Getting adjacent counties that often compete for economic development projects to agree on even the small things can be a major task. But getting them to agree on something as large and expensive as a major industrial park is practically Herculean.

But a trio of rural counties in northeastern South Carolina has not only come together, it’s done so in a way that others are copying as an example of how to make bona fide regional alliances work.

The I-95 Gateway Industrial Park is the product of Dillon, Marion and Marlboro Counties, three rural northeastern South Carolina counties with a combined population of about 95,000.  The 460-acre park -- located on I-95, just south of the N.C.-S.C. border near the town of Dillon, S.C. -- is billed as the gateway to South Carolina. And it’s the first true multi-county industrial park in the state.

“It’s amazing to me when I think back on all we went through and the time we put in to make this happen,” said Gene Butler, Director of the Dillon County Development Board. Butler credits his predecessors for starting the effort, and said it took about four years to complete.

For years South Carolina has had a relatively minor state development incentive known as the “Multi-County Industrial Park,” an inducement that allows employers to add $1,000 per new hire to the state’s Job Tax Credits. But the partnerships created by the multi-county industrial park incentive are little more than symbolic as the county that hosts the new project retains 99 percent of the new tax stream while the partnering county gets 1 percent.

However, the I-95 Gateway Industrial Park created a new model of shared sacrifice, shared profit in which each county shoulders 30 percent of the financial burden and receives 30 percent of the eventual payoff. The other 10 percent pays for administration and maintenance.

According to the state’s lead economic developer, it’s an important step to improving quality of life in rural South Carolina.

“The state of South Carolina is actively working to recruit new businesses throughout South Carolina, with a special emphasis in creating jobs in rural communities like Dillon, Marion and Marlboro counties,” said South Carolina’s Secretary of Commerce Joe Taylor. “The partnership between these three communities is a positive step in improving the soil conditions to attract businesses to the Pee Dee region. It also serves as a model for other communities in our state to emulate. I applaud the leadership in these three counties for their willingness to work together for the common good of their region.”

The state played a large role in making the multi-county park happen, including tobacco settlement funds, and $500,000 from the state’s Rural Infrastructure Fund for water and sewer expansions. The park was also made possible by funding from the U.S. Economic Development Administration and various utility providers like Progress Energy.

Locally, the three counties committed $50,000 each for five years to fund the park, for a total commitment of $250,000 each -- quite a lot of money for rural counties. It’s an expensive proposition, Butler said, but it shows how critical economic development is to the future of these counties.

“We’re all in the same boat,” Butler said. “If it’s good for any of us, it’s good for all of us.”

Butch Mills, the economic developer in Marlboro County, said the new joint park gives his county and neighboring Marion County access to the I-95 corridor, something once thought impossible.

“(The joint park is) another tool in our toolbox. It gets us in the door,” Mills said. “It also gives all three counties opportunities that they would never have had before.” Mills said by joining forces, the three counties have a much better shot at state and federal grants, and also can lure much larger projects with more jobs and investment.

Frank Jones, executive director of the Marion County Economic Development Commission, said politicians tend to look at political boundaries like the county line, while businesses only look at where there workers will come from.

“Prospects don’t care where your borders are,” Jones said. The multi-county partnership is proof that the leadership in the area grasps that concept, and was made possible only because the parties involved set aside politics and personalities and did what was best for their people, he said.  “For the counties to commit this way is just extraordinary.”

The next step for the park is a speculative building. The three counties are now working with private-sector developers to find a way to build a 100,000 sq. ft. shell building to increase prospect traffic flow. At just $7,000 per acre, the park is an excellent buy, Butler said. And considering it’s on I-95, just 30 miles north of I-20 and will soon be near the new I-73, not to mention it’s just a couple of hours from the Port of Charleston, the region is prepared to make a strong run at manufacturing and distribution targets.

Finding common ground is the first step to a mutually beneficial relationship. Dillon, Marion and Marlboro counties are well beyond that, and through their process they’ve done something not just for their area, but for the entire state – they’ve shown that the true multi-county industrial park model can be done.

“From the beginning we’ve known that 30 percent of something is a lot better than 100 percent of nothing,” Jones said. “But I think we in economic development have also learned that if we become totally protective of our own turf and ignore our neighbors, our future is doomed.”