By Ken Elkins, Senior Staff Writer
Charlotte Business Journal

The Springs Co. and Childress Klein of Charlotte found a new equity partner when they decided to build the last office building in Kingsley Park in Fort Mill.

The Salton family, which founded AccessOne, the health-care IT company that’s decided to lease the third floor in Kingsley Park 7, is now a partner in ownership of that building.

“We have fallen in love with this community,” says Russell Salton III, chairman of AccessOne, speaking Wednesday at the office building's topping-out ceremony.

AccessOne has been in Fort Mill since 2009 and currently leases space in another Kingsley Park office building for its 50-employee operations.

Mark Spinner, CEO of AccessOne, says management decided to take space in the new building before the first steel beam for the planned 60,000-square-foot structure was erected. He says the company considered moving to south Charlotte or Ballantyne before deciding to stay in Fort Mill.

Spinner likes the “growth culture” at Kingsley Park and the “people-centric” companies like Childress Klein and Springs Co., he says. Spinner particularly likes the “darling" or "sweetie” comments he gets when he has lunch at The Peach Stand.

Now, he expects to move into the new building beginning in June 2018.

The three-story structure is the final office building for the 76-acre Kingsley Park. Six other buildings in the park contain the headquarters for Domtar Corp. and other companies.

Paul DeVine, partner at Childress Klein, says the 20-year partnership between the company and Springs Co. has been unique in times of short-term business relationships.

“This last topping-out at the park reflects the incredible growth we’ve seen in Fort Mill and its emergence as a destination for local employers such as AccessOne,” he says.

Dehler Hart, president of Springland, a real estate company that oversees the Springs family’s property holdings, says Kingsley Park 7 represents “another significant investment in Fort Mill” by Springs Co. He estimates that between Kingsley Park and the mixed-used project across the street, called Kingsley, there will be 8,000 jobs added to the Fort Mill economy.

Across from Kingsley Park on S.C. Highway 160, Childress Klein and Spring Co. are in the middle of another partnership to develop parts of Kingsley, a $500 million mixed-use development that contains the headquarters for LPL and Lash along with retail, apartments, other offices and a hotel.

Speaking of Kingsley Park 7 and AccessOne, Spinner invited about 150 attendees at the ceremony to sign the beam that will top out steel construction of the building.

“After today, each of you here will be a part of the foundation of this company,” he says.