Keogh: I Think You’re Going to See Something Magnificent
BLYTHEWOOD – Scout Motors recently invited 18 journalists from several media outlets, including The Voice, to tour the 1,100-acre construction site of the company’s new production center on the western side of the Town of Blythewood.
Departing from the company’s red brick house on Blythewood Road near Fairfield Electric Cooperative, and accompanied by Scout CEO Scott Keogh and other Scout officials, the journalists were driven to the production center in a caravan of six pickup trucks – three journalists to a truck – for a tour of the grounds and the inside of massive buildings in various stages of completion – from the bare steel framework of the assembly building to a state-of-the-art paint shop that’s nearing completion.
Giant articulated vehicles, each carrying 60 tons of soil, crisscrossed the tour path, as they continued their quest to redistribute 23 million cubic yards of soil within the Scout property to level the former heavily wooded site that had about a 50-foot drop from the north elevation to the south elevation.
The production center’s several buildings – 44,000 tons of steel, basically, six or so Eiffel Towers – have all been constructed since the groundbreaking ceremony a year ago February. The first steel beam went up last May.
“This is a breathtaking performance by our collective team,” Keogh said.
“I think you’re going to see something really magnificent,” Keogh told the journalists as their pickup trucks approached the sprawling plant site. “The reason we’re doing this is that we want to be very transparent with our plant and to show you exactly what we’re up to. We’re restoring an American icon called Scout, and building a factory right here in the heart of America. I think, fundamentally, what you see here is exactly what we intended …to meet this American moment. This is what it takes to manufacture, build, and dream in America.”
On top of the county’s $1.3 billion investment in 1,600 acres and Scout’s $2 billion facility investment, Keogh says the company is pouring $ 1.4 billion into the product itself.
“From the initial things that we have seen, this is going to bring in nearly $4.2 billion of economic development,” Keogh said.
“We’re just starting to see it in some movement in Blythewood, but of course, as we bring more people to the site, and the site gets fully ramped up,” he said, “it’s going to be a huge economic development story.”
The Assembly Building
First stop on the tour was the largest of the several buildings on site. It’s the 1.3 million-square-foot assembly building where Keogh says everything comes together – where the seats, roof, and dashboard are all installed after being delivered by suppliers, many of which will be located on the grounds. The assembly building will house logistics, assembly robotics and a finishing area. The perimeter of the massive building is 6,600 square feet – equal to 22 football fields in a straight line. The building is currently a steel framework where crews are grounding the structural columns, digging pits and trenches, and will soon erect a roof.
Across the road is ‘trailer city,’ a long, neat line of construction trailers that house general contractors, Scout employees, subcontractors and other groups and companies that work closely to support construction on the site.
Technology Center
Attached to the assembly building is the technical center, still in the framework stage and currently undergoing the stabilization of steel columns with roofing to begin in a couple of weeks, then the digging of pits and trenches. The center will include a measuring room, quality assessment rooms, laboratories, and a pilot hall where vehicles will be tested to verify functionality.
Just outside the tech center is an open space that will be occupied by a test track where activities include water testing of vehicles, cleaning, and paint inspections.
Beyond that and not connected to the main building is the location for ‘supplier park’ that will house multiple buildings providing accessory kits, testing time materials, batteries, and other vehicle parts.
Paint Shop
Next stop on the tour was the paint shop which is highly automated and energy intensive. The shop is finished on the outside and roofed. The inside is the most completed of the factory buildings with crews welding and installing equipment used in the paint process.
“The basic paint process is like a car wash,” said Scout guide Peter Strom who is over automation and material supply for the paint building. He took the journalists through the various locations of the process – where the vehicle bodies are dipped, baked, and transported horizontally on overhead conveyers for sealant applications by robots. Orange steel elevators carry the bodies up down three stories for the various paint applications.
Back on the ground floor, giant stainless steel vats are filled with paints and finishes that are piped in to the building and on to the various paint stations.
Strom said the paint shop is the most critical building to be constructed ahead of time so it will be ready for complete operation when the other buildings are ready to go.
Body Shop
“The body shop with approximately the same 1.3 million square feet size as the assembly building, is where the vehicle gets put together, the bending of the metal, and the welding. It’s important to get the body right,” Keogh said. “It is the body that crashes, that vibrates. So it needs to have great fit and finish to make a great vehicle.”
While the building is partially roofed, crews will soon enclose the building with walls.
Accessories, Ponds, Training, Electricity
The accessory shop is where custom items are attached – roof racks, light bars, winches, etc.
There are four major ponds on site to handle runoff. A separate training center managed by Midlands Tech will be erected on the grounds of the plant.
Keogh said the Scout production center will be the only automobile factory in America that is all electric, with power supplied to the plant’s utility center by Fairfield Electric and Dominion supplying the power for the suppliers on site.
Supplier Park
The supplier park will have multiple buildings, enabling suppliers to deliver materials directly to the assembly building and other shops.
“This keeps things moving,” Keogh said. “The holy grail, of course, is to not have inventory.”
Central Administration Offices
The administration offices for all the buildings will be built together across the front of the main production center.
Welcome (Experience) Center
As part of the direct sales experience, the company plans to build a $25 million welcome center called the Experience Center. If direct sales comes to fruition, the Experience center will be located in the northeast corner of the production site, separate from the company’s test track.
“It will be the heart and soul of the site,” Keogh said. “It will be where we want all of America to come to order a vehicle, test drive it, take an off-road course to Disney World, if you will. There will be various activities, whether it’s riding through a small creek, riding up a small mountain. Customers can get the true flavor and feel of what the Scout is all about. This is not just a factory that’s surrounded by a fence. This is a home, a community where we want full-stop engagement.”
Transformative Project
Keogh said the 1,100 acres where the production center sits is laid out so that it can double in capacity.
“But be smart. Take the first step. The reception is great. Take the second step,” he said.
Keogh said his final message is that this is a transformational project.
“Building a factory is a generational commitment on our side,” he said. “We have factories in the group that have been there for 70, 80, 90 years. We have three, four, five generations working in those factories. That is what we will replicate here in this community.”
Back at the red brick house, Keogh held a press conference for the attending journalists. See information shared at that press conference here.
Scout CEO Scott Keogh answers media questions
BLYTHEWOOD – Following a tour of the construction site of Scout Motors’ production center, Scout CEO Scott Keogh held a press conference for attending media outlets. The following is some of the information Keogh shared on pertinent topics.
Effect of Tariffs
Keogh: On the construction side, the heavy-duty stuff has been sourced. The steel’s in place. The equipment has been sourced or is on its way. I feel things are relatively stable because the phase we’re in, either it’s in place already or it’s been contracted or is close to being sourced.
But again, [the effect of tariffs] is a speculative question because it’s changing every day.
I think maybe this complicated American moment is what Scout was made for. We anticipate 50 percent of the incoming supply base to be within 200 miles of the factory. Others will be spidering across America. Do we 100 percent have everything localized in the United States as of right now? Absolutely not. But Scout’s position is good because it was designed for this moment.
Will Direct Sales Happen?
Keogh: The consumer wants a transparent, fast experience, and that’s what we’re designing. I see [direct sales] as a business model that works well for us. The American consumer will pick the best business model.
We will find a way to get the vehicles into the hands of South Carolinians. Whether it’s the easiest and most fluid way, that’s not in my hands. That’s in the hands of the legislators. I assume they will do what’s right for South Carolinians.
The governor said, not far from where I’m standing, ‘I look forward to them bringing me a bill.’
Salary and Benefits
Keogh: We don’t have salary and wages laid out yet, but are working on it. Our salaries will be competitive and we’ll offer real benefits including health care and child care. I think these jobs will be at least 30 to 40 percent higher than the average U.S. local employee receives.
Environmental Impact of Runoff
Keogh: I’m not a runoff expert. As you know, the site is in the hands of the county.
Earlier on the tour, Keogh stated, “We [Scout] are responsible for the buildings that you see. Over time this will all come together, and we will become a Scout site. But, right now, it’s a partnership. To put it simplistically, the site is the responsibility of the state and Richland County, so they are doing all that hard work.”
We want to pay rigorous attention to all environmental challenges. But, specifically, runoff from the site, that’s best handled by the county. It’s their site.
On Track for 2027
Keogh: As I’ve mentioned, we anticipate vehicles coming down the line at the end of 2027 or thereabouts. From there, we’ll send those vehicles across America and retail them. That’s set in stone. Every day the sun brings new stories, but that is our plan.
Price Points
Keogh: Right now I’m feeling good [about the price.] We’ve told the marketplace the price for a phenomenal product is the high $50’s.
We’re sourcing as I speak. One of the benefits we have is that we operate like a startup. We can move fast like you’ve seen here. And in purchasing, we’re able to bundle, which helps to get material costs down. The number one driver right now is to get those costs down. So far, we’re in the zone of our targets. Material costs dictate pricing eventually and profit.
Employment Target
Keogh: Direct hiring will start at the end of this year, ramp up in 2026 and again in 2027.
I want to be clear – the 4,000 direct jobs here in Blythewood are not going to be here-today-gone-tomorrow jobs. These are jobs with training, they’re future-proof. They’re jobs in logistics, maintenance, learning how to maintain high-tech equipment. They’ll be well paying jobs with health and child care benefits.
Something that gets under-reported is that hundreds of our suppliers will feed this, bringing another roughly 5,000 – 5,500 jobs. Some of those will be right here.
The absolute best thing for us and for the community is to hire locally for all the reasons that you know: I’m from here. I like it here. I’m raising my family here. I have a great job here. What we want is stability. That’s why we’re working with ReadySC and local technical colleges. We want to be as local as we can.
But let’s not be naïve. Are there 4,000 people within eight blocks of this factory? No. But our goal is to hire locally to the extent possible. I hope they all come from real close.
We’re looking for people with manufacturing experience, but there hasn’t been an automotive plant in this area, not even close. So, we’re going to have to train. If we can get people very early in their careers, people with motivation and skill sets, then with training, they can have phenomenal careers.
Community Outreach
Keogh: We brought the concept vehicles to Columbia last October where we introduced them to the world. The second place we brought those vehicles was here in Blythewood during our third town hall. Those town halls were very well attended. We gave a presentation similar to what you saw here about where we are at the production center. The people climbed in the vehicles and asked questions. That’s what we should be doing, communicating, going back and forth.
But we are not naïve to the fact that a project of this scale and size causes massive disruption to traffic and to a way of life. A relatively small town is getting hit with a very, very, very big facility. We’ve engaged with the community, but is everything perfect and beautiful? Absolutely not.
I do think we’re doing dramatically better than when we started. From what I’ve heard, the amount of complaints has gone down. Most of the heavy-duty work is now in the center of the site. In the early days, we were working on the perimeter of the site which had more interaction with the houses. I think it’s getting better.
We are also engaging the community in other ways – sponsoring the rodeo and the Palmetto Trail. As complaints come up now, we have provided open communication with an e-mail channel and town hall channels where people can express their concerns. We want to solve [those concerns.]
Six trucks transport media representatives as the tour begins. 
A cement mixer works inside one of the
steel structures.
Welders work on the beams across the top of the paint shop. 
Paint shop guide Peter Strom, right, oversees automation and material supply.
