Cresa Represents USA Rare Earth in Acquisition and Build-to-Suit

Cresa Represents USA Rare Earth in Acquisition and Build-to-Suit of a 129-acre Land Site for Future 800,000 SF Magnet Manufacturing and Refined Metals Operation

Cresa’s Tom Birnbach, Sam Heiber, and Sebastian Arrivillaga recently represented USA Rare Earth i in the site selection of a 129-acre parcel within Bailey Park in Blacksburg, SC, for a planned, 800,000-square-foot advanced manufacturing build-to-suit that will house its new magnet manufacturing and refined metals operation. Leading commercial real estate developer, Trammell Crow Company, will develop the building.

The nationwide search aligned real estate strategy with USA Rare Earth’s business objectives—including access to skilled labor and power, defense and aerospace customers—to identify a location that would achieve an accelerated timeline for operational delivery and best support the company’s long-term growth. In addition, the Cresa team secured a robust incentives package from the state for the project that will bring approximately 490 high-skill, high-wage jobs to the area. 

“South Carolina offered the workforce, the infrastructure and the partners we needed to move quickly. With this investment, we’re bringing home the advanced manufacturing capabilities that America and its allies depend on, from the factory floor to the front lines,” said USA Rare Earth CEO Barbara Humpton.

The new, state-of-the-art, purpose-built facility will complement USA Rare Earth’s existing magnet manufacturing facility in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Together, the two operations will form the  magnet manufacturing centerpiece of USA Rare Earth’s integrated, mine to magnet value chain. 

“This project represents a landmark investment in U.S. advanced manufacturing and underscores the pivotal role that strategic site selection decisions play in enabling innovation, operational resilience, and mission critical production,” said Cresa Executive Managing Principal Sam Heiber. “Securing this facility is a transformative step that strengthens both the domestic and global supply chain for rare earth materials, magnets, and metal manufacturing.”

Cresa is the world’s leading occupier-focused commercial real estate firm. This is the second site selection and incentives project Birnbach, and Heiber have negotiated in the region in the past seven months. The other was a $450 million mission critical facility for a Fortune 500 company in the south-central part of the US at the end of 2025.