Giti Tires, Rock Hill Galleria highlight economic development successes in 2014
Depending on your favorite sport, June 16 was either the hat-trick, the trifecta, or more simply, the single biggest economic development day in South Carolina history.
That’s when three companies announced they would invest roughly $800 million and bring 7,100 jobs to York and Chester counties.
The projects included:
For Chester County, Giti’s plans mean jobs in an area where the unemployment rate has been among the state’s highest. The hope is the tire plant will bring other economic development, as well as housing, to the county.
For York County, the announcements show the county has the amenities and large office sites to become the new Cary, N.C. Companies will come not because of the deals offered, but because of the area’s lifestyle.
Most of the success for landing the companies was given to Karlisa Parker and Mark Farris, the economic development directors for Chester and York counties, respectively, and the S.C Department of Commerce. The Charlotte Regional Partnership, of which Chester and York counties are members, also offered its assistance in bringing jobs to South Carolina.
Farris later left York County for a similar position in Greenville County.
Lancaster County was not part of the hat-trick, but its economic successes for 2014 were no less impressive. It was a tale of two counties for Lancaster: suburban Indian Land and rural Kershaw.
In Indian Land, Red Ventures, the prototypical knowledge-based company, opened a third building with plans to expand its workforce by 1,000, prompting company officials to boast they would become the Google of the East Coast.
In Kershaw, Romarco Minerals, a Canadian company, finally completed all environmental reviews and announced it will invest $353 million to mine microscopic gold from the former Haile mine. The mine operation is expected to create 270 jobs.
Once again in 2014, the biggest medical story locally involved the planned Fort Mill hospital. A battle between Piedmont Medical Center in Rock Hill and the parent company of Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte continued to battle for permission to build a hospital in Fort Mill. An administrative law court judge in April gave Piedmont Medical Center permission to build the new hospital. After Carolinas HealthCare System challenged the decision, the judge vacated his ruling, only to reaffirm it in December. Next year could again see the issue headed back to court.
It was also a good year for retail, especially for three groceries: Publix opened its first Rock Hill location on Cherry Road, Bi-Lo upgraded its store on Main Street and Walmart started construction on the first of several neighborhood markets.
At the Rock Hill Galleria, Home South and the Revolutions entertainment complex opened – the first time in years that all of the mall’s anchor tenant spots have been leased at the same time.
It was a also a year for thrills and spills as Carowinds announced, and started to build, Fury 325, one of the world’s tallest and fastest roller coasters. At Riverwalk, Rock Hill opened its second cycling facility, a BMX track. Both the roller coaster and BMX track are expected to attract national and international visitors.
On the technology front, Rock Hill continued to move forward with its Knowledge Park initiative to recruit high-tech jobs and renovate the textile corridor between Winthrop University and downtown.
It was again a tale of threes for downtown as Comporium finished its Fountain Park East office building, the city and Comporium completed Fountain Park, and Comporium launched its ultra-fast gigabit internet service.
And, perhaps, the best news came last, as gas prices in the region dropped below $2 a gallon, the lowest they have been since 2009. Prices will likely rise in the spring, but still should remain low here, especially with South Carolina’s gas tax being among the lowest in the country.
This story was originally published December 29, 2014 at 12:19 AM with the headline "Giti Tires, Rock Hill Galleria highlight economic development successes in 2014."