Williamsburg County Special Section from the 2017 Winter issue of SCBIZ

Winter 2017

Business by the bushel Agribusiness feeds S.C. economy

CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED 1439 Stuart Engals Blvd.

Suite 200 Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464 SC Biz News

County Spotlight: Williamsburg | Trending: Agriculture in S.C. | Roaring Twenties

Sponsored by:

county spotlight

WILLIAMSBURG

The Kings Tree Trials held at McCutchen Training Center near Kingstree draw horse-racing fans from across the state. (Photo/Marsha Hewitt, SCDA)

WILLIAMSBURG COUNTY EMBRACES ITS ROOTS WHILE LOOKING FORWARD TO BRIGHT FUTURE

By Steve McDaniel, Associate Editor

www.scbizmag.com

W 12

illiamsburg County has been a mainstay of South Carolina’s agricultural economy since the creation of Williamsburg Township along the Black River by King William of England in 1732.

The largely rural county still relies heavily on agriculture, but has been busy attracting new technologically advanced manufacturers in recent years.

“We want to create opportunities to improve the quality of life for our citizens,” county Supervisor Stanley Pasley said. “We can do that by having a skilled workforce in place and bringing in companies that can offer high-paying jobs.”

Special Advertising Section

Williamsburg C by the numbersounty

Population (2016 Es

t.)...............32,000

Largest Private

Se

Nan Ya Plastics.......... ctor Employers ............................ 1,0 00+ Sykes Enterprises...... ................................

60 0 DSM Nutritional Prod ucts..........................

25 0 Palmetto Synthetics .................................. .200 Tupperware.............. ................................ ..2 00 Three D Metal Works ................................ .200 Sources: U.S. Cens us Williamsburg Coun Bureau and ty Development Boar Economic d

COUNTY SPOTLIGHT: WILLIAMSBURG Above, a machine processes fiber at Palmetto Synthetics’ facility in the Williamsburg Cooperative Commerce Centre near Kingstree. The company manufactures specialty synthetic fibers. At right, an employee works in one of the labs at DSM, a nutraceuticals supplier. (Photos/Provided)

The county has three industrial parks and has plans for a new 50,000-square-foot speculative building in 2018. According to Pasley, the overall goal is to expand its tax base by bringing high-paying jobs to the county.

“We want to create and develop an environment that is attractive and conducive to industry and growth,” he said. “We have shown we are willing to work with companies looking to locate here with incentives, tax breaks and credits, and utility needs that

will make them profitable.”

Pasley, in his 11th year as supervisor, said diversification has been a focus of economic development during his tenure. Agriculture still plays a prominent role in the county’s economy, he said, but skilled, advanced manufacturing is what will help the county move forward.

The county’s unemployment rate has improved significantly in recent years, dropping to 7.5% in 2016 after a high of 17.2% at the height of the Great Recession in 2010.

Scott Liberman, owner and CEO of Pennsylvania-based Valley Forge Flag Co., is one of those business owners who is happy with the decision to locate in Williamsburg County. The company, which employs about 100 workers at its Kingstree facility, cuts and sews American flags for retail sale.

“The county has always been fantastic in helping us expand and grow,” Liberman said. “Their approach is, ‘How can we help each other?’ They assisted us in setting up

www.scbizmag.com

A CSX train heads through one of Williamsburg County’s industrial parks along U.S. Highway 52 toward the Port of Charleston. Tenants in the park include DSM, a large Dutch nutraceuticals firm; Palmetto Synthetics, a specialty thermoplastic fibers firm; and Sykes, a customer service provider. (Photo/Provided)

14

Special Advertising Section

COUNTY SPOTLIGHT: WILLIAMSBURG Guests check out some of the fare at the Kings Tree Trials horse race.

(Photo/Michaele Duke — The News)

an after-school work program with the local high school, and that has helped us a lot with hiring temporary workers for seasonal increases.”

Santee Electric Cooperative supplies power to many companies in Williamsburg County. The utility’s president and CEO, Rob Ardis, said the relationships among the county, business tenants and the companies providing utility services is one that fosters growth and encourages collaboration.

“We are doing all we can to encourage growth and development in the county,” he said. “The county council, members of the economic development board and everyone else involved work together to maximize that growth.”

Palmetto Synthetics, a manufacturer

Young horse-racing fans take in the action on a sunny day at the Kings Tree Trials. (Photo/Michaele Duke — The News)

of fabrics used in automotive and military applications, was the first tenant in the Williamsburg Cooperative Commerce Centre just north of Kingstree. Company CEO Henry Poston said the county was in a sort of chicken-or-egg scenario back in 1998.

“They needed a tenant to initiate their financing, but there wasn’t much there in the way of infrastructure,” he said. “But the county said they’d put in temporary water and sewer facilities and a road if we’d agree to locate there. They immediately did everything they said they would when we agreed to move there. They have been more than accommodating with all of our needs as we’ve grown.”

Williamsburg County School District governs the public schools in the county and

includes three high schools, one junior high school and eight primary and elementary schools. Williamsburg Technical College serves the county as a two-year institution offering associate degrees and technical training, and is the site of a state pilot program called Williamsburg Promise.

The state-funded program offers tuition to any Williamsburg County high school graduate from the past five years. Pasley said this is the first rollout of the program in the state, and is designed to remove financial barriers to higher education and to help give students skills that are required for jobs in advanced manufacturing such as the automotive, chemicals, plastics and aviation industries.

One of Williamsburg’s assets not available to many rural counties is a 24-hour,

Target Industries for Williamsburg County

Advanced Manufacturing

Agribusiness/Food Processing

www.scbizmag.com

Automotive/Aviation suppliers Top 3 available parks/sites:

Current developments:

• • • •

• • • •

16

Special Advertising Section

Williamsburg Cooperative Commerce Centre Hemingway Commerce Centre Tri Area industrial Park A 50,000-square-foot spec building will be built in 2018

Chemicals/Plastics

200+ new jobs announced in last 18 months A new Williamsburg Regional Hospital will begin construction in 2018 Existing industries continue to expand and produce new product lines Hemingway High School is home to 2017 State Champion basketball team

COUNTY SPOTLIGHT: WILLIAMSBURG

A DSM worker at the company’s facility near Kingstree. (Photo/Provided)

The DSM plant at the Williamsburg Cooperative Commerce Centre is one of Williamsburg County’s largest employers with 250 workers manufacturing vitamins and other nutritional supplements for animal care, human health and personal care. (Photo/Provided)

www.scbizmag.com

seven-day-a-week hospital. Williamsburg Regional Hospital operates out of a temporary facility after its permanent building suffered irreparable water damage from the October 2015 floods. It has been a challenging two years since for hospital CEO Sharon Poston and her staff, but she said support from the community and county have helped tremendously.

“This has been a unique experience, to say the least,” Poston said. “But the county and our community have been there for us all along the way. The support has been invaluable.”

Poston said construction of a new, permanent hospital is planned to begin in 2018.

The county has reached back to its historical roots as a hub for training thoroughbred horses with the Kings Tree Trials, held annually at the McCutchen Training Center near Kingstree in early November.

The event is popular with horse-racing fans across the state, said Leslee Spivey of the Williamsburg Hometown Chamber of Commerce.

“We get folks from all over the state for this,” she said. “And that’s really one of the best things about this; it brings people to our community. It provides a lot of exposure for the area in a very nice setting.”

Williamsburg Regional Airport is the county’s only commercial air facility and can accommodate private planes and corporate jets. International airports nearby include Myrtle Beach and Charleston, both about a 1½-hour drive.

Special Advertising Section

17