By Ashley Fletcher Frampton
aframpton@scbiznews.com 
Published March 19, 2010

A Seattle-based commercial contractor with a history of working for the Boeing Co. has chosen Charleston for its first regional office.

Schuchart Corp. has worked for Boeing for 20 years in the Seattle area, with projects ranging from $10,000 to $5 million, said Chris Burrell, who will lead the new office.

As the company was looking to expand beyond its Seattle headquarters, Burrell said a move to Charleston made sense because of Boeing’s recent decision to build its second 787 assembly facility in North Charleston.

Schuchart Corp. is not among the firms working on the construction of that facility. But Burrell said the company envisions opportunities for future work similar to what it has done for Boeing in the past.

Schuchart Corp. has done “hundreds of projects” for Boeing’s Northwest facilities, Burrell said. Examples include operations and maintenance projects, tenant improvements, equipment relocations and changes to parking and pedestrian areas.

“Boeing was the catalyst for looking into Charleston,” said George Schuchart, company president, in a statement. “But after meeting with several local general contractors we found Charleston to be a booming business environment with a lot of opportunity.

“Not only that, we were delighted at how friendly and welcoming everyone was to us, and that’s really what made the decision an easy one.”

Before joining Schuchart, Burrell worked as a development manager for Clement, Crawford and Thornhill, a commercial and residential brokerage, property management and development firm in Charleston.

He said the company has not yet finalized a location for its new office, which at first will probably include only a general superintendent and office manager.

“As we get more work we will grow staff,” he said.

In addition to Boeing, Burrell said Schuchart Corp. hopes to continue working with some other Seattle-based clients who have a presence in the Southeast. Those include Starbucks and Microsoft, he said.

“We envision Boeing being just one of our clients here,” he said.

The company also plans to pursue work in Columbia, Greenville, Charlotte, Myrtle Beach, Savannah and throughout the Southeast from its base here.

Schuchart Corp. was founded in 1988 and focuses on new buildings, high-end tenant improvement and industrial projects.

Reach Ashley Fletcher Frampton at 843-849-3129.