Quartz CountertopsNear Goose Creek, SC

NEWPORT NEWS, Va., (Dec. 4, 2024) — HII (NYSE: HII) announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire substantially all of the assets of W International SC, LLC and Vivid Empire SC, LLC (collectively “W International”), a South Carolina-based complex metal fabricator specializing in the manufacture of shipbuilding structures, modules and assemblies.

Upon completion of the transaction, the manufacturing facility in Goose Creek, South Carolina, will operate within HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division. The site will support the construction of nuclear-powered submarine and aircraft carrier modules and structures for U.S. Navy programs. Substantially all current employees will be offered positions with HII to continue to work on site.

“HII is committed to increasing build rates for our Navy customer, and this investment in capacity alongside the Navy will help us do that,” HII President and CEO Chris Kastner said. “It lets us efficiently add trained talent and state-of-the-art manufacturing capabilities to the urgent job of building ships, making it a unique opportunity to accelerate throughput at Newport News Shipbuilding in support of the Navy and AUKUS.”

The acquired assets include advanced production facilities with state-of-the-art equipment, tooling and infrastructure used to fabricate complex metal modules and structures, and are located on a leased 45-acre site with more than 480,000 square feet of manufacturing space. The site has barge and rail access, and is strategically located near Charleston, in a region with a rapidly growing shipbuilding ecosystem and highly skilled trades workforce.

The facility in Goose Creek will be known as Newport News Shipbuilding – Charleston Operations, operating within HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding division.

Current NNS Vice President and Chief Transformation Officer Matt Needy will become general manager of the site. NNS is the nation’s designer, builder and refueler of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and one of only two shipyards capable of designing and building nuclear‐powered submarines.

The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2024, subject to the satisfaction of certain closing conditions, including receipt of regulatory approvals and required contractual modifications from our Navy customer and other third parties.

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About HII

HII is a global, all-domain defense provider. HII’s mission is to deliver the world’s most powerful ships and all-domain solutions in service of the nation, creating the advantage for our customers to protect peace and freedom around the world.

As the nation’s largest military shipbuilder, and with a more than 135-year history of advancing U.S. national security, HII delivers critical capabilities extending from ships to unmanned systems, cyber, ISR, AI/ML and synthetic training. Headquartered in Virginia, HII’s workforce is 44,000 strong. For more information, visit:

Less than two weeks before Thanksgiving, a steady stream of people walked out of a large warehouse door with carts full of much-needed food. While the winter holidays bring more traffic than other times of the year, visitors always come to the pantry at 104 Commerce Plaza in Goose Creek because the need is year-round.

In October, Helping Hands of Goose Creek had 563 family visits. In its 35-year history, the pantry has never helped that many in a month. The need for help is not letting up, and neither can the pantry.

“We have increased our volume over the past six months,” said Helping Hands of Goose Creek executive director Nicole Franklin. “We serve families of all types. Every family that comes and asks for assistance gets part of our shopping program, where they can shop for groceries.”

It’s not just Goose Creek. Franklin said Helping Hands serves families from Bonneau, Kingstree, Huger and John’s Island. In October, 2,033 pounds of food, more than one ton of products, including canned goods, meat, bread and hygiene products, left the facility.

Food and monetary donations are always needed at this time of year and visitors come from all walks of life.

“We believe that we serve 1-in-4 families that are actually in need,” Franklin said. “The other three families don’t come either because they don’t know about us or have too much pride to ask for help."

Asset-limited, Income-Constrained but Employed, or ALICE, families, are also getting more help. While they do have jobs, the cost of things such as rent or food has risen beyond their means, and such households are becoming more common.

“They are our working poor families that make too much money for government assistance but not enough in our economy to make ends meet,” Franklin said. “They have to buy Christmas gifts, so if we can take some of the burden of their grocery expenses off, that frees up their budget.”

Helping Hands not only provides food for those in need but also other services and resources, and volunteers are as crucial as donations. In October, Helping Hands reported that 56 volunteers logged 703 hours of work.

The nonprofit relies heavily on donations and the work of those volunteers to keep things going. Fundraisers also play a role. On Dec. 7, Pancakes with Santa will be at the Metro North Church on Central Avenue in Goose Creek to raise funds and spread the word about Helping Hands.