes throughout the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest, including Florida, Texas, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Colorado, Arizona, and the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, which comprises Northern Virginia and Maryland.

Through its wholly owned subsidiaries, DFH also provides mortgage financing and title services to homebuyers.

Gov. Henry McMaster announced April 28, 2025, that S.C. Department of Corrections (SCDC) Director Bryan Stirling will step down from his position after more than 11 years of service to become U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina. 

Stirling, the longest-serving prison director in the country, was first appointed to lead SCDC by former Gov. Nikki Haley in October 2013 and reappointed by Gov. McMaster in January 2019. 

"Director Bryan Stirling is widely recognized as the best corrections director in the country, and his relentless spirit has turned SCDC into a model for other states to follow," McMaster said.

The governor added, "He revolutionized South Carolina's reentry programs, resulting in the lowest recidivism rate in the country, and his efforts to combat contraband cell phones have made all our communities safer. I am grateful for his dedication to South Carolina and confident that Joel Anderson will continue moving the agency forward."

During his tenure at SCDC, Stirling worked to establish a systemic reentry and training focus for all inmate custody levels, which led to South Carolina having the lowest recidivism rate in the country. 

He also worked to raise salaries for employees across the board, doubling some officers' starting salaries since taking office. 

“It has been the privilege of a lifetime to lead the men and women at the Department of Corrections and help transform the agency into a place where incarcerated people are returned to society safely with real second chances,” Stirling said.

He added, “I look forward to continuing to serve the people of South Carolina and pledge to uphold the high standards set by those who came before me. It is my honor to leave the South Carolina Department of Corrections in the very capable hands of Joel Anderson.”

Stirling has also been a national leader in his efforts to enable states to block contraband cell phone signals in prisons. 

Prior to becoming director of SCDC, he served as chief of staff to then-Gov. Haley and served as a deputy attorney general from 2006 to 2012.

Anderson, who has served as SCDC's deputy director for Operations since 2019, will serve as acting director.

A native of South Texas, Anderson served in the Texas Department of Corrections from 1978 to 1996, rising to the rank of major.

He first joined SCDC in 1996 as executive assistant to the director of Inmate Work Programs and director of Agriculture and Food Service.

He later joined the Florida Department of Corrections, where he was promoted to deputy director of Administration. 

Anderson returned to SCDC in 2004 and has held a variety of leadership positions, including warden of several prisons, director of Support Services, assistant deputy director of Programs and Services, director of External Security for Operations, and interim deputy director for Operations. 

Anderson, 66, resides with his wife in Richland County.