April 23, 2013 - Britax Opens New North and South American Headquarters in Fort Mill

Britax Child Safety, Inc., one of the world's largest manufacturers of car seats, strollers and baby carriers officially opened the doors to its North and South American headquarters today. The company, which includes BOB strollers and trailers, employs more than 240 area residents. Each year it will assemble hundreds of thousands of car seats in its new, 500,000-square-foot facility.

Britax relocated in March from Charlotte, after it outgrew space in five separate buildings. The new facility is more than twice the size of Britax's former sites and will bring under one roof all operations, including product development, testing, assembly, warehousing, distribution and corporate support.

South Carolina Director of External Affairs Michael McInerney, addressing a crowd of elected officials and special guests at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, welcomed Britax and its employees.

Before the ribbon cutting, York County Council Chair Dr. Britt Blackwell said, "Britax is known for its commitment to the community and its business model focuses on innovation. Whenever we can convince a company with the status of Britax to call York County home, we add to York County's reputation. We share Britax's commitment to excellence. We look forward to working with Britax and meeting all the company's future business needs."

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley shared similar sentiments in a note to Britax.

"As the mother of young children, I know the importance of car seat safety," Governor Haley said. "That's why I'm particularly pleased to see Britax relocate its headquarters to our state.

"This is an exciting time for Britax, for York County and for all of South Carolina, and we welcome the company to the Palmetto State's business community. Since January 2011, we have attracted more than $8 billion in capital investment and more than 21,000 manufacturing and assembly jobs. This is yet another proof-point that South Carolina is the 'it' state for doing business."

Britax's opening ceremonies also featured a tour of the company's state-of-the-art assembly facility and crash-test lab, where visitors witnessed how Britax car seats are tested to exceed government safety standards.

"Our commitment to safety, comfort, quality and innovative technology is central to our success and growth," said Jon Chamberlain, president of Britax Child Safety, Inc. "Since 2007, we have more than tripled our sales and we expect growth to continue.

"We have an amazing work force in Fort Mill and are proud to say every convertible and harness-2-booster seat that exits these doors is assembled right here."