Phone provider will move its regional headquarters and 575 employees

SunCom, a fast-growing wireless phone provider, has struck a deal to permanently move its regional headquarters and 575 workers to Daniel Island within a year. Company and government officials are expected to announce the deal at a ceremony today in Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr.'s office.

SunCom signed a 15-year lease this week to occupy a 100,000-square-foot office complex that will be built on a 10-acre site near Interstate 526. The company plans to move into the $13.5 million headquarters by next February.

Most of SunCom's local employees are now spread between two local facilities. Some moved into temporary offices on Daniel Island about two months ago, said Melissa Nichols, spokeswoman for Triton PCS Holdings Inc., SunCom's parent company. "The idea is to bring everyone under one roof and give us room to grow as necessary," Nichols said.

The job figure of 575 includes existing personnel and new employees SunCom expects to hire within the next year. The positions cover a range of specialties, including administration, customer service, engineering, sales, marketing and management.

The four-story office building is a joint venture among Trammel Crow Co., Brumley Meyer & Kapp, and the Daniel Island Co. The 4,000-acre master-planned island is now home to two major corporate employers: software maker Blackbaud and insurer Cigna Healthcare. "This is a milestone for us in Charleston and Daniel Island who are trying to attract technology firms to the region, particularly to our growing corporate campus on Daniel Island," said Frank W. Brumley, president of Brumley Meyer & Kapp and the Daniel Island Co.

SunCom was launched in 1997 to serve a contiguous area from northern Virginia to Georgia that encompasses 13 million people. Last year, its customer base more than doubled to 446,401. "It's just a vibrant hyper-growth industry," Nichols of Triton PCS said.

SunCom began selling wireless phone service in Charleston about two years ago and operates several retail locations in the area. Its other regional headquarters is in Richmond, Va. The company is affiliated with AT&T, a Triton PCS investor that owns licenses to build wireless phone networks all over the country. The long-distance giant has teamed up with partners such as SunCom in smaller markets like Charleston. SunCom has worked on the Daniel Island deal since April, said Bill Harrison, senior vice president for Trammell Crow's South Carolina division.

Local government and economic development officials welcomed the news."The Charleston digital corridor, with its targeted incentives, further demonstrates the city's commitment to the creation and growth of knowledge-based enterprise," Riley said. "We are always excited when a headquarters chooses to invest in Berkeley County," added Jim Rozier, Berkeley County supervisor. "Wireless communications is the wave of the future, and we are happy to see Triton PCS choose a future in the Charleston region," said William A. Moody, chairman of the Charleston Regional Development Alliance.