E.A. Sween Company and Greenwood County Economic Development Win 2023 CiCi Award

Greenwood, S.C. – E.A. Sween Company and Greenwood County Economic Development received national recognition for E.A. Sween’s first expansion outside Minnesota, winning a 2023 Corporate Investment & Community Impact (CiCi) Award.
Trade & Industry Development, a leading national site selection magazine,
annually honors companies that have made the most notable impact on their communities.
“We are delighted and humbled to be one of the companies selected for this award,” said Tom H. Sween,
President and Chief Executive Officer of E.A. Sween Company. “We have been embraced by the Greenwood
County community and continue to make steady progress in the build-out of our new facility.”
The CiCi Awards recognize the largest corporate investments and projects that made the most significant impact
on the communities where they are located. The 17th annual CiCi Awards recognized 15 projects announced in
2022 that demonstrate how site selection can make a large difference in a community.

E.A. Sween purchased Greenwood County’s first speculative building funded by the Capital Project Sales Tax.
The new 100,000-square-foot facility makes E.A. Sween the first tenant in North Greenwood Industrial Park. E.A.
Sween will also be the first company to install equipment in Piedmont Technical College’s Center for
Manufacturing Excellence, allowing students to train on the same equipment they will use on the job.
“We are honored to receive this national recognition. Our Economic Development Department was created to
recruit first-class industries that would have both a significant economic and community impact. E.A. Sween
Company’s selection of Greenwood County is a shot in the arm to our strong economy and booming industrial
corridor, and their donations to important causes in our community solidify the value they place on people in
the places they do business,” Greenwood County Council Chairman Chuck Moates said.
The company’s arrival, announced in May 2022, brings a $38 million investment and 300 new jobs to Greenwood County – the most jobs created in nearly a decade. E.A. Sween quickly established itself as a dedicated community partner by announcing $50,000 in donations to area nonprofits before construction began. The company donated a year’s supply of sandwiches to Greenwood County’s Weekend Backpack Program, which provides food for at-risk students in three public school districts, and pledged $25,000 to The Greenwood Promise, a place-based last-dollar scholarship program designed to provide a tuition-free path for Greenwood County students to obtain a post-secondary education.
“We are very appreciative of E.A. Sween’s sandwich donations to our Weekend Backpack program and other
after-school activities in District 50. Their donation reduces a barrier to food that some of our students may face
during the weekend. We have also provided these sandwiches to students participating in
extracurricular activities such as after-school homework centers or athletics in our schools. We are grateful
for E.A. Sween’s donation and look forward to continuing our partnership in the future,” Greenwood School
District 50 Director of Communications Jonathan Graves said.
“E.A. Sween was committed to the well-being of Greenwood County before the majority of our residents knew
they had chosen our community for their newest site. Their team spent many hours with The Greenwood
Promise team learning about our students, our organization, and our goals towards building a community that
supports education and, through that, recognized an opportunity to be an integral part of the future of
Greenwood County by investing in The Promise and have been engaged ever since. Their investment was
thoughtful and intentional and goes beyond one of fiscal means. Kristi Broadwater, E.A. Sween Senior Vice
President of Human Resources, has met with our Board Chair and our Career Coordinator to identify the
curricular paths that would successfully provide our students with employment opportunities with their
company post-matriculation. Most recently, Amanda Hamby, their Senior HR Business Partner for SC,
participated in two of our Kindergarten Medallion Ceremonies. We are honored to be partners with a company
who exemplifies corporate philanthropy and are proud to call them part of our Greenwood Promise
family. Every company/business/industry should strive to be as committed to a community as E.A. Sween,” The
Greenwood Promise Executive Director Katie Davenport said.
Founded in 1955, E.A. Sween Company is a third-generation, privately owned company that produces and ships sandwiches and other ready-to-eat products nationally. Its brands include Deli Express®, Market Sandwich®, San Luis® and Simply Delicious® Bakery. The company sells more than 100 million sandwiches annually.

The new Greenwood County facility, located at 5730 Highway 25 North in Hodges, is expected to produce 75 million sandwiches annually, in addition to existing production capacity at E.A. Sween’s Minnesota facilities. Individuals interested in joining the E.A. Sween Company team should visit the company’s careers portal.
For a complete list of 2023 CiCi Award recipients, visit 2023 CiCi Awards – Community Impact.

(from left to right) Greenwood County Economic Development Director James Bateman, Greenwood County Economic Development Project Manager Billy Ray Morgan, E.A. Sween Company Vice President of Information Technology David Pack, E.A. Sween Company Network Manager Jeff Denzer, E.A. Sween Company Chief Financial and Administrative Officer Karrisa Gehring, E.A. Sween Company Chief Operating Officer Scott King, E.A. Sween Company Senior Vice President of Human Resources Kristi Broadwater, E.A. Sween Company Program Manager Ron Myshka, E.A. Sween Company Senior HR Business Partner for South Carolina Amanda Hamby, E.A. Sween Company Vice President of Quality and General Manager for South Carolina David Tieman.

(from left to right) E. A. Sween Company Sr. Talent Acquisition Manager James Brewer, E.A. Sween Company Senior Vice President of Human Resources Kristi Broadwater, and Ware Shoals Primary School Counselor Gene Wood distribute Deli Express sandwiches to “weekend backpack students.”

E.A. Sween Company Senior HR Business Partner for South Carolina Amanda Hamby presents a Greenwood Promise Medallion to a kindergarten graduate as a promise that they can go to college.