Lee County, SC
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South Atlantic Canners to begin expansion in 2011
Courtesy of The Item:
By RANDY BURNS Special to The Item
BISHOPVILLE – Construction of the warehouse expansion project at South Atlantic Canners is expected to begin by March 2011, according to Lee County Economic Alliance Director Jeff Burgess.
Lee County Council is expected to provide incentives in the form of a fee in lieu of taxes, Burgess said. The incentives will include state and county benefits, he said.
“Providing incentives was always part of the agreement between the county and Coca Cola,” Burgess said. “We were just waiting for the plant to be ready to expand before we did it.”
At its discretion, County Council may consider a Special Source Revenue Credit, Burgess said.
“This will allow the county to invest in infrastructure related to specific project needs,” he said. “These credits are awarded in conjunction with the fee in lieu of tax arrangement and Multi-County Industrial Park designations, and are serviced with revenue received from the project’s fee stream.”
The company is also eligible for property tax abatement, Burgess said.
“This is a statute of the state of South Carolina where the county portion of millage is abated for a five-year period,” he said. “This does not include the school’s portion of the millage which cannot be abated.”
A public hearing on the matter scheduled during county council’s 9 a.m. meeting today has been postponed until January, Burgess said.
“A public hearing is required any time you provide incentives to industry,” he said. “We had to postpone the hearing because the attorney was not able to make it.”
Lee County Council Chairman Charles Arthur Beasley said the county is eager to support the Coke plant’s plans to expand its operations.
“We would do it for any industry,” Beasley said. “We always try to accommodate any industry when they want to expand. We are glad to do it. We are always looking to add jobs.”
Burgess said the incentives are in line with previous incentives for a $5 million investment, but he did not know the estimated amount of the incentives.
The company’s expansion could generate as many as 30 jobs, Burgess said. The expansion is also expected to strengthen the company’s local presence and increase the position of Rexam Beverage and Ezell Trucking in the community.
In September 2009, Lee County Master-in-Equity Bryan Doby granted Lee County Council’s petition to the 3rd Judicial Circuit to close a 700-foot section of Cousar Street in front of the plant. The county closed the road in November 2009. Plant Manager Troy Santoscoy said the road closure was necessary for the company to be able to expand the warehouse.
South Atlantic Canners initially made the request in 2007 to the city of Bishopville to close Cousar. County Council made the request to close the road after Bishopville City Council chose to not support the closure.
Pee Dee lands community development corporation
Courtesy of SCNow.com:
FLORENCE — Pee Dee counties picked up help in developing businesses Wednesday with the announced creation of the Pee Dee Community Development Corp.
State Sen. Hugh Leatherman, R-Florence, made the announcement during a press conference at Florence-Darlington Technical College’s Southeastern Institute of Manufacturing and Technology.
The development corporation will provide development capital for Chesterfield, Clarendon, Darlington, Dillon, Florence, Georgetown, Lee, Marlboro, Marion, Sumter and Williamsburg counties, Leatherman said.
“It will allow the people throughout the entire area to apply for grants to help get businesses started,” Leatherman said. “We’ve got to create jobs for our people and I applaud those who have been behind this to make the environment that will allow companies to start and make companies want to grow.”
The development corporation will work with Francis Marion University and Florence-Darlington Tech to provide technical services, advice and workshops to businesses and community organizations.
Local leaders say it will also help to serve as an incubator for potential small businesses and entrepreneurs.
“When you have an announcement of this magnitude, $15 million in capital that will be made available to grow businesses here in the Pee Dee… and small businesses are what’s happening in the state of South Carolina and all across the country,” state Sen. Kent Williams, D-Marion, said. “Anything to promote small businesses, growing businesses here in the Pee Dee region can only be something great, and what that does is begin to put people back to work.”
The latest figures available from the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce show the state unemployment rate decreased in September to 11 percent, compared with 11.1 percent in August.
Two Pee Dee counties led the state in unemployment, with Marion County having the highest unemployment rate at 18.6 percent and Marlboro County coming in second, at 18.4 percent. Dillon County rounded out the top 10 with an unemployment rate of 14.8 percent.
The development corporation initially will be funded with $15 million and use U.S. Department of Agriculture rural development grants for projects.
The corporation was funded in the Pee Dee because federal officials said they noticed a great need for an economic growth stimulant in the area.
Officials also noted the Pee Dee’s high unemployment rates and the fact that several Pee Dee counties often top the state when it comes to those out of work.
“Our market is an area of small, rural communities, that is communities of less than 25,000 people,” Aubrey Crosland, president of the development corporation, said. “We’re looking to address the needs of those businesses that have between 25 and 50 employees and don’t have access to capital to carry on their operations or to expand their operations.”
Local leaders said they hope the funding will lessen the pain that many economic losses have left in the area, and not only develop a brighter situation for future businesses but also retain existing businesses.
“We spend a lot of time trying to attract industry, but really we have a large part of the employed population is small businesses,” state Sen. Gerald Malloy, D-Hartsville, said. “I think it’s great for this region, I think it’s cooperative and collaborative from the community aspect … we need it and if we can utilize it and make sure it gets to the people in the appropriate ways, then it’s going to be a very successful project.”
By PATRICIA BURKETT
Published: November 17, 2010
Coca-Cola Bottler Expanding Operations in Bishopville
South Atlantic Canners, a bottler of Coca-Cola, has announced a $4.5 million dollar expansion in Lee County. South Atlantic Canners’ expansion of its Bishopville facility will bring the factory’s total square footage to 300,000, increasing the warehouse capacity by 50 percent. The company expects to begin preliminary work on the expansion in the fourth quarter of this year. This expansion will further cement the 35+ year relationship that Lee County and South Atlantic Canners have enjoyed.
SC Commerce
Lee County, SC 