A global logistics and shipping services company is relocating its corporate headquarters from New Jersey to Ponte Vedra Beach, bringing about 50 new high-wage jobs to the First Coast.
American Roll-on Roll-off Carrier Group (ARC) provides port-to-port transport of wheeled vehicles such as cars, trucks, trailers and aircraft, as well as household goods and other cargo.
ARC offers American-owned, -managed and -crewed roll-on roll-off shipping and intermodal logistics services for the Department of Defense, other U.S. government departments and agencies and commercial customers. It also carries agricultural and construction equipment for developing nations.
County Commissioner Henry Dean made the announcement Friday, June 25, during the St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce Economic Development Council Quarterly Breakfast.
“We couldn’t be happier to welcome this group,” Dean said.
“We are really looking forward to being a big part of this community,” said Christian Heibel, senior vice president commercial for ARC.
“When we proposed St. Johns County, Florida, for the company’s new headquarters, we received overwhelmingly positive feedback from our team,” Heibel said. “We worked closely with St. Johns County government, JAXUSA Partnership and the St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce to finalize our decision.”
The company’s offices will be located at 816 A1A N., Suite 101 in The Veranda Office Park at the former site of the PGA offices. Operations are to begin there on Thursday, July 1.
In the near future, ARC plans to expand in the county and hire additional local talent.
Heibel said there was “a fantastic cluster of shipping and logistics companies in the area, many that we work with already.”
The move would bring operations closer to its East Coast customers in Jacksonville, Charleston and Savannah.
The project was brought to the attention of the region by JAXUSA Partnership, a division of JAX Chamber and Jacksonville’s regional economic development organization. JAXUSA Partnership worked with several local economic development organizations, including St. Johns County government and the St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce, to bring ARC to the county.
“We work diligently with our partners in the region to match relocating businesses with the ideal community for the business and its employees, and St. Johns County was a perfect fit for ARC,” said Aundra Wallace, president at JAXUSA Partnership.
“Economic development is unequivocally identified by the St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners as the highest priority,” said Deputy County Administrator Joy Andrews, “which was the exact principle our team operated on to collaborate with ARC, JAXUSA Partnership and the St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce. From the inception of this collaboration, we made a commitment with no ambiguity that we will be a resource for the ARC team and that no bureaucracy should stand in the way of our goal to bring such a high-caliber business as ARC to the community, along with jobs for our local talent.”
The Chamber is assisting ARC with fulfilling its workforce needs, connecting with local business and community leaders and welcoming the company’s relocating employees.
“The effort to bring ARC to St. Johns County was truly a collaborative effort between JAXUSA Partnership, St. Johns County government and the St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce,” said Isabelle Renault, Chamber president and CEO. “We are thrilled that ARC has found a home for its corporate headquarters and employees in our county and look forward to working together with ARC as the company takes an active role in our Chamber and our community.”
For further information about ARC, go to arcshipping.com.
