By Dan McCue
Staff Writer

CHARLESTON -- Applied Technology and Management of Charleston has been chosen to spearhead the first phase of Jafza International’s development of a 1,300-acre logistics, distribution and manufacturing center in Orangeburg.

The engineering, design and consulting firm will be responsible for overall management of the project, including overseeing the letting of contracts, making onsite engineering and planning decisions and coordinating the initial buildout of the site. It also will work with officials from Dubai-based Jafza and government agencies on planning and implementing support infrastructure.

ATM is partially owned by the government of Dubai through a development firm called Island Global Yachts, in which the royal family of Dubai holds a large equity stake. The company has locations in South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Rhode Island and Dubai.

Tony Maglione, ATM’s vice president and manager of the Jafza Orangeburg Project, said the company has established a project-specific This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , so that interested parties can inquire about contracting opportunities related to the project.

Additional information about Jafza’s plans for Orangeburg can also be found at ATM’s Web site.

“These kinds of projects don’t come along very often, and it presents us with a fun challenge,” Maglione said. “We’re really excited about it.”

Maglione said he doesn’t anticipate expanding the current staff of 27 in ATM’s Charleston office.

ATM performed preliminary site work on the Orangeburg site for Jafza late last year. At the site, ATM looked at wetlands on the property and, together with Jafza officials, determined that the best approach would be to leave the wetlands as they are and install wooden bridges and walkways to incorporate natural areas into walking trails and recreation areas.

Nevertheless, Maglione said, ATM’s selection came after several other firms with management and engineering expertise were vetted.

“We won this contract fair and square,” he said.

Located near the town of Santee in Orangeburg County, Jafza International’s logistics park is projected to create 8,000 to 10,000 jobs over the next decade and attract private investment of about $1.2 billion.