A Look Back at Recent Clarendon County Business & Community News

The following are some selected news items from around Summerton, Manning, and Clarendon County showing many of the significant accomplishments and ongoing activities aimed at strengthening the local economy and our communities over the last couple of years.

• SpiritPharmaceuticals, a maker of generic pharmaceuticals, announced on March 6, 2013, that it would locate its new facility in Summerton. The more than $12.2 million investment will hopefully generate almost 300 new jobs at the former Federal Mogul building on Alex Harvin Highway. Spirit Pharmaceuticals is going to establish a new packaging and manufacturing facility, which will produce a range of generic pharmaceuticals for retailers such as Walgreens, Dollar Tree and CVS. The new plant is expected to be operation in early 2014.
• Georgia-Pacific’s oriented strand board (OSB) plant is up and running in Clarendon County. The plant held its official grand opening ceremony on April 10, 2013, in Alcolu. About 120 employees were hired in the first six months at the OSB facility, many of whom came from the county and surrounding areas. Georgia-Pacific bought the Clarendon mill in May 2010 from Grant Forest Products as part of a $400 million acquisition that included operating plants in Allendale County and Ontario, Canada. The company spent roughly $30 million to complete construction of the plant. Virtually all of the pine trees they use come from within a 70-mile radius of the plant.
• AdvantaSoutheast, a maker of reusable-packaging, is locating a new operating facility in Clarendon County. The $3.5 million investment is expected to generate 30 new jobs. Advanta SE will locate in the old LBT Stainless Inc. facility, a 53,000-square-foot facility that will allow the company to streamline its manufacturing process and expand its product line. The company designs and produces reusable packing solutions for a number of clients, including General Motors, Ford, BMW, Lear and Yamaha, among others.
• SwiftGroup of Industries, a maker of replacement refrigerator filters, has established a new filter manufacturing facility in Clarendon County. The company’s initial investment of $3.5 million is expected to generate 60 new jobs. The Vancouver, British Columbia-based company will settle into a remodeled production facility in the Clarendon County Industrial Park. The Clarendon facility will be the first U.S. operation for Swift Group which plans to move other manufacturing operations from China to the South Carolina plant.
• Phase 1 of the new wing of Clarendon Memorial Hospital has been completed. The $22.5 million project, which included a 47,000 sq. ft. expansion, is already providing better surgical and emergency medical services to residents.
• In March 2014, the Starflo Corporation, a William Powell Company, announced it had started construction on a $1 million, 25,000 square foot, distribution center located in the Clarendon County Industrial Park. Starflo is a manufacturer of industrial valves.
• Four diverse school districts in South Carolina composed of 19 schools have come together in a shared vision and commitment to Enterprise Learning as a means to improve the future for our students. This consortium is comprised of Clarendon County School District 2 (lead), Richland County School District 2, Orangeburg Consolidated School District 5, and Williamsburg County School District. These districts are committed to working together for the next seven years.
• Kent International, Inc., a bicycle manufacturer, is making a $4.3 million investment in Clarendon county and will create 175 jobs. They will make 500,000 bikes a year that will be sold in WalMart stores.
• The Tractor Supply Company is one of the largest operators of 'rural lifestyle' retail stores in the U.S. selling animal care products, livestock equipment, fencing, lawn and garden equipment and supplies, workwear and much more. In October, 2014, they announced that they will shortly be opening a 19,000 square foot store in Manning.
• The Peak Corporation, a Chinese firm specializing in the design, manufacture and global distribution of an extensive line of automotive lifts is establishing its U.S. operations in Clarendon County. It will be investing $6.6 million in the next five years, creating almost 60 new jobs.

There have been many other key events and accomplishments by many others across the county aimed at strengthening and improving our communities. The 'Great Recession' hit everyone hard, but the future is now looking bright ahead.

Stay abreast of the ongoing news about Summerton, Manning, and Clarendon County, S.C. Be sure to visit the free, online Summerton SC Weekly News Roundup and Manning Times news sites.

Let us know about the many other major accomplishments that are taking place across our community, e.g. new businesses, planned development, new construction, major awards, etc. There's so much going on.