Sportsman Boats Manufacturing broke ground Thursday on another expansion of its Summerville plant, its third expansion announced with the state since the company unveiled its startup plans in Dorchester County in December 2011.

The boatbuilder is investing $3.5 million and creating 100 jobs, the S.C. Department of Commerce said. Gov. Henry McMaster attended the groundbreaking, according to the governor’s office.

The company will add 70,000 square feet of production space to its plant at 113 Isaac Way to make room for its upholstery, welding and small-part fabrication work, according to the department.

Sportsman also has just finished an 800-kilowatt solar power system on the plant’s roof, which the department said is meant to support the company’s sustainability efforts.

Hiring for the new jobs is already underway, the department said. Applicants can send resumes to Sportsman Boats Manufacturing, P.O. Box 2100, Summerville, S.C. 29484.

“Sportsman Boats is proud to have roots here in South Carolina and Dorchester County, and we are excited about our continued growth,” said Tommy Hancock, the company’s president.

What Sportsman builds

Sportsman’s lineup now includes 21 models of center console and bay boats, from 17 to 31 feet long, designed for saltwater anglers, according to the department.

That is a much wider range than the company started with. When Sportsman announced its plans in December 2011, it said it would build boats from 20 to 25 feet, starting with deep-V center consoles and bay boats. In July 2014, it offered 10 models in that size range, including center consoles, bay boats and dual consoles, the department said then.

From startup to Isaac Way

Hancock and Dale Martin, the co-owners, announced the startup in December 2011 with a $2 million investment and 30 jobs. The company initially leased space in the East Point Industrial Park in Dorchester County, according to the department.

“Maritime commerce and boat building have always been part of our region’s history and skill set,” R.M. Singletary, chairman of the Charleston Regional Development Alliance, said in 2011.

In July 2013, Sportsman said it would invest $2.35 million and add 50 jobs by moving into a larger building at 113 Isaac Way with 72,600 square feet of space.

A year later, in July 2014, the company said it would more than double that plant, then described as 74,000 square feet, by adding about 116,000 square feet. That project carried a $3.5 million investment and 150 jobs. The state’s Coordinating Council for Economic Development approved job development credits and a $200,000 set-aside grant for it.

“Sportsman has experienced phenomenal growth in our first two and a half years in business with a current dealer footprint along the eastern seaboard from Maine to Miami, around the Gulf States into Texas and around the great lakes,” Hancock said in 2014.

For the latest expansion, the coordinating council has approved job development credits, the department said.

What officials said

“It is refreshing to live and work in a state that is pro-business and to be able to work with local and state officials to help provide good jobs for our fellow citizens,” Hancock said.

McMaster said the expansion “shows that our exceptional workforce can accomplish anything, and that South Carolina is ‘Just right’ for business.”

Dorchester County Council Chairman Jay Byars called Sportsman a great community partner for many years. “They manufacture a great product line and take pride in their work and in our community,” he said.

When Sportsman announced its move to Isaac Way in 2013, Bill Hearn, then chairman of Dorchester County Council, said, “Our boat manufacturing sector has seen continued growth over the last few years, and Sportsman Boats Manufacturing is no exception.”