South Carolina State University will be working with Orangeburg’s Zeus Industries to develop its on-campus engineering lab.

Zeus scientists will help S.C. State design and eventually establish a research laboratory, Interim President Cynthia Warrick informed university trustees on Thursday.

“We are really excited about this new relationship with the Zeus company and the expectation that this will deliver some fruitful relationship in the future,” Warrick said. “Our faculty have gone to visit the Zeus research center and they will assist us with the design of these laboratories so our students will have experience on the same type of instrumentation.”

The university is developing an 87,000-square-foot engineering and computer science complex on campus which will include a research laboratory. Warrick said the university has a $500,000 National Science Foundation Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research grant that will help it purchase new equipment for the complex.

Zeus President John Worley called the university’s planned laboratory “a very progressive thing.”

“They are expanding their curriculum over there and they are willing to draw more students,” he said.

Warrick said the relationship with Zeus will allow students to benefit from the company’s expertise and will enable the company to benefit from the on-campus lab.

“My strategy is working with industries that are local and throughout the state,” she said. “We want to make sure that what we are doing is in line with what companies are doing today.”

The $24 million engineering complex will house teaching and research labs, classrooms, offices and other support spaces. The building will be complete for an open house Feb. 1.

Contact the writer: gzaleski@timesanddemocrat.com or 803-533-5551.

Albemarle Corp. is planning a multimillion-dollar expansion of its Cannon Bridge Road plant.

The company is expecting to invest $65 million and create 20 new jobs over the next five years.

“This is the largest investment they have done with us to date, in modern history by far,” Orangeburg County Development Commission Executive Director Gregg Robinson said.

“It is tremendous. It is a wonderful opportunity. It says a lot about the work force here. It says a great deal for their confidence in our community,” he said.

Orangeburg County Council gave second reading Monday to a fee-in-lieu of taxes incentive for the company. The fee-in-lieu-of-taxes incentive allows companies to pay a fee instead of property taxes based on a 6 percent assessment ratio, rather than the standard 10.5 percent.

The company will also receive the multi-county industrial park designation. Under the state’s multi-county park incentive, the county where an industrial parcel is located receives job credits. The other county — in this case, Dorchester — will get 1 percent of fees.

The project will be formally unveiled Monday, Dec. 17.

The Orangeburg plant was originally developed in 1937 by the late Dr. T.E. Wannamaker. It was later purchased by Ethyl Fuel Corporation, which spun off the plant in Orangeburg and others as Albemarle Corp. in 1994.

The company currently employs about 322 at its 300-acre site in Orangeburg County, according to the Development Commission website.

Headquartered in Baton Rouge, La., Albemarle is a developer, manufacturer and marketer of specialty chemicals for consumer electronics, petroleum refining, utilities, packaging, construction, automotive/transportation, pharmaceuticals, crop protection, food-safety and custom chemistry services.

COLUMBIA, SC – November 26, 2012 – Governor Nikki Haley announced that the application and guidelines are now available for counties that want to participate in the South Carolina Work Ready Communities initiative.

Developed by ACT, a Work Ready Community is a measure of the quality of a county’s workforce.

South Carolina was one of four pilot states selected by ACT to participate in the ACT Certified Work Ready Community program. The South Carolina initiative certifies the quality of the workforce based on four criteria. Counties must meet goals for high school graduation, soft skills development, business support, and National Career Readiness Certificate holders.

“My top priority as governor is jobs for South Carolinians,” said Gov. Haley. “We’re participating in the Certified Work Ready Communities initiative because this program offers a nationally recognized and respected credential that shows businesses that South Carolina has the workforce and expertise that they need in order to grow.”

Today’s announcement was made at Zeus, a global leader in material science and high-performance polymer extrusions located in Orangeburg that supports WorkKeys, a pre-employment test for documenting and improving the basic math and reading skills of workers. All new manufacturing professionals at Zeus must take WorkKeys and score proficient to be eligible to work at the specialty tubing manufacturer.

Video of the event, including remarks by the governor, is available here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYjwUVwsyGw

“Zeus believes strongly in ensuring and improving the work skills of all its employees,” said Zeus Chief Executive Officer John M. Worley, Jr. “WorkKeys is not just a good business practice; it also gives our employees a sense of pride about the work they perform and helps to improve the overall quality of the workforce in South Carolina.”

“Having a qualified and skilled workforce is the backbone for economic prosperity,” said Lewis F. Gossett, President and CEO of the South Carolina Manufacturers Alliance. “Through this cooperative local approach that aligns economic development, education, and workforce development, South Carolina will be able to demonstrate we have a ready workforce that can be competitive. More than any other factor, future manufacturing jobs will depend on this and other workforce development efforts.”

The application and guidelines are available at www.scworkready.org.

About Zeus
Headquartered in Orangeburg, Zeus is a world leader in material science and the production of high-performance polymer tubing; employing more than 1,200 people worldwide with South Carolina facilities in Orangeburg, Gaston and Aiken. The company also has sites in New Jersey and internationally. Zeus products and services are preferred by companies in medical, automotive, electrical, fluid handling, aerospace, and mechanical markets. For more information about Zeus visit www.zeusinc.com.

South Carolina’s seaports have been one of the state’s most vital resources for hundreds of years. Today, the South Carolina Ports Authority operates the state’s seaport assets in Charleston and Georgetown, a $45 billion-a-year business generating hundreds of thousands of jobs in the state and beyond.

Orangeburg County’s economic development board and a local contingent had an opportunity on July 26 to learn more about the Port of Charleston and the county’s role in transportation and logistics.

Orangeburg County Development Commission members toured the Port of Charleston and met with port and railroad officials as part of a mission to gather and share information.

“We wanted to share what we offer … to the port and to learn about the business plan and future direction of the port,” OCDC Executive Director Gregg Robinson said, noting the county’s Global Logistics Triangle has a lot to offer the port. “One out of 11 jobs in the state is directly tied to the port. That is critical.”

Members of the OCDC spent the entire day touring the port, meeting with S.C. Ports Authority President Chief Executive Officer Jim Newsome, a staff leader with Boeing and a South Carolina Public Railways official.

It was the first time the OCDC has visited the port for its annual retreat.

Orangeburg Consolidated School District 5 provided the bus for transportation and the port hosted lunch.

A dozen people made the trip, including Sen. John Matthews, Orangeburg County Councilman Johnnie Wright and Councilman Johnny Ravenell.

OCDC Chairwoman Jeannine Kees says she has been to the port a number of times in the past but this is the first time she got an opportunity to meet Newsome in a small group setting.

“We had dialogue of how we added value to them,” Kees said. “And they add value to us. Having that dialogue is extremely important and will help our commission in our vision as where we are heading.”

Kees said her eyes were broadened to a bigger picture of the port’s role in the state and of the county’s role with the port.

“I was SALING into able to see the total picture of what the port was wanting to accomplish and how they were trying to work with the state of South Carolina economic developers,” she said, noting port personnel are very business-like and professional amid what is a chaotic atmosphere. “The Charleston port is unbelievable. It is like a beehive down there.”

Robinson said the meeting with rail and Boeing officials was also informative.

“It is about expanding the role of South Carolina railways,” he said. “It is our rail.”

Robinson said discussions revolved around CSX and Norfolk Southern railroads and how the county could better work with the railroads and industry. The Ports Authority looks to work with economic development efforts and help industries within communities such as Orangeburg tap into rail.

The meeting with Boeing involved discussion of potential growth in the aerospace industry and its impact on the state.

Robinson said the group was informed about the supplier network that exists in Everette, Wash., and the demand for the 787 Dreamliner. He also noted the new Airbus in Mobile, Ala., and Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. in Savannah, Ga.

“A thoroughfare of aerospace is ready to hit us,” he said.

OCDC Commissioner Gail Fogle said the over-arching benefit for her of the retreat was meeting and talking with port and Boeing officials in person.

“The success of the port is critical to our state for economic development,” Fogle said. “We have so many opportunities there.”

Fogle said she was better able to understand Boeing’s corporate mission and the Ports Authority experience was eye-opening.

“That is the best-kept secret,” she said. “I was not even aware of the services they provided. It was helpful as far as gathering information. Everyone has to work together for our success.”

OCDC Treasurer Joey Williamson said the retreat was the first time he had any contact with the State Ports Authority or with Boeing.

“I was most impressed with Jim Newsome,” Williamson said. “To me he is the right person for the job. He has a vision of how to grow the port.”

Williamson said one thing he learned from the trip was that the most important customer at the port is BMW and that furniture imports have been significant as well.

“Boeing impressed me,” Williamson said, noting how it already has about 6,000 employees in its three years in the state. BMW has about 7,000 employees in 15 years. “Look at the growth.”

But most of all Williamson said the county was also able to provide information to both the port and Boeing about what Orangeburg has to offer.

“That is what it is all about,” he said.

Contact the writer: gzaleski@timesanddemocrat.com or 803-533-5551.

A federal grant and loan package will allow Orangeburg County to build a sewer plant serving the John W. Matthews Industrial Park, making it more attractive to industries.

Orangeburg County will receive a $6.7 million loan and a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to build the Goodbys Creek Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant

“Lord have mercy, thank you,” Orangeburg County Council Chairman Johnnie Wright said in response to the news.

Orangeburg County Council unanimously accepted the loan and grant during Monday’s meeting.

The wastewater plant will be located behind the John W. Matthews Jr. Industrial Park near U.S. 301 and U.S. 176. It will serve the park and surrounding communities.

Orangeburg County Administrator Harold Young said the project is long overdue.

“We have been working on this for a long time,” he said. “This is a culmination of a long process to formulate funding for the wastewater treatment facility plant that is key to our Global Logistics Triangle.

“It will help us in how we are able to market the triangle as well as the Matthews Industrial Park.”

The 40-year loan will have an interest rate of no more than 2.75 percent, USDA Rural Development Specialist Rusty Craven said. The payments would be $23,864 a month.

The total cost of the project will be $12.3 million, which includes construction, land purchase and legal and engineering costs.

Orangeburg County funding will come from the voter-approved capital project 1 percent sales tax.

Upon completion, the first phase of the plant will serve the Matthews Industrial Park and the town of Santee. Future phases will look at U.S. 301 and U.S. 176 and, eventually, the town of Elloree.

The plant will provide tertiary treatment, which is the highest form of wastewater treatment. The plant will allow any industries that have the ability to use recycled water to use the treated water directly.

The plant will be capable of treating 200,000 to 250,000 gallons of wastewater per day. Eventually, the project will serve an estimated 111,000 users and the Santee Jafza Magna Park.

Georgia-based Ruby Collins Inc. will be the main contractor on the project.

In other business:

• Council gave the county unanimous authorization to proceed with obtaining an encroachment permit from the S.C. Department of Transportation to allow the construction of a rail spur for the Universal Trade Solutions and Fraley & Schilling Inc. plant in the former Jacobs Applied Engineering building on Charleston Highway.

The county will be responsible for construction and maintenance of the project. The project will be funded entirely through the state, including a grant from the S.C. Department of Commerce.

The rail spur project is one of the incentives the county provided UTS to locate in Orangeburg last October. The company plans to bring 100 jobs and invest $10 million over the next five years.

The county purchased about six acres of land for the construction of the spur to the Norfolk Southern line for $100,000.

Prior to the vote, Councilmen Clyde Livingston and Harry Wimberly questioned what liability the county would be taking on. Livingston expressed confidence he would know more about the project as the process moves along.

The county has previously constructed rail spurs for Ecka Granules and Trinity Industries at the Orangeburg County Industrial Park off of U.S. 21.

• Council gave second reading to an ordinance that would abolish the Orangeburg-Calhoun Regional Law Enforcement Commission. That would give the county the sole responsibility for managing the detention center, with Calhoun County paying Orangeburg County to hold its inmates.

• Council unanimously agreed to enter into an intergovernmental agreement with the City of Orangeburg for the use of a county magistrate to serve as a municipal court judge. The agreement will allow the city to use a county magistrate to sign warrants and hold bond court when necessary. The agreement will take effect in the event the city’s judge is out on annual or sick leave.

Contact the writer: gzaleski@timesanddemocrat.com or 803-533-5551.

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