Staff Writer

Economic development is a complex, lengthy, collaborative process involving many different people brought together through the efforts of the development board, executive director Stanley Vanderford says.

After nine years as executive director of the Union County Development Board Vanderford announced this week that he is retiring. His term expires in June and Vanderford said he will not ask to be appointed to another four-year term. He said he is announcing his retirement now to give the development board time to find a successor.

During Vanderford's nine years in office, Union County has attracted several new industries including the Dollar General Regional Distribution Center; LSP Automotive Systems, a BMW spinoff; Contech; the planned Congaree Bio Energy ethanol plant; and Sloan Construction Co.'s planned liquid asphalt cement storage facility. Existing industries such as Disney Direct Marketing, Sonoco Products Co. and Timken US Corporation have expanded during that time.

Vanderford said that all of these achievements were the result of a collaborative effort involving numerous local, state and private groups working together, often for years at a time. He said his role as development board director has been to bring these groups together.

“This is not an overnight thing - you work on projects and sometimes it takes several years of constant negotiations with site consultants for companies,” he said. “LSP is a BMW spin-off employing 160 people, a lot of them from Union County, but it took 12 years, from 1994-2006, to get it here.

“This is not an ‘I' job; it takes many people to be successful, it's not something you do alone,” he said. “I'm a facilitator, I facilitate the coming together of engineers, architects, power companies, contractors, the S.C. Department of Commerce, the county, the city, surveyors, the environmental people and others. All are involved in every project you do.”

Vanderford pointed out that projects that seem to have no immediate benefit can eventually play an important role in facilitating economic development. The spec building in Union Commerce Park sat vacant for several years, leading to complaints that its construction had been a waste of money. Then, Timken needed space to relocate its maintenance operations from the Tyger River plant and found it in the spec building. Leasing the spec building enabled Timken to expand production capacity of its Tyger River plant to serve the wind energy market.

The importance of the spec building was recognized by the state in 2003 when it awarded Union County the Palmetto Partnership Award.

Vanderford said spec buildings, industrial parks, infrastructure and site preparation are long-term investments that make the county attractive to industrial prospects. It is an ongoing process which he said must continue if the county is to remain attractive to industry.

“You can't afford not to do this because you have to have a product to show and sell,” he said. “Industrial parks, spec buildings, certified sites - their availability gives you something to show a prospect. If you don't have it, what's he going to look at? What are you going to show him? What's he going to see?”

This continuing need for industry-ready property is why Vanderford has worked with the county and department of commerce to purchase the Trakas site on S.C. 9 near Disney and Dollar General for just over $1 million. The 164-acre tract will serve as the county's new industrial park and Vanderford is working with other officials to get water and sewer to the site. He added that extending industrial-strength sewer service to the Jonesville area and beyond is key to attracting industry to the upper end of the county.

“Manufacturing needs to be where sewage treatment is available if it discharges industrial waste such as metal and oil,” he said. “That means the upper end of the county to the county line needs to be connected to sewage treatment through Union.”

A major part of any development project is money and Vanderford has worked to secure new sources of funding over the past nine years.

“Before I came here utility tax credits were never used for economic development,” he said. “We've obtained $1,073,000 worth of utility tax credits to bring in industry, create industrial parks and build infrastructure. We've got those credits from Lockhart Power ($418,000), Broad River Electric ($562,000), Santee Cooper ($32,500), Duke Power ($10,000) and AT&T ($60,000).

“The county has been awarded $6,725,000 in RIF funds from the Department of Commerce,” he said. “That money's been used for industrial parks, spec buildings, roads, marketing and land acquisition.”

His efforts as a negotiator, to bring local, state and private agencies together, and to secure new sources of funding for economic development have paid off. Since 2002, 1,825 new jobs have been created, a net gain of roughly 1,600 and $521 million worth of new property has added and/or will be added to the county tax rolls.

Vanderford said his years as executive director have been rewarding and he wishes Union County continued success. He also praised those at the local and state level who worked with him during that time.

“This is a very rewarding job; you meet a lot of wonderful people from throughout the state and the nation,” he said. “Another wonderful thing has been the local leadership, Donnie Betenbaugh is a prize, a fantastic leader for this community and I have thoroughly enjoyed working with him; Carlisle Oxner and the other board members have been great to work with and very supportive. There's also been a lot of assistance from the Department of Commerce and we appreciate their partnership for a better Union County.

“The local media have been very supportive and cooperative in announcing new industry,” he said. “It's great to have a local media that brings positive recognition to the community.”