In This Issue

Alliance AdoptsStrategic Plan ..........................2

Anti-Litter Task Force ..............2

Carolina Soya AnnouncesExpansion ........................Cover

Mid-Am Metal Forming Announces Expansion ....Cover

SC Dept. of CommerceRates Grant Project ................4

SCA Director NamedState’s Top Developer ..............3

SCA LeadershipProgram ..................................3

Published Quarterly bySouthernCarolina Alliance

1321 Technology Drive Barnwell, S.C. 29812(803) 541-0023(803) 541-3322 fax

www.southerncarolina.org

REGION NEWSSPRING 2006

Volume 1, Issue 2

CAROLINA SOYA ANNOUNCES EXPANSION

Mid-Am Metal FormingAnnounces Expansion

Company Moves to Larger Facility and Adds Jobs

Carolina Soya LLC has announced it will expand its oper-ation in Estill by adding a soybean oil refinery to its currentsoybean processing plant. The expansion, to be in operationlate this year, will create dozens of new jobs and require acapital investment of over $8 million.

Paul Hankey, General Manager, and Bobby Creech,Commercial Manager, announced in early 2006 that the newfacility will produce soybean oil suitable as an ingredient forfood products and as a feedstock for industrial uses, such asbio-diesel.

Hankey stated, “we have a very capable workforce thatproduces the highest quality soybean meal in the country, andwe are confident we will continue that standard with this newproduct. We are well underway getting the additional operat-ing permits needed, and as soon as the financing for the proj-ect is finalized and we complete our negotiations with potentialcontractors we’ll be able to get the job started.”

He continued, “we would like to thank Chairman Parker,County Administrator Graham, and the Hampton CountyCouncil, Mayor Owens, town Manager Orr, and the Estill townCouncil, the SouthernCarolina Alliance, SCANA, CSX, HackMcGill and the SC Department of Commerce, and the LowCountry COG, for all their help and support.”

“Carolina Soya is an asset to our region, and we aredelighted with their expansion plans,” said Hampton CouncilChairwoman Peggy Parker. “We are here to assist and sup-port this expansion in any way we can.”

Sabrena Graham, County Administrator added, “we rec-ognize that more than 80% of new jobs are created by expan-sions of industries already doing business in the region.”

“It’s important to us that our industries like Carolina Soyarealize how much we appreciate their capital investment andjob creation in our communities,” said SouthernCarolinaAlliance President Danny Black. “We want to make it prof-itable and desirable for them to grow their industries right herein our four-county region.”

“We congratulate Carolina Soya on their expansionand are excited about the prospects this news means forour state as well as the Hampton County community,” saidSecretary of Commerce Joe Taylor. “The interest in bio-diesel and alternative fuels continues to build as ournation looks to lessen its dependency on petroleum-basedfuels. We see this expansion as a great opportunity thatcan tie in with other alternative fuel efforts being tested inour state, like hydrogen and fuel cell research projects.”

Carolina Soya LLC processes soybeans, extracts thecrude oil and produces soybean meal and hulls as feed ingre-dients in poultry rations and other animal feeds marketedthroughout the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida. The companyprocesses one in every three bushels of soybeans grown inSouth Carolina and Georgia. Carolina Soya is owned andoperated by a consortium of agribusiness firms, including theSouth Carolina Farm Bureau Marketing Association,Lynchburg Grain, and Home Place Farms.

Mid-Am Metal Forming recently announcedexpansion plans and moved their operation byinto the promotional building at the WillistonIndustrial Park West. The company completedthe move from its former 18,000 square-foot facility in the Williston Industrial Park East to itsnew 50,000 square-foot facility in the WillistonIndustrial Park West in May. With this expansion,Mid-Am expects to increase its current employ-ment level from 30 to 45 full time employees, with a three-year projection of 60 employees.

Mid-Am originally expanded its Missouri operationto Williston, SC, in 1998.

“This is an exciting time for BarnwellCounty, the Williston area and Mid-Am,” saidBarnwell County Economic DevelopmentCommission Chairman Pete Grady. “Thisexpansion could have been done in theirMissouri or Texas locations, but the success ofthis company in this area and the availability oflabor strongly influenced their decision to expandtheir Williston operation.”

Local leaders and Mid-Am officials celebrated the expansionannouncement by Mid-Am Metal Forming. Standing left to right:Tom Boulware, Attorney; Steve Johnson, Mid-Am Plant Manager; Marty Harvey, Attorney; Freddie Houston, BarnwellCounty Council; Keith Sloan, Barnwell County Council; MarkEidson, Mid-Am; and Carol Spain, Mid-Am. Seated are MartyMartin, Barnwell EDC Director and Dave Johnson, President of Mid-Am.

CONTINUES ON PAGE 2

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The expansion means both the creation ofnew jobs for the area and increased capitalinvestment.

“An added benefit is the availability of the18,000 square-foot building they moved out of, asthis facility has already generated interest fromseveral prospective industries, which will eventu-ally lead to additional job growth and increasedcapital investment,” added Marty Martin, Directorof the Barnwell County Economic DevelopmentCommission.

“We are excited about Mid-Am’s expansionplans,” said SouthernCarolina Alliance ChairmanCarl Gooding. “This success story is anotherreminder to all of us involved in economic devel-opment that more than 80 percent of new jobswill be created by local industry expansions, andwe need need to do all that we can to support ourexisting industries.”

Pete Grady, Barnwell County Economic DevelopmentCommission Chairman (Right), congratulates Dave Johnson,President of Mid-Am Metal Forming (Left).

Mid-AmCONTINUED FROM FRONT PAGE Anti-Litter Task Force Works With

Law Enforcement and SchoolsSouthernCarolina Alliance’s Anti-Litter Task Force continues their regional effort to promote eco-

nomic development by keeping our communities clean. Leaders from Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell,and Hampton Counties launched their regional effort last year by running public service announcementsin the local newspapers serving the four-county area. In the first quarter of 2006, the task force expand-ed that effort to include Quarterly Litter Enforcement Reports, which are comprised of law enforcementreports provided to the county governments in the four-county area.

In addition to the quarterly public service announcement, local newspapers received reports withthe names of those charged with littering, the fines they received, the location of the offense, and thearresting department.

Led by Chair Peggy Parker of Hampton County, the Anti-Litter Task Force has also met with repre-sentatives of the local school districts in Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell and Hampton Counties to discussprograms provided by Palmetto Pride to reach out to students from the primary to high school levels.

According to Parker, “Our regional Anti-Litter Task Force began by raising awareness about ourstate’s litter laws and encouraging enforcement by our local government agencies. We have now addeda new dimension to our program by coordinating a regional educational effort.

“Palmetto Pride offers anti-litter and beautification programs which meet the curriculum standardsfor the state,” said Parker. “We are encouraging our local schools to take advantage of these programs.”

Mrs. Parker added, “We need to get everyone involved, if we are truly going to keep our communi-ties clean and present our region as a wonderful place to work and live, as it truly is. When prospectivebusiness owners and site consultants are looking at our region as a place to locate their homes andbusinesses, they notice our highways and neighborhoods.”

The SouthernCarolina Alliance Anti-Litter Task Force is comprised of leaders from each of the fourcounties: Chairwoman Peggy Parker, Hampton County Council; Art Williams, Allendale CountyAdministrator; Rev.Isaiah Odom, Bamberg County Council Chairman; and Pickens Williams, BarnwellCounty Administrator.

For more information on how you can get involved in your local or regional anti-litter effort, pleasecontact the SCA office at 803.541.0023 or email us at sca@southerncarolina.org.

The SouthernCarolina Alliance Executive Committee held two planningsessions during the month of January to develop and adopt a strategic planfor the region’s economic development. The SCA Executive Committeeformed committees to address the topics of Product Development,Community Development, Marketing and Recruitment, and Structureand Finance for the Alliance.

The committees were comprised of more than 30 board members andindependent consultants and industry experts. The SCA Strategic Plan,“20/20 Vision for the Future,” was approved by the SCA ExecutiveCommittee at their February meeting, then presented in March and adoptedby the SCA Board of Directors at their annual meeting in April.

“We would like to thank all of our retreat participants,” said SCAChairman Carl Gooding, “Our strategic plan is an aggressive one for mar-keting our region and recruiting new industry in the coming years, and weare proud of the collaborative effort of our board members and communityleaders.”

Jim Kearse of Barnwell, Anne Rice of Allendale, Lynn Cox of Barnwell,Marjorie Thomas from Hampton, Carol Jeffords from Bamberg, AndySandifer, Melissa Patterson from SC Department of Commerce, BillRobinson, SCA Economic Development Director and Marty Martin,Executive Director of the Barnwell County Economic DevelopmentCommission, comprised the Task Force for Community Development.Flowe Trexler of Barnwell, Bill Hager from SCANA, Pete Brooker ofDenmark, Mickey Parker of Hussey Gay Bell & DeYoung, and Bob Clary,Bamberg County Project Manager developed the Industrial ProductDevelopment Task Force recommendations. SCA Board Member CraigMartin, Mark Williams of Strategic Development Group, Terri Smith fromBarnwell, Bob Goforth of Leake-Goforth, Meredith Cully of the SCDepartment of Commerce, and Kay Maxwell and Danny Black ofSouthernCarolina Alliance provided guidance for the Marketing Task Force.The Organizational Structure and Finance Task Force was led by CarlGooding of Allendale, David Cannon of Barnwell, Johnny Williamson ofBamberg, Kay Still of Barnwell, and SCA CEO Danny Black and OfficeManager Becky Beyer.

The SCA Retreat Participants were SCA Executive Committee mem-bers and appointed board members: Johnny Williamson, Vice Chairman;Pete Brooker, Treasurer; Jim Kearse of Barnwell; Kay H. Still of Barnwell;Carl Gooding, Chairman; David Cannon, Vice Chairman; James Pinkney ofAllendale; Peggy Parker of Hampton; Bill Hager from Hampton; TheReverend Isaiah Odom of Bamberg, and Danny Black, CEO and President.The retreat facilitator was Ed Burgess of CDS, Inc.

“The SouthernCarolina Alliance Board of Directors addressed theissues of job creation, wealth creation, lower unemployment, expandedindustrial tax base, improved cooperation and regionalism, the image of ourregion, and improving the quality of life for our citizens,” said Danny Black.

“The retreat process was important,” said SCA EconomicDevelopment Director Bill Robinson, who also serves on Allendale CountyCouncil. “Our members have a vested interest in achieving these goalsbecause we were the architects of the regional plan.”

Alliance Adopts Strategic Plan for the Region

SouthernCarolina Alliance retreat participants work with facilitator Ed Burgess on their strategic plan for the region, “20/20 Vision for the Future.”

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Over 150 people attended the leadershipgraduation celebration held at the USCSalkehatchie Hut in Allendale on May 8th.Graduates were participants from sevenLowcountry counties including Allendale,Barnwell, Bamberg, and Hampton Counties.S.C. Commissioner of Agriculture HughWeathers served as the keynote speaker andchallenged the group to go forth and use theirnew skills and knowledge to better their commu-nities.

The event was the culmination of the year’sagenda for SouthernCarolina Leadership pro-gram, which included participants from business,industry, and public service. The goal of theseclasses is to develop informed communities ofactive, committed leaders who can effectivelyaddress community issues and focus on com-munity growth and development for the region.

The SouthernCarolina Leadership Classfor Barnwell, Bamberg, Allendale, and HamptonCounties is cosponsored by USC SalkehatchieLeadership Institute, Clemson UniversityExtension Service, and SouthernCarolinaRegional Development Alliance and empha-sizes regionalism and economic development.

Members of the 2005-2006SouthernCarolina Leadership Class are: SybilHorton of Barnwell; Verger Ashley of Elko;Janice Roberson of Brunson; Joan Brown fromHampton: Vernie Harney from Allendale;Darainey Hudson from Brunson; Patricia Evansof Williston; Rovella Phillips of Barnwell;Catherine Russell from Fairfax; LorettaGoodman of Denmark; Richard Varnadoe fromEhrhardt; John Turner from Barnwell; KayMaxwell of Bamberg; Gwen Walker ofAllendale; Julie Moseley of Hampton; SuzanneGoodson of Ulmer; Nancy Foster of Bamberg;Holbrook Platts of Hampton; Elaine Fergusonof Allendale; Marjorie Thomas of Hampton;and Janette Moyer of Walterboro.

SCA Chairman Carl Gooding, who servedas the Master of Ceremonies for theLeadership Graduation services, said, “Morethan any other asset, the strength of our com-munities relies on strong leadership. We needcitizens who are willing to take the time andmake the sacrifice to lead at the local, regional,and state level. Please take this time to makea commitment to improving our community bygetting involved. Your own life will be enriched

by it, and the quality of life your children willenjoy will benefit from your service today andwill be felt for many generations to come.”

Leadership classes are offered annually toleaders and potential leaders in the Region.Those interested in enrolling in Leadership classes for 2006-2007 (beginning in August of2006) should contact Anne Rice at 803-584-3446at ext. 190 or email: annerice@gwm.sc.edu.

Members of the 2005-2006 Leadership Class participatedin a Regional Leadership Retreat in the Fall of 2005 as partof the program to build their leadership skills and fosterregionalism among the leaders of our four counties.

S.C.A. Director Named State’s Top DeveloperS.C. Economic Developers Honor Danny Black

Danny Black, President and CEO of SouthernCarolina Alliance, has been named S.C. Developerof the Year by the S.C. Economic Developers’ Association. Black was honored with the award at theAnnual Meeting of the S.C. Economic Developers’ Association in Charleston on May 4th.

The S.C. Economic Developers’ Association is comprised of 575 economic development pro-fessionals in the state, including local developers, engineers, local and state government officials,attorneys, and utility representatives involved in industrial development across South Carolina.

Black was nominated as Developer of the Year by several of his peers and was presented the award by the officersof the S.C. Economic Developers Association and Dr. Jim Morris of Wilbur Smith Associates, who served asAwards Committee Chairman.

“Danny’s leadership has enabled us to create a truly unified alliance among four of the poorest counties in thestate, and his efforts have laid the groundwork for success for the future,” said SCA Chairman Carl Gooding ofAllendale.

“Our region has landed two of the largest capital invest-ments in our state in the last five years with Kronotex USAand Grant Forest Products,” added Gooding. “Through ourmulti-county alliance, we all share in the job creation and thetax revenue, which is significant. Danny Black provided theleadership necessary to land these projects, forging coalitionswith local and state leaders and negotiating with these inter-national corporations to bring this investment to our region.”

Danny Black has served as President of the Alliance sinceits inception in 1995, when he joined the organization underWestinghouse’s Loaned Executive Program. Prior to the for-mation of the Alliance, Mr. Black was employed asWestinghouse-Savannah River Site’s Manager of GovernmentPrograms and also served as Chairman of Barnwell CountyCouncil. Under his leadership, the Alliance has purchased anddeveloped the 1607-acre South Carolina Advanced TechnologyPark in Barnwell County, the 440-acre CrossRhodes RegionalIndustrial Park in Bamberg County, and the 140-acre PointeSalkehatchie Regional Business Park in Allendale County at no cost to county taxpayers. Mr. Black has put the Alliance in the unique position to own and devel-op marketable industrial sites to benefit the region for years to come through a “multi-county” agreement, sharing tax revenue on an equitable basis.

The SouthernCarolina regionwas well represented at theS.C. Economic DevelopersAssociation Annual Meetingin Charleston, whereBamberg CountyAdministrator Rose Dobson-Elliott (second from left) wasawarded the SCEDAEconomic Developer’sSchool scholarship and SCACEO Danny Black (fourthfrom left) was named S.C.Developer of the Year.Pictured here are (left toright): Bamberg County Project Manager Bob Clary, Mrs. Dobson-Elliott, Mrs. Danny (Debra) Black, Mr.Black, SCA Vice Chairman David Cannon, Barnwell County EDC Director Marty Martin, SCA Office ManagerBecky Beyer and Allendale County Economic Development Director and County Councilman Bill Robinson.

SCA Leadership Program: Fostering Leadership Through Regionalism

“I’ve seen firsthand the work thatDanny Black and others in theSouthern Carolina Alliance are doingto market their region and agree withour friends at SCEDA that he’s donean outstanding job,” said SouthCarolina’s Secretary of CommerceJoe Taylor. “With new companies likeGrant Forest Products and KronotexUSA entering the region, three newindustrial parks and the redevelop-ment of downtown Barnwell, it’s easyto see why business leaders and resi-dents alike are excited about theirprospects for ongoing economicdevelopment success.”

SouthernCarolina Regional Development Alliance1321 Technology DriveBarnwell, SC 29812

The S.C. Department of Commerce released the State’s AnnualEconomic Development Report for 2005, listing Grant ForestProducts’ $225 million investment in Allendale County as the largesteconomic development announcement in the State of South Carolinafor the year.

Grant Forest Products’ capital investment in Allendale andClarendon Counties is the 4th largest economic developmentannouncement in the state since the Department of Commerce begankeeping records almost twenty years ago. According to an AssociatedPress report from January 1, 2006, only BMW ($500 million) in Greerin 1992, Bridgestone-Firestone ($435 million) in Graniteville in 1991,and Global-Aeronautica ($566 million) in North Charleston in 2004,have exceeded the investment in South Carolina announced by GrantForest Products of Canada in 2005.

2005 was a banner year for the SouthernCarolina region, withover $225 million in new investment and more than $18 million inexpansions announced, bringing total investment to more than $243million for the SouthernCarolina Alliance region.

“We are thrilled that our small, rural region had the largest capitalinvestment in the state in 2005,”said SouthernCarolina AllianceChairman Carl Gooding, “but we can’t rest on our laurels. With thedownsizing at SRS and with the decline of the textile industry, ourarea of the state still sorely needs job creation. We are working to

make 2006 another tremendous year for our four-county region, andwe’re well on our way, with several existing industries planning toannounce expansions.”

For more details on the 2005 Annual Economic DevelopmentReport for the State of South Carolina, go to www.sccommerce.comor email SCA at kmaxwell@southerncarolina.org.

SC Department of Commerce Rates GrantProject as Largest Capital Investment