County, city break ground on $5 million building to attract industry

As long as there is a demand, they will build.

That is the message Kevin Werner, partner in the Columbia-based development company The Miller-Valentine Group, brought to Orangeburg County officials gathered Tuesday morning for the groundbreaking on a $5 million, 150,000-square-foot speculative building at the Orangeburg County/City Industrial Park.

With the sound of heavy equipment moving dirt in the background, Werner said Orangeburg County has already made a name for itself in the state and nationally with announcements by Jafza International and Monteferro America.

“Orangeburg County is on the map in South Carolina,” Werner said. “Anybody who is considering manufacturing, industrial or commerce in general has to consider Orangeburg. New companies making investments in South Carolina, new companies growing and expanding in South Carolina are all considering Orangeburg County.”

In light of this expected attention, Werner said Miller-Valentine is ready and willing bring buildings to house industry.

“This is one project … but we are here to meet the demand that Orangeburg is seeing,” Werner said. “We will do a second building once we move on, if there is a continued demand.”

The building, which is expandable to 300,000 square feet, will be located on about 21 acres across the street from Allied Air and next door to H.T. Hackney. It is being constructed to give the county an available building to show companies interested in moving into the area. The building is scheduled to be completed in late April or early May.

The building is The Miller-Valentine Group’s first shell building in the park. There is already about 1 million square feet of industrial space throughout the park.

The Miller-Valentine Group is constructing the building with the assistance of the city and county, which own the park. Under a financing agreement, the city and county will pay the interest, or “carrying costs,” of the developer for up to three years if the building does not have a tenant or buyer in the first year.

The county and city will split the costs equally. At the end of the three-year period, the county and city have the option of continuing to pay the carrying costs for three years or purchasing the building.

Orangeburg County Development Commission Executive Director Gregg Robinson said the new building will allow the county to recruit world-class companies.

“This is a very momentous occasion, for it has been quite some time that a speculative building has been in design,” he said.

Robinson said the construction of the building is a testament to the collaborative effort on the part of the city, county and community.

“This again proves that we are ready to take on the global industrial market through a speculative perspective,” he said.

Robinson said, “It is about jobs. This building is about creating opportunity for future Orangeburg as well as South Carolinians in the region. It gives us the go ahead to recruit the world-class companies.”

Werner said the speculative building will be designed to be as “flexible as possible for the end user.”

“Orangeburg County is a market that sets up perfectly for both manufacturing and distribution,” Werner said. “The Global Logistics Triangle will continue to be an area of focus in the global market for companies wishing to invest in South Carolina. This location is a great entry point into the North American market.”

Werner praised Orangeburg County leaders and said the county creates an atmosphere of open arms.

“An industry wants to go where they are accepted,” he said. “You certainly do that here in Orangeburg County.”

Orangeburg County Council Chairman Harry Wimberly noted that not long ago, the industrial park was a soybean field.

“Look at the progress we have made,” he said. “If you want to be big, you have to think big. We are well on our way to being big.”

Wimberly noted that despite having three educational institutions in Orangeburg, the area is often known for its inability to retain individuals after they receive an education.

“I am telling you, no more,” said Wimberly, with a noticeable passion. “We want to keep our folks home and we want to provide the economy, the jobs and the infrastructure that will keep them home so they can grow a family and raise a family here in Orangeburg County. This is the way we do it. We are just touching the tip of the iceberg here today.”

Orangeburg Mayor Paul Miller expressed his excitement that Miller-Valentine has chosen to invest in the region.

“I am looking forward to having this building occupied before they get finished with it so we can move on to another one,” he said. “If you don’t have product to show, it is hard to get a customer to be here.”