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Industrial Revival: New Plants Bring Much-Needed Jobs

Posted on: Friday, 31 March 2006, 09:00 CST

By Kelly Marshall Fuller, The Sun News, Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Mar. 31--- Recently arrived companies in Georgetown County [14232126.htm]

GEORGETOWN -- Plant officials, state leaders and county residents are breaking ground on the American Gypsum plant, the wallboard manufacturing business that is expected to spark the local economy with 300 new jobs and continue the county's work force rebound.

American Gypsum, a smaller segment of Eagle Materials, is expected to be running full steam in Georgetown County by 2007, plant officials said this week. Officials say it will bring 100 jobs at an average pay of $50,000 in the next year and create another 200 jobs in the community to supply and service the plant.

The plant opening is expected to be a trend in Georgetown County this year, helping it bounce back from a long period of unemployment that reached as high as 15 percent in the past several years, said Bobby Bellamy, assistant director of the S.C. Employment Security Commission in Georgetown. Sid Harvey Industries and SafeRack have also moved into Georgetown County.

The American Gypsum pledge last year to invest $125 million was the biggest economic news to ever hit Georgetown County, local officials said. Between Sid Harvey, SafeRack and American Gypsum, that means 175 new jobs at the plants and an investment in new building and renovation of vacant commercial spaces, according to economic development officials.

Unemployment figures in Georgetown County have gradually improved in the past year and a half.

"In terms of capital investment, you just don't see investments like this every day," said Wayne Gregory, Georgetown County Economic Development director. "It takes a lot of work from all the participants. It's a huge impact for Georgetown County in the future. A hundred jobs means a lot for Georgetown County."

The county continues to struggle with the loss of manufacturing jobs in recent years.

More than 300 people lost their jobs at Cooper Wiring in 2003.

About 20 people lost jobs when T-shirt manufacturer Fun Tees began layoffs in December 2003 and closed in May 2004.

Georgetown Steel, once the county's largest employer, closed in 2003, leaving about 500 people without work. The steel mill has since reopened under new ownership, Mittal Steel, but with fewer workers. Now, about 335 people work there.

Georgetown County's jobless rate for February was 8.9 percent, which placed it 10th in the state for unemployment. Neighboring Williamsburg County had an 11.5 percent unemployment rate, ranking it second. Horry County's jobless rate was 6.1 percent.

New workers will be employed once the new plants open in the next couple of years, with residents from a three-county area expected to compete for the jobs.

"With the creation of these jobs we will definitely have a better ranking [for unemployment]," Bellamy said. "With the influx of the new companies, it will create more revenue within the county."

The additional businesses will pump several hundred thousand dollars a year in tax revenue into the local economy, economic officials said.

To supply those new workers, training classes are being scheduled and applications taken through local technical schools and work force centers in Kingstree and Georgetown. Employment officials in Georgetown and Williamsburg counties are working together to take applications and schedule classes because it is expected that people from a wide area will apply for the jobs.

Plant officials for American Gypsum said they plan to use the Centers for Accelerated Technology, located at technical schools in Georgetown and Kingstree, to train employees. The plant is located on Santee Cooper property near the Winyah Generating Station to use the power plant's gypsum byproduct.

Also, at least 200 outside jobs will be created by the opening of American Gypsum, plant officials said last year. These additional jobs will be created by the production process at the plant.

"Most of the [hourly] jobs will be filled months in advance of the startup," said Bill Boor, executive vice president of strategy and development for American Gypsum.

After production begins in Georgetown, American Gypsum will become one of the largest wallboard manufacturers in the U.S.

The plant will produce about 750 million square feet of wallboard a year, Boor said.

"We're off to a really good start," he said. "The state and county officials have been integral and we've all been working together to make this happen. This one makes sense for everyone involved."

Contact KELLY MARSHALL FULLER at 357-9187 or kfuller@thesunnews.com [mailto:kfuller@thesunnews.com].

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Sun News, Myrtle Beach, S.C.

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Source: The Sun News (Myrtle Beach, S.C.)

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