Partnership Alliance celebrates $2.15M in new investment to county at annual meeting
With a movie theater-styled production, the Greenwood Partnership Alliance on Thursday capped off a busy year that saw an infusion of more than $2.1 million into the local economy and the addition of eight jobs.
But, true to the cinematic form, officials with the economic development agency were just as excited about the coming attractions as they were for the featured presentation.
“When I talk about the partnership and what makes Greenwood County unique, the one word that stands out to me is ‘vision,'” Partnership Alliance CEO Heather Simmons Jones told stakeholders during the agency’s annual meeting at the Greenwood Community Theatre. “When we talk about how we differentiate ourselves, having product that meets the needs of investors that others don’t have is certainly a way we do that.”
Jones said the Alliance took three “major wins” in 2015-16, seeing more than $1.5 million in expansions by Central Packaging and Crating and Monti Inc., and adding CrawlSpaceRepair.com to the county’s commercial portfolio after it purchased the former Carolina Coatings Building and added eight local jobs in February.
Officials also worked closely with the Greenwood Genetic Center in creating a strategic plan for its research park.
But much of the talk focused on November’s capital project sales tax referendum and how its passage would boost the county’s economic development prospects.
Frank Wideman, chairman of the Alliance’s executive committee, said two of the projects: Construction of a Center for Advanced Manufacturing Excellence on the campus of Piedmont Technical College and the development of a county industrial park are essential for long-term competition.
Wideman said Greenwood County has missed out on 39 opportunities over the past two fiscal years, forgoing more than $1.5 billion in unrealized capital investment and 4,500 jobs “due to a lack of ready product.”
The industrial park project would lead to the construction of a spec building and pad-ready construction site.
“Both of these projects are vitally important to the economic success of Greenwood County,” Wideman said.
Contact staff writer Adam Benson at 864-943-5650 or on Twitter @ABensonIJ.
Originally Published by Index-Journal on:Oct 14, 2016
By ADAM BENSON abenson@indexjournal.com