Dec. 3—Aiken County already has the Savannah River Site and the horse industry. It is also a destination for retirees escaping the cold weather of the North and military members from the soon-to-be Fort Eisenhower. But can it become a manufacturing hub?
Aiken County Councilman Gary Bunker thinks it can.
During a 20-minute presentation at the Greater Aiken Chamber of Commerce First Friday breakfast at Newberry Hall, Bunker listed some of the major manufacturing investments made in Aiken County.
His list included Shaw ($400 million expansion), Kimberly Clark ($150 million), Bridgestone ($120 million), Rolls Royce, and Central State Manufacturing.
"Now, past performance is no guarantee of future gain, right," Bunker said. "So, what about the future. I think the future looks pretty good for Aiken County in manufacturing."
Bunker said Aiken County has low property taxes, a pro-industry regulatory environment, available manufacturing sites, world class infrastructure, a large labor market and two higher-education institutions that make it attractive for companies looking to reshore manufacturing.
Bunker showed a slide during his presentation that showed Aiken County has the seventh-lowest millage rate in South Carolina.
He said the county's zoning ordinance and its development standards are pro-industry.
Bunker said the county's infrastructure includes I-20, rail and two power companies (Dominion and Aiken Electric Cooperative).
He said manufacturing sites were available at the Sage Mill Industrial Park on Bettis Academy Road near Interstate 20's exit 11 and were soon to be available near exit 39 at an industrial park being constructed with part of the money the county received from the state's plutonium settlement.
Bunker said some companies ask if Aiken County — population approximately 170,000 — can handle large manufacturing facilities and that he replies the county's labor market is larger than the county's population due to its proximity to Augusta and Columbia.
Bunker added he expected the trend of reshoring to continue due to a combination of the size of the market — the United States is the largest consumer market in the world — and the vulnerability of the global supply chain to disruption that leaves companies unable to complete or sell their products.
"Or as Toyota has said for decades now: build where your customers are," Bunker said. "So I think that we're going to see a lot more manufacturing coming back into the United States not necessarily for export but to serve the market because the United States market is still the largest consumer market in the world."
He said the county does face several challenges including hiring and keeping employees, the future of the Aiken County Courthouse, completing capital project sales tax and American Rescue Plan Act projects, upgrading infrastructure, providing a new training center for the county's volunteer fire departments and high inflation.