McCrory Wins ABC’s Eagle Award and Design-Build Award for E.A. Sween Manufacturing Facility
McCrory Construction, South Carolina’s oldest general contractor, has received two distinct Excellence in Construction (EIC) awards from the Associated Builders and Contractors of the Carolinas (ABC Carolinas). Both awards are tied to McCrory’s single-source delivery of a state-of-the-art production and office facility in Hodges, South Carolina, for Minnesota-based E.A. Sween, which produces and ships read-to-eat sandwiches nationally, selling 100+ million units annually.
First, E.A. Sween took top honors with the “Best in Class” Eagle Award in the Industrial $25-$50 million category. Next, McCrory was singled out with the exclusive ABC Carolinas Design-Build Award for demonstrating the successful application of design-build best practices from concept to completion. In addition, McCrory’s project was a Finalist for ABC’s 2025 Project of the Year.
Stephen Cooper, DBIA, Director of McCrory’s Greenville Operations, noted “We are beyond excited to be recognized by ABC Carolinas in this way. This project exemplifies teamwork. I want to personally thank McCrory’s project leadership and the entire design-build team – the owner E.A. Sween, our design and trade partners and suppliers – for their collaborative effort in making this project a double award-winner.”
McCrory accepted the two awards during ABC’s 2025 Excellence in Construction (EIC) Awards gala held on November 6 in Charlotte. Earlier this year, McCrory won the Design-Build Excellence Award for this same project in the 2025 Project/Team Awards competition sponsored by the Design-Build Institute of America’s Southeast Region (DBIA Southeast).
Project Details
McCrory’s assignment was to transform a 100,000-square-foot spec building in Greenwood County into a food-grade production and cold storage facility for E.A. Sween. This controlled environment build-out required highly specialized design and construction expertise to create a “building within a building” to house 35°F food prep and tempering rooms, 45°F sandwich production area, -10°F degree freezer, and refrigerated docks for shipping and receiving.
McCrory purposefully selected a design partner (AWB Engineers) with deep experience in the design of food processing facilities with knowledge of the stringent requirements/regulations unique to the food industry. Like McCrory’s key design-build trade contractors, AWB had extensive experience with design-build delivery.
The completed facility – E.A. Sween’s first location outside of Minnesota – serves as the cornerstone of North Greenwood Industrial Park, which is pivotal in Greenwood County’s growth along the Hwy 25 North corridor. The plant currently runs two shifts per day. By 2026, E.A. Sween plans to employ more than 300 workers at the site.
About McCrory Construction – McCrory Construction, headquartered in Columbia, S.C., with an additional office in Greenville, S.C., is a full-service general contractor that has operated continuously since 1918. At 107 years old, McCrory is South Carolina’s oldest general contractor. Licensed in 13 states throughout the Southeast, McCrory has served an array of private and public sector clients through more than 3,000 general construction, design-build and construction management projects. Now under fifth generation private ownership, McCrory continues to be a leading force in retail, commercial, industrial, healthcare, and multi-family construction in the Southeast. McCrory is consistently honored by Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) as a Top Performer, a prestigious national ranking that recognizes contractors for demonstrating world-class performance in five specific areas: safety, quality, diversity, project excellence and special designations, ranked by work hours. Known for its people-focused culture, McCrory has consistently been named one of the Best Places to Work in South Carolina by SC Biz News. To learn more, visit mccroryconstruction.com.
