Hampton Lumber $225 Million Fairfax Sawmill Creates 125 Jobs in Allendale County

Hampton Lumber will construct a 375,000-square-foot sawmill at Highway 321 and Barker Mill Pond Road in Fairfax, Allendale County, a $225 million investment state officials and the company announced. The project is the company’s first East Coast operation and state materials say it will create at least 125 new jobs.

The selection of Allendale County was announced June 24, 2025 in an official release from Governor Henry McMaster. Hampton Lumber is described in the release as a fourth-generation, family-owned firm headquartered in Oregon that operates nine sawmills in Oregon, Washington and British Columbia and markets building materials worldwide.

Employment figures vary across coverage and social posts. The Governor’s office and Expansion Solutions Magazine state the investment “will create at least 125 new jobs.” SouthernCarolina Alliance social posts alternately state the project is “creating more than 120 new jobs” and “creating of more than 125 new jobs.” Expansion Solutions also reports the Coordinating Council for Economic Development approved job development credits related to the project.

Officials and company leaders have outlined a 2027 startup target. A transcript excerpt from SCA’s “Behind the Golden Shovel” podcast records Hampton Lumber’s general manager for Fairfax, Michael Chapman, saying, “We're still building the we have an aggressive timeline and what we're expecting is by the first quarter of 2027 to be in full operating mode.” Bluffton Today reported that Governor McMaster participated in a ceremonial groundbreaking tied to the project.

Local and company voices joined SCA and WHHI‑TV in podcast clips and social posts. SCA social copy names CEO Randy Schillinger, SCA Chairman Steve Murdaugh, and HR Business Manager Amy Cordova as participants. Chapman, introduced as being “from Summerville,” reflected on the scale of the project: “Well, I've been in this industry for over 30 years. I've seen a lot of things happen in this industry. I've never seen a meal as Martin as the meal we're going to build here though. So exciting times.”

The Fairfax mill will specialize in Southern Yellow Pine framing lumber, state materials and Expansion Solutions report. Chapman’s podcast remarks include a verbatim project description with transcription artifacts: “Well, for Hampton Lumber, what exactly will be happening at this particular site, this plant, so this meal will be a very large manufacturer of Southern yellow pine lumber. We will make products from 2:00 to 4:00 to tuba 10s from 8 [...]”

County leaders framed the project as an economic lifeline for a timber-rich but low-income area. Bluffton Today described Allendale County as “one of the most poor and rural areas of the state but is one of the richest in terms of timber and agricultural resources.” Allendale County Council Chairman Bill Robinson said, “Each of the 125 jobs created will provide a brighter future for families in our area, and Allendale County looks forward to supporting Hampton Lumber for years to come.”

Hampton Lumber and SCA materials note on-the-job training and local hiring efforts; the company’s HR Business Manager Amy Cordova appears in media clips. Individuals interested in employment are directed to the company’s careers page. Officials say the mill’s location near highway and rail access in Fairfax positions the operation for both local sourcing and regional distribution as construction proceeds toward the 2027 opening target.