By Trisha Ostrowski

A once mothballed site in rural South Carolina has found new life as one of the state’s most promising industrial parks. This 1600-acre site, located in the Southwest quadrant of the state along the Savannah River, officially opened in summer 2000 as the South Carolina Advanced Technology (SCAT) Park, providing an exceptional business location in a distinctly rural setting.

The site was formerly the $300 million Allied General Nuclear Service’s (AGNS) plant, constructed in the 1970s for nuclear fuels reprocessing. However, with Cold War era concerns over the vulnerability of nuclear technology, then-president Jimmy Carter directed that the plant should never open. The site lay dormant for more than a decade.

The idea for the bold transformation took shape in 1991, a time when rural Barnwell County, where the park is located, was looking for solutions to combat double-digit unemployment. Later, in 1995, the Tri County Alliance was formed from three rural counties—Barnwell, Bamberg and Allendale and the entire region began strategically working together to recruit industry.

With the keen insight that the unused plant could become a major economic development asset, Tri County Alliance approached the site’s owner, a partnership of Allied Signal, Chevron and Shell Oil, to brainstorm exactly how the property could spur job growth. After $10 million in clean up efforts by AGNS, Tri County Alliance gained possession and began forming a master plan for development.

“From dormancy to productivity—from AGNS to the Tri-County Alliance. Three rural counties truly working together accomplished something great here,” said Danny Black, president of the Tri-County Alliance. “The three counties had the leadership necessary to recognize an invaluable asset and had the vision to put the project ahead of everything else to build a new foundation to benefit the entire region.”

“SCAT Park really is the ultimate in recycling and teamwork,” said South Carolina Governor Jim Hodges. “The old AGNS site was put on the shelf and unused. But with teamwork, the area was thoroughly cleaned, completely decommissioned under the supervision of South Carolina’s Department of Heath and Environmental Control, and is now one of the state’s largest and most promising industrial parks.”

Along with capitalizing on rural advantages such as lack of overcrowding or traffic problems, companies that locate in SCAT Park can reap the benefits of being next door to the Savannah River Site (SRS), a Department of Energy nuclear facility. Park residents have the unique opportunity to utilize SRS’ tech center to consult with experts in the environmental and technology fields. Occupants can also profit from a significant high tech work force, which has been downsized from the Savannah River facility. As recently as 1995, the Department of Energy laid off 10,000 workers in the area, many of whom continue to seek technology intensive jobs.

In total, the SCAT Park offers locating or expanding companies a work force from three counties totaling 55,000 people. To retrain these technology-savvy workers, firms can utilize South Carolina’s national model TECH Special Schools Program, a division of the state’s extensive Technical College System. Special Schools is available to recruit, hire and train a work force with job specific skills, all at no cost to the company.

In addition to an available work force, the park offers necessary infrastructure already in place. For instance, the site boasts onsite rail service, a stand-alone waste treatment plant and onsite water treatment (with a capacity of 6,000 gallons per minute), ideal for water-intensive users. And because it was originally constructed as a nuclear plant, the SCAT Park also offers a unique fire prevention system: a 56 million gallon onsite lake. The presence of this water store means that locating companies could realize significant savings on insurance coverage.

To further reduce costs, companies can take advantage of some specific state and county tax incentives, such as fee-in-lieu-of-tax arrangements, designed to lure industry to the SCAT Park. Also, the park can charge less for infrastructure amenities because the water and sewer are available onsite, according to Black.

Clearly proving the viability of this industrial project, by the time the park officially opened last summer, three companies had already announced investment and job creation—recognizing the tremendous success factors present. An additional company has since announced plans to locate in SCAT Park as well.

As South Carolina Secretary of Commerce, Charles S. Way, Jr. said at the SCAT Park’s opening, “This will be remembered as the day the economic landscape of Barnwell, Bamberg and Allendale Counties changed for the better. Today we celebrate an investment in the future—an investment that vividly shows the reward of South Carolina’s efforts to further develop its rural areas.”

So far, the SCAT Park has attracted a diverse group of tenants. The first company to announce investment performs design work for the international space station to fulfill a contract with NASA. Aerospace Design & Fabrication Corporation (ADF) is primarily involved in researching, designing and producing products related to the aerospace industry. The company was able to occupy one of the existing buildings on the site, Black said.

Another company that has chosen the SCAT Park is Bull Run Metals, which produces specialized containers for the shipping and transportation industry, the nuclear industry and the federal government. The company found a rural South Carolina location particularly beneficial because of the proximity to the second largest East Coast port at Charleston, less than 100 miles by truck. Uniteck, which provides laundry services for the nuclear industry and several other industries, announced plans to construct a $4 million facility and to employ 100 in the park, as well.

The largest announcement has come from Kronotex USA Inc., a Krono Group of Switzerland company, which announced the location of a $110 million facility that will create 150 new jobs within five to seven years. The SCAT park location is the company’s first U.S. facility and one of the largest single investments in rural South Carolina. The Swiss Holding company is widely known for its impressive array of quality wood products for commercial and residential use such as particleboard, medium density fiberboard, oriented strand board, melamine face board, laminate flooring, shelving, wall paneling, work surfaces and other value-added products. Kronotex’s 300-acre site includes a headquarters facility, manufacturing and sales operations.

“We looked for a location that would suit all of our needs—be environmentally friendly, have access to excellent timberland, and have a quality work force with convenient access to our customer base. Also, geography-wise, we needed a relatively flat site. We found all of that in the South Carolina Advanced Technology Park,” said Norman Voss, president and CEO of Kronotex USA. “Our kind of manufacturing fit well in a rural location and in South Carolina we found a good place to do business. People really wanted us here.”

As Gov. Hodges commented, “Kronotex recognized that South Carolina’s rural communities could offer them what they needed to succeed—a positive business climate, eager employees who are ready to work, and the room a company needs to thrive and prosper.”