Community members join federal, state and local officials Thursday morning to celebrate the completion of the million-gallon water tank at the John W. Matthews Industrial Park in Orangeburg County. The new 180-foot, million-gallon capacity water tower at the John W. Matthews Industrial Park on U.S. 301 has been completed and is now operational.

Federal, state and local officials joined in a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday morning at the structure. The event also marked the 15th anniversary of the Lake Marion Regional Water Agency. “We are making great strides in our efforts to continue to make water and sewer available to our communities,” said Orangeburg County Council Chairman Johnnie Wright Sr. who also serves as chairman of the Lake Marion Regional Water Agency.

“It takes faith. It’s not easy,” Wright said. The water tower and the industrial park, named in honor of Sen. John W. Matthews of Bowman, is part of the Santee Cooper-based Lake Marion Regional Water Agency. The agency is working to bring fresh drinking water and sewer service to residents and businesses primarily situated near Interstate 95.

“I’ve always been passionate about economic development,” Matthews said. “Economic development is based on infrastructure.” Matthews, who has been a state senator for 16 years, said completion of the water tower and the related water and sewer lines connects Orangeburg, Dorchester and Berkeley counties. He likened the long-term work on the LMRWA system and the newly built water tower to “cathedral thinking.” Matthews said ancient cathedrals weren’t built by one generation of workers but work on those structures continued across multiple generations. Likewise, the work to develop the Lake Marion Regional Water Agency isn’t for one generation but “will benefit future generations,” he said. Lt. Col. Edward Chamberlayne, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Charleston District has been working closely with the project. He described the tower as a “vital public structure.” He said 11,000 hours of construction time were invested, and none of the workers sustained any injuries. Chamberlayne praised the efforts of Matthews, Congressman James Clyburn and Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter for their support of the project.

He also thanked Alliance Engineering and Caldwell Tanks for their work. Bill McCall, Santee Cooper executive vice president and chief operating officer, praised Matthews for his long-term commitment to the regional water project. Clyburn reflected on the history of the LMRWA and its rocky start. In 1993, officials had “the first meeting on this project (the LMRWA) at Camp Daniels, and it was not a meeting of one accord,” he said. Clyburn said he and supporters of the LMRWA remained determined in their resolve to provide potable drinking water to the citizens and businesses of rural areas in the Sixth Congressional District. “This water ain’t skipping no houses,” he said. “This water is for the community; it’s for the future growth of this state and this region.”

At present, the towns of Santee and Bowman are customers of the LMRWA, but pipelines will soon connect other towns and areas to the water system. Chamberlayne said nine miles of pipelines will soon be in place to connect the wastewater treatment plant to Goodbys Creek. Currently represented on the LMRWA Board of Directors are Santee and the counties of Berkeley, Calhoun, Dorchester and Orangeburg.

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Orangeburg County Development Commission
NEWS RELEASE

Orangeburg, S.C. – May 10, 2012 – Federal Mogul Friction Products of Orangeburg, along with the Orangeburg County Development Commission, announced the expansion of its operations with minimum of 7 Million dollars of new equipment as well as the addition of 40 new positions.

Federal-Mogul is a global leader in the development and manufacture of superior asbestos-free friction products, including advanced friction materials and components engineered to meet the needs of today’s vehicle manufacturers.

Federal-Mogul offers a wide array of automotive products for a broad range of applications. These include everything from light- to heavy-duty vehicles and railway, motorcycle and industrial applications. Federal Mogul is committed to the development and manufacture of superior noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) refined, and extended-life friction products that further enhance the safety and performance of vehicles.

“With this significant investment we are further cementing our commitment to being a world class OEM friction supplier” said Alex Lopez, Federal-Mogul Plant Manager. “In fact, we have recently been awarded the business for the Ford F150 pick-up truck which is the flagship of their fleet and the largest selling vehicle in North America.”

“It’s a great day in South Carolina when one of our existing businesses chooses to grow. We celebrate Federal-Mogul’s decision to invest $7 million and create 40 new jobs in Orangeburg. By continuing to strengthen our state’s business-friendly climate, we can continue to attract investments like this one to South Carolina,” said Gov. Nikki Haley.
“South Carolina continues to see its reputation in the automotive club grow. Federal-Mogul’s decision to further invest in the Palmetto State builds on that reputation and shows that our manufacturing sector is continuing to gather steam,” said Secretary of Commerce Bobby Hitt.

“Great to see another high quality investment in Central SC Region, especially by an existing industry. Federal Mogul and other OEM automotive suppliers know the value of operating in an environment that is cost effective. We welcome these 40 new jobs to Orangeburg County and look forward to continued economic momentum and success in the region,” said Central SC Alliance Chairman Jim Apple.

“Federal Mogul has a long history in Orangeburg County, and we are pleased to see them once again invest in South Carolina, especially in today’s economy. We greatly appreciate the continued commitment to Orangeburg County and look forward to supporting their continued growth and development,” said County Council Chairman, Johnnie Wright, Sr.

“We are excited about the growth of our existing industry. The addition of this industry’s jobs and capital investment shows Orangeburg County is a great place to work” said Jeannine Kees, Chair of Orangeburg County Development Commission. “This is a significant sign that automotive related industry is coming back.”

Federal Mogul Friction Products has been operating in Orangeburg since 1996 and has a 210,000 sq. ft. facility with 210 employees.

“IT’S A GREAT DAY IN ORANGEBURG COUNTY!”
For more information, you may contact:

C. Gregory (Gregg) Robinson, Executive Director
Orangeburg County Development Commission
125 Regional Parkway, Suite 100
Orangeburg, SC 29118
Phone: 803.536.3333
Fax: 803.534.1165
Email: grobinson@ocdc.com

By GENE ZALESKI, T&D Staff Writer

The sound of hammers echoed through the Orangeburg County/City Industrial Park Thursday afternoon as the county’s newest industry demonstrated its product: homes that can be quickly assembled for disaster-prone areas.
Within 20 minutes, more than half the walls of a 559-square-foot home were in place.

Twenty minutes later, all the walls were up. Just 1 hour and 15 minutes after construction began, the two-bedroom, one bathroom residence was complete.

A crew of five with no special tools or heavy equipment demonstrated how easy it can be to build one of EcoScape Composites’ homes. The company, a division of Innovative Composites International, celebrated the opening of its 126,000-square-foot facility on Thursday.

“We can hear the hammering in the background,” Orangeburg County Development Commission Executive Director Gregg Robinson said. “We like that. That sounds like a job to me.”

At about $120 per square foot, the company believes its homes will be priceless for those in developing countries or disaster-prone areas.

The most likely buyers will be governments seeking affordable and durable housing, company officials say.

Ecoscape says the fiber-reinforced homes will be earthquake resistant and able to withstand Category 5 hurricane-force winds with only cosmetic damages.

The homes use ICI’s Structure-Lite composite panels, which are made from thermoplastic fiber reinforced with composite skin material. The RMor Skin, owned and manufactured by ICI, forms the outer layer of the panels.

The material is touted by the company as being impact resistant, impervious to water and made with 100 percent recyclable materials.

Every panel is resistant to rot, mold and rust, with an impact-resistant skin that won’t decay when exposed to ultraviolet light, officials say. Sandwiched between the layers of skin material is a fire-resistant foam core.

Fastened together using a proprietary connection system and stainless steel screws, the assembly time per house is between two and four hours.

The homes are textured with colored facings, eliminating the need for on-site painting or exterior finish materials at the job site.

The company produces three models:
• The Cabin, a 512-square-foot, 2-bedroom modular home.
• The Bungalow, an 880-square-foot structure with three bedrooms, a living room, kitchen and four-piece bath and storage area.
• The Lodge, a 1,500-square-foot home with three large bedrooms, two four-piece baths, kitchen, living room, dining room and large front porch.
Sixteen 8-foot-by-16-foot shelters can be shipped in a 40-foot container.

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

By GENE ZALESKI, T&D Staff Writer

SANTEE – An active marketing campaign for the Jafza Americas industrial park is in full swing as interest in the 1,324-acre parcel increases, according to the company hired to market the property.

“There is some interest thus far,” said Hagood Morrison, senior vice president and principal of Colliers International’s Charleston office. “It is light interest from big users looking around other sites in the Southeast.

“There are not many sites this size with the amenities this site will have.”

Dubai-based Jafza purchased the Santee land in 2007 to develop a distribution, manufacturing and logistics center. Phase 1 of Jafza Magna park consists of 47 acres on the west side of Interstate 95, next to the Santee Town Hall, and 76 acres on the east side of I-95, behind the Santee Outlet Mall.

Jafza retained Colliers International, a commercial brokerage firm, to market the Jafza Magna Park last month.

Morrison said interest has spiked somewhat, especially since federal funds came in to upgrade the I-95 and U.S. 301 interchange.

Orangeburg County received $12.1 million in federal money toward the upgrade in December. It now has the $26.4 million it needs to build the project. Construction could begin by the end of this year.

Morrison said he expects interest to continue to grow in the property over the next six months.

“There are a lot of moving pieces,” he said, noting much depends on the economic situation. “This is a big deal and it can take a lot of time.”

Morrison said he expects a new industrial announcement at the park by this time next year.

Colliers already markets the property on its website, touting its location and rail access as well as Orangeburg County’s “strong incentives, low utility rates and an extensive technical college system.” The company also plans to ramp up its marketing efforts.

“We will be setting up a separate website for the property and will be doing direct communications with site selection consultants marketing to them and marketing directly to these manufacturing users as well,” he said. “There is a good story to be told.”

Orangeburg County Development Commission Executive Director Gregg Robinson said there has been significant interest in the Jafza property.

“It is just a matter of time,” Robinson said. He said in any given week he may receive about four or five inquiries about the site.

He said some of companies in the aerospace, automotive, advanced materials, metal fabrication, plastics and distribution sectors have expressed an interest.

“We are marketing to existing industry and other industries throughout the state,” Robinson said.

The first building in the Jafza South Carolina project, the Jafza Enterprise Center, officially opened in July 2011. The 16,000-square-foot building houses the S.C. Technical Institute Inc.

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