Investment by foreign countries might help punch hole in South Carolina's poverty beltORANGEBURG'S OPPORTUNITY The Post and Courier
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Wade Spees Patricia Salley (clockwise from upper left), Tomeka Gregg, Gregg Robinson, Marvin Cain, Homer Spencer, Jeannie Kees and Jane Timmons are just a few of the many people whose lives could be radically changed by foreign investment in Orangeburg County. 
The Post and Courier Photo GalleryOrangeburg's Opportunity Business interests from both Dubai and China are looking at Orangeburg County for major development projects, which may help lift the county from its standing in the "poverty belt." And for the largely rural county, change will be inevitable. Here's a look at some of its residents' reactions.
PROVIDENCE — Dahl Shuler steps down from hammering in roof trusses on a new concession stand for the Purple Hurricanes baseball diamond at Providence United Methodist Church. The stand is about the only new construction around this tiny crossroads community amid the vast farmlands of eastern Orangeburg County. From this vantage point, you'd never know that Providence sits at the middle of what Orangeburg County economic development officials have dubbed the Global Logistics Triangle, a huge chunk of the county bordered by interstates 26 and 95 and U.S. Highway 301. If county planners have their way, Providence will soon be bustling, as it hosts a mammoth inland port, factory and office complex serving not only the Port of Charleston but also companies shipping products up and down the East Coast. It could bring thousands of jobs and do what nothing has done before: End the high unemployment that has kept this county strapped in the poverty belt that runs along I-95 from Georgia to North Carolina and forms a semi-circle around the Charleston metropolitan area. Orangeburg's dream may be on the verge of coming true with two massive projects proposed for Orangeburg County: One is a 1,300-acre land deal in which Jafza International, a division of Dubai World, the mega Persian Gulf trading company, plans to build an inland port and office complex. Earlier this month, Jafza opened its North American headquarters in Charleston. The other project is a 1,200-acre land deal in which a Charleston-based company, World Trade City Orangeburg LLC, plans to build a massive business center and bring in Chinese manufacturing and assembly plants. Together the two projects could bring investments of up to $2 billion over 10 to 15 years and thousands of jobs. "Get ready for the incoming tsunami of trade," says Gregg Robinson, executive director of the Orangeburg County Development Commission. "I want every child in Orangeburg County to know when they finish high school they have a job in the Logistics Triangle." Shuler offers a more sober perspective. He runs a construction company and says the influx of money and construction will be good for him. But his two brothers are farmers, and he worries that all the investment and increases in land value will kill the farming nature of eastern Orangeburg County. "They see what one guy sold a 100 acres for, a million dollars, and you think, 'I'll just sell mine,' " he says. Shuler says he's happy that the companies might bring badly needed jobs, but adds, "I'm scared of the Chinese and Arabs" and the change they could bring to this county's lifestyle. He gazes across the baseball diamond. He used to play here as a kid. He was catcher. His kids play here. He built the concession stand for the church baseball diamond without profit. "Everything is volunteer in these places," he says. "Things aren't going to be the same." Reward for a lot of work Robinson smiles a lot when he talks about what's happening. This is what Orangeburg County has been waiting for forever, he says. And it's the product of years of work getting money, strong political leadership and cooperation between county, city and town governments to lay down the costly but necessary combination of water, sewer, power, roads, rail access and available land to finally take advantage of the county's position astride two interstates. The result is what he calls "fertile soil conditions" — a readiness to plant the seeds of economic growth. James E. Clyburn, the powerful U.S. House Majority Whip who represents the Orangeburg area in Congress, says the effort really got under way in the early 1990s when he set out with county and community officials to get one thing much of the area lacked: clean drinking water. That led to sewer systems and the other basics that businesses and industry need. But it also took something outside the county's control: a surge in international business, which many expect will bring a flood of imports through the Port of Charleston and other nearby ports, bound for cities across the eastern United States. And Orangeburg County sits at the center of that. For years that position gave this county no advantage. Its list of negatives is long, including a massive economic disparity between its majority black population and minority whites, one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation, and poverty gripping more than one in four residents. While some in the county worry that the newcomers will change the county's rural character, Robinson disagrees. "We've got plenty of land," he says. Besides — and this is a theme he and his team repeat again and again — "poverty is not acceptable." "This is an opportunity for Orangeburg to turn the corner," he says. "If we fail to deliver, we're missing a golden opportunity." And missing is not an option. "I want children in Orangeburg County to know that when they finish high school or college, they can stay at home and work," Robinson says. Other residents of the county say any change is welcome if they can get good jobs in the county. That has not been an option for many in Orangeburg who must commute to Columbia or Charleston, each about an hour away. Marion Cain, 37, a route salesman for Sara Lee, says he would jump at the chance to work in a factory or plant. He's done it before. The area needs more industry, he says. Cain's colleague, Tyrone Johnson, 37, figured that his military training would help him land a good job and support his two sons and daughter. "Family, that's why I came here," he says. His wife has no choice but to commute. She's a flight attendant based in Charlotte. But the airline allows her to work out of the Columbia airport, a 40-mile drive. "Coming here, you have to have a plan," Johnson says. The promise of good jobs from new international businesses could make it a lot easier to call Orangeburg home. Jessica Roberts, 24, is part of the Gina's Housekeeping team that cleans the Santee Wire Products facility on Vance Road and other buildings in the county. Surely, new development would bring more work, she says. "Orangeburg's been needing change for a long time," she says. "Orangeburg needs to be really on the map." Homer Spencer, 45, fills out a job application at the South Carolina Employment Security Commission. Spencer does a little landscaping and painting work, when he can find it, but wants something steady. He worked part-time for most of last year at Koyo, a bearing manufacturer, but such jobs often are temporary or seasonal. The planned inland port sounds good. "I'm waiting on that," he says. At what price? Walter Dantzler's family has farmed near Providence for generations, but he's worried that the industry could be threatened by all the incoming development and people. He's concerned about "how it will affect our way of life, and the way we do things. You have to understand our way of life. All we do is farm." He, his son and four employees grow corn, cotton, wheat, soybeans and peanuts and raise beef cattle on some 3,500 acres spread over 10 miles of eastern Orangeburg County. Some of the land butts up to what would become Jafza's inland port. He's worried about increased traffic on the rural farm roads that his farm equipment travels as he and his workers move between fields. Already, he says, drivers unfamiliar with farming grow increasingly intolerant of his slow-moving equipment. He's worried about safety. And he's worried about the influx of people into a farming community, people who aren't used to the dust and noise that farming naturally creates, or the smell of hogs and cattle and chickens. He's suspicious about all the concern over unemployment. He says the biggest problem for him and other farmers is finding people willing to work. He says he pays salaries "much higher than minimum wage," and provides health benefits and performance bonuses. Still, he says, he can't get all the workers he needs. Perhaps they think farming is back-bending work, but it's not really like that any more. Today, farmers run high-tech machines with air-conditioned cabs. Dantzler worries most about the price of land. With all the development and speculation going on, he says, some land already is selling for as much as $3,500 an acre. Soon, he says, it will be next to impossible for him to buy additional farm land, and renting land to farm at a profit may be even harder. "They're squeezing up on us," he says, "and we don't know where it will end." |
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Comments
This article has 13 comment(s)
Posted by LutherVanderhorst on March 23, 2008 at 12:54 a.m. (Suggest removal)
There are a lot of "coulds and mights" in this article.
Posted by majorjohnson on March 23, 2008 at 7:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Why don't you come out here and invest a few billion dollars JohnQ? You can pay everyone down to the guys who wash the toilets a million dollars a year with 6 months vacation if you like.
Freaking fascist. The only good job as far as JohnQ is concerned is an overpaid union job or an overpaid government job.
Posted by Zod on March 23, 2008 at 10:04 a.m. (Suggest removal)
The quickest way to lead that area out of poverty is to extend interstate 77 from Columbia through the area detailed on the map, all the way to the Blufton/Hilton Head exit on I95. The proposed extension will also serve as the main artery to get goods out of the proposed port in Jasper county. The region would incur an explosion of good port related jobs.
The region surrounding Interstate 16 from Savannah to Atlanta is set receive the majority of the benefit of said port. Why? The Georgia congregation PLANNED for it.
Is this idea just too simple to understand?
Posted by archdude on March 23, 2008 at 10:17 a.m. (Suggest removal)
ZOD
You are right on. Extend an Interstate and generally at least some good follows. Obviously GA planned better...I do not think SC government knows the meaning of the word "plan" as they only try to make corrections after taking blind action.
Posted by archdude on March 23, 2008 at 10:22 a.m. (Suggest removal)
fascist
fascism
1: a political philosophy, movement, or regime (as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition
2: a tendency toward or actual exercise of strong autocratic or dictatorial control <early instances of army fascism and brutality — J. W. Aldridge>
There you go majorjohnson and JohnQ...the real definition of the word you two so unabashingly incorrectly use so often. Sometimes I think you guys need to look up the definition of socialism to see exactly how it fits your posts...or at least be able to to say something wise without constantly trying to call all those who have a different mindset a fringe name.
Posted by captivated on March 23, 2008 at 10:36 a.m. (Suggest removal)
JohnQ and company; you guys can talk politics all you want, but the reality is that the Orangeburg area is badly in need of economical solutions to help end the poverty and joblessness in that area. I was born and raised in that area and there have been few improvements there in the past 30 years. This is what caused me and others like me to leave that area. Besides, if they don't take advantage of this opportunity, these investors will just move on up the road. As far as Mr. Dantzler is concerned, Man, you got 3500 acres already over 10 miles and you are worried about the price of land going up? I would be busy putting up FOR SALE signs.
Posted by whome on March 23, 2008 at 11:07 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I think JohnQ's point is basically this: this is just another example of programs that seek to fix short-term problems without any disregard to the future implications to the nation's health overall. But this argument is extremely valid. After all, look at the stuff going on today. Yes, the Bear Stearns bailout may have positive short-term results, but the government will eat those losses in the future. WalMart may be great in the short-term, but is it a good thing when the US has a -800B balance of payments to the rest of the world? Then we wonder why gas will hit $4 and inflation 8%.
Posted by majorjohnson on March 23, 2008 at 11:40 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I'm in the Orangeburg area. I doubt that a single minimum wage job comes out of this, they will be very good paying jobs, especially for the folks around here who have to drive an hour to get to work or who don't have a job at all.
Per fascims, JohnQ fits definition 1 very nicely if you ever read his posts archdude. He believes absolutely that the only good in America comes from government and that only government should control the profits of business, wages, housing, etc...
And JohnQ, fascist economically isn't ownership of industry by government, it's owner of the profits by government.
Posted by farmer on March 23, 2008 at 12:53 p.m. (Suggest removal)
captivated, Mr. Dantzler does not own the land he rents it that is why it is troubling to him to see this come so near his house, if rent prices go up or outsiders buy the land he will be pushed out of his livelihood. I live in Providence the area in question in Orangeburg county, job availability is not the problem, laziness is the problem. There are numerous oppurtunities for those who live below standard to acquire jobs, but they don't care, they can live off the goverment and do a few odd jobs to pick up the money necessary to buy there lotto tickets and the beer needed for the next drinking binge. Besides ORangeburg County has 3 industrial parks that are nowhere near full because companies do not want to come here because noone wants to work and the ones that do are incompetent of operating most techincal instruments. my aprents owned a gas station for seven years and the unemployment office would periodically send out applications, the responses and qualifications were downright disheartening, this is a rural county with a huge education problem and that problem needs to be addressed before any corporations move in. County develpers see growth only becasue they are to caught up in the situation to see the inevitable, FAILURE. Come live a day in my shoes at my house before you talk about how this is good for Orangeburg County.
Posted by blah_blah_blah on March 23, 2008 at 1:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Happy Easter................fascists.
Posted by captivated on March 23, 2008 at 8:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Sorry, farmer. I didn't know Mr. Dantzler rented his farming land, however, I find it hard to believe that the huge amount of joblessness in that area is due to laziness. My family sharecropped, I picked huge amounts of cotton and shucked and shelled huge amounts of corn to take to the gristmill so we could have grits and during my farming days, we worked very hard so that someone else could buy new trucks and more property for us to toil on. I admit that my opinion may be a bit skewed due to the hardships I had to endure back then, but I still think this is a step in a positive direction for the midlands so I would suggest we wait and see if the negatives outweigh the positives. Happy Easter all!
Posted by CHRISJIII on March 24, 2008 at 12:11 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I'm very happy for the people of that region of the state. Hopefully all of these plans will go through and they will be able to get higher paying jobs. The state as a whole will also benefit.
Posted by Country on March 24, 2008 at 8:30 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I also grew up in Providence, and I agree with farmer 100%. Education should be made the #1 priority of the county officials, I am not downing the teachers of the area because I believe their are truly some great ones out there and they are doing the absolute best with what they have. However, take a look at this site https://ssl.sc.gov/SchoolReportCards/Dis... out of the county's three school districts two received a unsatisfactory rating, and the other a below average rating in the 2007 annual report card. Secondly, like farmer said there are already three industrial parks in the county that are not at there total capacity. In fact, I cannot recall there being one building present the last time pasted the John W. Matthews Jr. Industrial park. These three sites do not include the largely industrial area on the outskirts of Orangeburg along SC 21. Third, before any large industrial port thinks about coming to the county the transportation issue of Orangeburg county needs to be addressed. Many roads in Orangeburg county already need to be repaved, but the budget is too tight for that. Additional trucks will furthermore run down these roads that are already in need for repair, as well as crowd to the already bustling interstates in the county. Both I-26 & I-95 are only two lanes on their respectful east/west, north/south bounds throughout the entirety of the county. It is is also not an unusual seen for those who live in the area to have witnessed major backups especially during the summer months and holidays due to the overcrowding of the exchange of these two interstates. I have witnessed I-95 being backed up from the I-26/I-95 interstate interchange to SC 15 (about seven miles), when there were no collisions just people trying to change interstates. I can only imagine how bad the backups will be once this unnecessary inland port develops. Their will also have to be the construction of a new major interchange at Highway 301 & I-95. The interchange that currently exist only allows you to exit south bound I-95 onto Highway 301 or exit Highway 301 onto North bound I-95. In order for a large functioning port and major transportation hub, an interchange would be needed allowing access to all directions. The county is a povered county, but it does take an effort and an education to make a living as well.