Continental to expand Sumter tire plant

Continental Tire is expanding its Sumter facility, increasing tire production capacity from approximately 4 million tires for 2016 to approximately 8 million units by 2021. The expansion will more than double the current 700 jobs within the facility.

Tires produced at the Sumter plant will help meet the increasing demand for Continental and General brand tires from the aftermarket business and automotive manufacturers.

Kajima Building & Design Group, Inc. is general contractor of the projected nine-month construction project.

Altogether, Continental will invest more than $500 million into the Sumter plant and create about 1,600 new jobs. With the expansion, Continental has met the total projected investment of more than $500 million announced in October 2011.

Continental is expected to employ approximately 800 at the plant by the end of 2015. Continental continues to partner with readySC and local technical colleges to assist with staffing and training interested candidates and to develop tailored apprenticeship programs for mechatronics and production positions in the facility.

The phase II expansion is about 720,000 square feet including the new production hall and expanded warehouses for raw materials and finished goods. This is in addition to one million square feet in the existing plant.

Construction of the plant started June 2012 and the tire production began in October 2013. More than $100 million was awarded to South Carolina vendors in the construction of the plant’s first phase.

Business News

The Springs Close Foundation has presented its third round of “Fabric of the Community Awards.” Winners this year were Christian Services Inc. of Lancaster, the Children’s Attention Home in Fort Mill and Dr. Samuel Rogers Stone of Chester. Each winner received a $10,000 check and a handcrafted sculpture by Lancaster metal artist Bob Doster.

Christian Services Inc. provides assistance to those in need, reaching about 500 families each week. It distributes almost 1 million pounds of food a year, operates 20 mobile food trucks, helps families transitioning into homes with security deposits for housing and utilities, and operates a family store for those in need of household items and clothing.

The Children’s Attention Home has served more than 7,000 since 1970, offering them love and secure temporary care. The Home’s Shelter Program is open to any child in the state who has been a victim of abuse, abandonment or neglect.

For more than 30 years, Dr. Stone has provided free athletic physicals at three Chester County high schools, and was a co-founder and medical director of the Good Samaritan Free Clinic.

▪ Mike Obringer has joined the Lash Group, a patient support services company, as a senior vice president and chief operating officer. Obringer is responsible for the entire operational organization of the business including commercial operations, clinical operations, not-for-profit operations and business solutions.

He has more than 20 years of experience in leading high growth organizations, including vice president and general manager at NVISION in Chicago where he helped organizations outsource their operations of their marketing supply chain. He has a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Notre Dame.

▪  S.C. Secretary of State Mark Hammond is accepting nominations of charitable organizations for this year’s Angel awards.

To be eligible, nonprofit organizations must use at least 80 percent of their contributions for charitable services, have been in existence for three years or more, make good use of volunteer assistance, and do not rely heavily on government grants or grants from other organizations.

Letters of nomination for the 2015 Angels may be sent to the Secretary of State’s Office, Division of Public Charities, 1205 Pendleton St., Suite 525, Columbia, SC 29201. Nominations may be also sent to charities@sos.sc.gov. Letters of nomination should include the name of the charitable organization, the organization’s location and/or contact information, and the reasons why the organization should be honored as an Angel. Nominations will be accepted through Sept. 30.

▪ Mary Stewart Chatman has advanced from a first-time sales representative to vice president of sales at LogoNation, a community promotions product provider based in Mooresville, N.C. Chatman, a resident of Fort Mill, was named District Sales Manager for the two Carolinas in 2007, Regional Sales Manager for the Southeast in 2008, and National Sales Manager in 2012.

LogoNation, established in 1998, has served more than 1,000 towns and 15,000 businesses with its custom-designed and color-printed “CommuniTee” T-shirt and sweatshirt products.

Carowinds recently celebrated the academic achievements of five Carowinds employees, awarding them each a $1,000 scholarship for higher education studies. Winners of the 2015 Carowinds Scholarship program are: Mashario Morton, Brandon Brown, John Kline Jr., Rebekah McGuirt and Andrew Swiger.

To be eligible, associates had to be currently enrolled in an accredited college or university, have a cumulative GPA of a B or higher, and submit an essay to be reviewed by an independent panel of four education and business professionals.

Lauren Jones has been promoted to senior vice president of operations at Family Trust Federal Credit Union. Jones will be the senior administrator over audit and compliance, collections and recovery, claims management, and security. She also serves on the loan administration team. Jones joined Family Trust in 2005. She graduated from Winthrop University in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. She received the Certified Chief Executive designation from the Credit Union Executives Society’s CEO Institute in 2014. She lives in Indian Land.

Calendar

▪ TUESDAY – Leadership York County Alumni BBQ 6 p.m. at the Bowater-Catawba Recreation Park, 1673 Bowater Road.

▪ THURSDAY – Business After Hours for members of the York County Regional Chamber of Commerce, 5:30 p.m. at the Piedmont Family Practice Rock Hill, 2633 Celanese Road.

▪ THURSDAY – Business After Hours for members of the Lancaster County Chamber of Commerce is 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Gregory Health and Wellness Center, 476 Hubbard Drive, Lancaster.

This story was originally published September 12, 2015 at 6:09 PM with the headline "Continental to expand Sumter tire plant."