Blythewood Online 691

Category: Business

  • Chamber Welcomes Planet Fitness

    COLUMBIA- Greater Blythewood Chamber member Brian Bobenage, center, cuts the ribbon for the grand opening of his Planet Fitness facility at Hardscrabble and Clemson Roads on Tuesday.

    From left: Chamber Board Chair Mark Cunningham, board member Tom Gawinski, Byron Thomas (aid to Representative Joe Wilson), Town Councilman Eddie Baughman, Interim Chamber Director Phil Frye, Bobenage, Adam Bobenage, Chamber board member Trez Boulware, Town Councilman Larry Griffin, Chamber member Ron Perryman, board member Deborah McCutchen and Brad Lewis of Mid-Carolina Credit Union in Blythewood.

  • BAR OKs COA for optometrist office

    BLYTHEWOOD – The Blythewood Board of Architectural Review (BAR) unanimously voted (4-0) to approve a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) last week for Blythewood Eye Care to convert the former Boney home at 204 Langford Road to an optometrist’s office. The BAR also approved four variances for the property.

    The two-acre property, owned currently by Great Southern Homes and located next to a much larger tract also owned by Great Southern Homes, was recently rezoned to the Town Center District (TCD).

    COA approval was given with the understanding that details such as landscaping, trees, signage and lighting would still have to be approved by staff and meet plan requirements.

    “If something is not according to plan and can’t be worked out, it will come back here,” Board Vice-Chair Jim McLean explained to the applicant.

    John Stephens of Crescent Engineering presented the plan. He said the potential owner, Blythewood Eye Care, plans few changes to the exterior of the building other than moving the steps from the front of the porch to the sides to allow for more buffering for the front yard area.

    Stephens also said Blythewood Eye Care preferred to have the parking lot in the front of the building.

    “The question this board has always looked at has been to try to reduce parking on the street side. Either move it to the side or the rear,” McLean said. “We’ve always taken a pretty strong stance to move parking from the front just to not create a parking lot coming down Langford Road. So that’s something we would talk to you about.”

    Stephens said that while the handicap ramp would be located in the rear of the building, “We don’t have any way to enter the rear of the building. I don’t want people to have to walk to the front [from a rear parking lot.] It’s only 8 parking spaces,” Stephens said. He also said that the company might later want to expand the building into the side yard to the south.

    The approval of the COA included granting the following five variances:

    • The protective front yard buffer was reduced from 15 feet to five feet.
    • The shared boundary line buffer on the north (residential) side of the property was reduced from 50 feet to 20 feet with the addition of an eight-foot privacy fence with appropriate landscaping.
    • The natural landscaping located along the boundary on the south side of the property would satisfy the 10-foot landscaping requirement until which time the property to the south becomes developed.
    • A crushed concrete, porous parking lot surface was allowed to be substituted for the required asphalt or concrete non-porous surface.
    • The parking lot was approved to be situated in the front yard instead of the back yard as required by ordinance.

    “It’s important to recognize that this street [Langford] is lined with homes converted into businesses. It’s important not to stand out from the others,” McLean said. “We want to keep the building as residential looking as possible.”

  • Element celebrates 5th anniversary

    The Fairfield Central cheerleaders and band welcome Governor McMaster and Congressman Norman to Element.
    Gov. McMaster, Congressman Norman Praise Company’s Success

    WINNSBORO – “Last summer we were wondering how we were going to stay open. This year we’re wondering how we’re going to produce all the orders that are coming in like a tsunami,” Michael O’Shaughnessy, CEO and owner of Element, said during a barbecue luncheon at the facility in Winnsboro on Friday.

    Gov. Henry McMaster addresses the lunch crowd at Element on Friday. Element owner and CEO Michael O’Shaughnessy and Congressman Ralph Norman, seated, also spoke, honoring Element’s fifth anniversary. | Barbara Ball

    The event, which featured Gov. Henry McMaster and U. S. Representative Ralph Norman as speakers, was a triple celebration of the company’s survival of last summer’s tariff crisis, it’s now booming business and the fifth anniversary of the opening of Element.

    In referring to what he called the trade war last year that threatened to raise the tariff on televisions assembled by Element, O’Shaughnessy said, “while it [trade war] is a good thing in the long term, Element found itself in a unique situation in which the tariffs could have materially hurt us or put us out of business.

    “But we all went to work to solve the crisis,” he said, crediting McMaster, Norman, county and company officials. “We have now solved the tariff issue that has been holding us back,” O’Shaughnessy said.

    Introducing McMaster and praising him for his support of the company in its darkest hour, O’Shaughnessy said there is not a better advocate for South Carolina than Gov. McMaster.

    “It was because of Gov. Haley that Element came to South Carolina,” O’Shaughnessy said. “But it’s because of Gov. McMaster that we stayed in South Carolina. He went to bat for us and he never stopped.”

    The luncheon was also an opportunity for Carl Kennedy, Vice President of Human Resources, to announce that the company has hired 100 new employees since the first of the year. He also acknowledged the 99 employees who have been with the company since it opened.

    Those employees were joined by McMaster and Norman as well as county, Town of Winnsboro and school officials under two large white tents in front of the building on Highway 321 Bypass.

    Speaking to Element’s success, McMaster said the people, “like the people here,” he said, gesturing to those sitting before him, have contributed to that success.

    “You’ve got to have the people, you’ve got to have the businesses and you’ve got to have the education – the three legs of the stool. If you have two of these and not the third, it won’t work,” McMaster said, addressing the state’s success in bringing in new companies.

    “New businesses are coming to South Carolina and we’re going straight to the top,” he said. “The best is yet to come.”

    Quoting Winston Churchill, Norman said, “’There’ll be a time when doing your best is not good enough, when we must do what’s required,’ You have done what’s required,” Norman said, praising the company, its employees, county and state officials for pulling Element through last summer’s crisis.

  • Goins fights back

    WINNSBORO – Bertha Goins is fighting back.

    A week after a Jenkinsville Water Company attorney issued a cease and desist letter and threatened to sue Goins over comments she’s made critical of water quality, she’s hired her own attorney to safeguard her First Amendment rights.

    Working in a private capacity, Goins’ attorney Tommy Morgan said his client categorically denies making any false and defamatory statements.

    Last Thursday, he wrote back to the JWC’s attorney, demanding that the water company cease infringing upon Goins’ right to free speech.

    “Ms. Goins will not be silenced by Jenkinsville Water Company’s threats of legal action and damages to be sought against her for merely speaking out about the water she receives from Jenkinsville Water Company,” the letter states.

    “Despite your meritless legal demand, Ms. Goins will continue to shed light on the matter that Jenkinsville Water Company seems so intent on keeping in the dark,” the letter continues.

    In a telephone interview with The Voice, Morgan said Goins has no desire to engage in a protracted legal battle. But Morgan noted Goins is committed to speaking freely about water quality issues.

    “We would be happy to have a meeting with the Jenkinsville Water Company over their water quality,” he said. “She was just trying to express her thoughts and concerns.”

    Morgan also questioned why Goins appears to have been singled out.

    “Other individuals spoke to the media about water quality,” he said. “It would be interesting to see if anyone else received a cease and desist letter. This threat of legal action is not going to stop Ms. Goins.”

    Goins has been a frequent critic of not only the Jenkinsville Water Company, but also the Town of Jenkinsville and Greg Ginyard, president of the JWC and the town’s mayor.

    In June 2018, Goins lobbied heavily against a massive annexation effort by the town, which was voted down. Morgan said he couldn’t say whether Goins’ past clashes with the town contributed to the letter.

    “Obviously the water company is distinct and separate from the Town of Jenkinsville,” Morgan said. “Ms. Goins is not focusing on the annexation vote.”

    When asked by The Voice for a comment about Morgan’s response, an attorney representing the water company emailed that, “JWC does plan on making a full response to Mr. Morgan’s letter next week, but we do not see this as a First Amendment issue as defamatory statements are not protected by the First Amendment.”

    On March 28, a Goodwyn Law Firm attorney sent a cease and desist letter to Goins, which disputed remarks she made to various local media organizations stating that Jenkinsville water quality is poor and contains sediments.

    “These false and misleading statements are defamatory and illegal,” the letter stated. “Legal demand is hereby made that you immediately stop such illegal activities.

    “If you continue to make such false and defamatory statements, I have been instructed to take all legal steps to enforce my client’s rights, including filing suit against you, for injunctive relief, slander and defamation seeking all damages allowed by law,” the letter continues.

    Also on March 28, in tandem with the cease and desist letter, the Jenkinsville Water Company sent a separate letter to its members.

    That letter contested of what the JWC calls “erroneous reporting,” and makes several innuendos about being absorbed by larger water companies.

    Both The Voice and The State newspapers, citing public records, have reported that the JWC has been cited by the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.

    Documents obtained by The Voice show the JWC has been cited three times in the past five years, most recently in 2016.

    As for the suggestion that the JWC is facing absorption, the newly formed Fairfield Joint Water and Sewer Authority, which consists of Fairfield County and Town of Winnsboro representatives, has been discussing ways to beef up infrastructure at the I-77 megasite.

    The authority’s chief objective, however, is to attract new industry to Fairfield County, and not to consolidate other water companies. Absorbing the JWC or any other water company has never been discussed.

    Goins has independently called for the JWC to join the authority, but no other council members have made that suggestion.

    Still, the JWC letter takes several jabs at water authorities.

    “When smaller companies are taken over by a larger water system, this historically results in rate increases between 100% and 150%,” the letter states. “We are committed to not letting this happen to JWC members.”

    Morgan questioned the JWC’s statistics.

    “I have no idea where they got that data from,” he said.

  • Magazine: Fairfield is SC’s next big boom

    COLUMBIA – An online magazine, Business in Focus, has dubbed Fairfield County as ‘South Carolina’s Next Big Boom’ in the cover story of its February 11 issue.

    The article credited the County’s purchase of a 1,200-acre industrial mega site along I-77 at Exit 34 as the catalyst for the boom – stimulating future economic growth and manufacturing capacity.

    The county acquired the site two years ago with a $3 million investment plus a $6 million grant from the state. Ty Davenport, Director of Fairfield County Economic Development, said the county is currently completing design work for the site’s infrastructure, paid for with another $2 million state grant.

    The article also highlights the county’s other important but frequently overlooked amenities – Lake Wateree to the east and Lake Monticello to the west featuring water sports and fishing as well as the lush rural areas that are havens for hunting, sprawling farms and cattle ranches.

    BOMAG facility in Walter Brown Industrial Park

    “Fairfield County is an untapped resource that a lot of people don’t know about. We really have something good going on here. We’re poised for growth,” Davenport is quoted in the article.

    The magazine targets industrial leaders and manufacturing companies looking for locations.

    “It [the magazine] is designed to be a marketing tool,” Davenport told The Voice, “and it does a great job in this piece on Fairfield.”

    The article points out the county’s ideal location with easy access to airports, seaports and other transportation networks.

    “Within an hours’ drive from the county seat of Winnsboro, residents have access to the Charlotte Douglas International Airport in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, the fifth busiest international airport in the world as of 2017. When it comes to labor for industry, there is a large pool of more than 500,000 skilled workers who live within a forty-five-minute radius,” the article states.

    “There are really big opportunities here for people who want to grow their businesses,” Davenport said. “The county is on a very solid financial footing which gives us the ability to do projects, install infrastructure and help companies that are moving in. Our workforce is also younger than the national and state average.

    “If, for instance, a major auto manufacturer should show interest in our mega site, we will be able to meet their needs in every way including infrastructure, internet and transportation,” Davenport said.

    The article stated that Fairfield’s Economic Development Office is part of two regional development alliances that help market the county. The first is the Central South Carolina Alliance which is based in Columbia and mainly markets the area’s eight central counties to companies around the world. It also belongs to the South Carolina I-77 Alliance, which represents the five counties through which I-77 runs, known as the I-77 Corridor. This stretch starts out in Columbia and runs to Charlotte, North Carolina.

    “Together, we are promoting the county and all it has to offer – especially in terms of manufacturing and distribution,” Davenport said.

    According to the County’s Economic Development Office, the article states, Fairfield has many sites suitable for commercial, industrial, and distribution activities, making it an ideal spot for businesses.

    “What makes it even better is the fact that South Carolina offers significant incentives that really benefit industry. This means that you can have a facility in Fairfield County and enjoy lower costs while still benefitting from Charlotte and Columbia’s amenities,” Davenport added.

    This budding industrial haven has a lot to offer both new and seasoned manufacturers, the article states. With vision and drive, the magazine concludes that the leadership of Fairfield County is working to grow the county into the economic powerhouse it deserves to be.

  • Providence Health-Fairfield ER opens

    After a grand opening for the community (above) on Dec. 13, the new Providence Health-Fairfield Emergency Room on Tuesday.

    WINNSBORO – As the baton passed from Fairfield Memorial Hospital (FMH) to Providence Health-Fairfield Emergency Room on Tuesday, citizens in Fairfield County were not without health care service for a minute. As FMH officially closed its doors forever, the county’s new ER opened its doors the same day to a new world of state-of-the-art emergency health care for Fairfield County.

    The opening of Providence Health’s emergency room comes after almost three years of planning and cooperation between the FMH board and administration, Fairfield County administrative staff and Providence Health and legislative intervention from the county’s former State Sen. Creighton Coleman and former State Rep. MaryGail Douglas.

    And there could be more good news to come as the FMH board continues to market (through ROI Commercial out of Columbia) the available 25-bed hospital building for another health care entity.

    The new ER facility, located across from Bi-Lo, near the intersection of US 321 and Highway 34, includes 12,000-square-feet for emergency services, featuring six exam rooms (including four treatment rooms and two for future expansion), two trauma rooms, an onsite laboratory, imaging services such as computerized tomography (CT) scan, ultrasound and x-ray.

    An additional 6,000 square feet of space is available for future expansion of services as needs in the community are identified.

    If the new facility to provide continuity of health care in the Fairfield community was a long time coming, some close to the project say it is a modern miracle that it came at all as hundreds of other rural hospitals have closed in recent years, three of those in South Carolina. But for the infusion of millions of dollars from the county in recent years, Fairfield Memorial might have shuttered much earlier.

    Funded by $12M from LifePoint Health for construction of the new facility and $10M ($1M a year for the next 10 years) from Fairfield County, the free standing Providence Health ER was also made possible in part by nearly $4M in transformational funding from South Carolina’s Hospital Transformation Program which supports rural access to healthcare resources.

    Those transformational dollars, appropriated by the legislature, are earmarked to go to large hospitals like Providence to encourage them to partner with rural hospitals that are in danger of closing. Because talks between the hospital and Providence were still in the early stages as the deadline for application for the funds loomed, it was through the significant efforts of Coleman and Douglas that the house and senate extended the application deadline for the Providence project.

    “This Emergency Room is a shining example of what can occur when multiple organizations work together to do what’s right for the community,” Providence-Northeast Hospital CEO Lindy White said in a statement on Tuesday. “The new facility will serve the county’s patients during their times of greatest need and, at the same time, keep them close to home.

    “It is a blessing and an honor,” White said, “to serve such a welcoming part of the country.”

  • Chamber celebrates Christmas at drop-in

    William & Lynn Medlin, Chamber Director Gene Stephens, Tabitha Williams. Dr. Phil Wilkins

    WINNSBORO – The Fairfield County Chamber of Commerce ushered in the holidays with its annual Christmas drop-in on Dec. 13. The event, held at the newly named Carolina Center for Events and Conferences, was sponsored for the 12th consecutive year by TruVista. The new Chamber director, Gene Stephens, was on hand to meet and greet more than 85 members and their guests, who enjoyed visiting and dining.

  • China-based mattress manufacturer coming to former Mack Truck plant

    WINNSBORO – China-based Healthcare Co., Ltd., announced Monday that it plans to establish new operation, Healthcare US Co., Ltd., in Fairfield County. The company’s $45 million investment is projected to create 250 new jobs in the county.

    Healthcare US Co., Ltd. is expected to launch its new, 650,000-square-foot, Fairfield County facility in the first quarter of 2019. Located at 1 Guardian Way in Winnsboro, where Mack Truck was previously housed, the operation will specialize in the production of memory-foam mattresses for a variety of customers. Hiring is also slated to begin early next year, and interested applicants should contact healthcare.us@hkfoam.com for more information.

    At Monday night’s council meeting, council members gave second reading to an ordinance authorizing the execution of a fee in lieu of taxes and incentive agreement with the company. Third and final reading will likely occur in January, 2019.

    Besides mattresses, Healthcare Co. Ltd. also produces pillows and sofas and is the largest memory foam manufacturer in China. It has doubled its production capacity every year since it was established in 2003.

    Company global export volumes exceeded $250 million in 2015, the company’s website reported.

    “Fairfield County is beyond excited and thankful that Healthcare USA Co., Ltd. has chosen to locate its first U.S. factory in Winnsboro,” said Fairfield County Council Chairman Billy Smith. “The representatives of this company with whom we’ve worked throughout this process have been a pleasure to do business with, and we look forward to their future operation and success within the county. We welcome them with open and supporting arms and are hopeful that others will see this and know that Fairfield County is open for business and focused on the kind of growth that will be beneficial both for our citizens and the businesses that choose to locate and invest with us.”

    Smith said one feature of Fairfield County that appealed to Healthcare Co. Ltd. is its proximity to I-77, and that it is strategically located between Columbia and Charlotte.

    Smith also said the region has a skilled workforce, a trait he attributed to the state’s technical college system.

    “It’s a big plus, a big positive for Fairfield County,” Smith said. “It’s one of the globally leading manufacturers in China, and they are expanding. We look forward to welcoming them here.”

    “We’re happy to be establishing this new facility in Fairfield County, and we are very appreciative of the ongoing support from both the local and state governments,” Healthcare Co., Ltd. President James Ni said. “This is a milestone for our company, and we are excited to support the community we will soon be calling home.”

    Founded in Jiangsu, China in 2003, Healthcare Co., Ltd. is the first publicly-traded, memory-foam mattress manufacturer in China. Becoming a global industry leader, the company has established overseas production operations in both Serbia and Spain, with approximately 3,600 workers globally.

    The S.C. Coordinating Council for Economic Development has awarded a $300,000 Rural Infrastructure Fund grant to Fairfield County to assist with the costs of building renovations.

    “South Carolina’s ongoing economic success can be attributed, in part, to our manufacturing prowess and ability to recruit foreign direct investment,” Secretary of Commerce Bobby Hitt said. “This $45 million investment in Fairfield County only reinforces that notion. We look forward to this new partnership.”

    FIVE FAST FACTS

    Healthcare US Co., Ltd. is launching new Fairfield County operations.

    $45 million investment to create 250 new jobs.

    Healthcare US Co., Ltd. is a China-based manufacturer of memory-foam mattresses for a variety of customers.

    Located at 1 Guardian Way in Winnsboro, the company is expected to launch its new, 650,000-square-foot facility in the first quarter of 2019.

    Hiring is expected to begin simultaneously, and interested applicants should contact healthcare.us@hkfoam.com for more information.

  • Chinese company launching operations in Mack Truck Plant

    WINNSBORO – Healthcare US Co., Ltd., a venture of China-based Healthcare Co., Ltd., today announced plans to establish new operations in Fairfield County. The company’s $45 million investment is projected to create 250 new jobs.

    Healthcare US Co., Ltd. is expected to launch its new, 650,000-square-foot, Fairfield County facility in the first quarter of 2019. Located at 1 Guardian Way in Winnsboro, where Mack Truck was previously housed, the operation will specialize in the production of memory-foam mattresses for a variety of customers. Hiring is also slated to begin early next year, and interested applicants should contact healthcare.us@hkfoam.com for more information.

    “Fairfield County is beyond excited and thankful that Healthcare USA Co., Ltd. has chosen to locate its first U.S. factory in Winnsboro,” said Fairfield County Council Chairman Billy Smith. “The representatives of this company with whom we’ve worked throughout this process have been a pleasure to do business with, and we look forward to their future operation and success within the county. We welcome them with open and supporting arms and are hopeful that others will see this and know that Fairfield County is open for business and focused on the kind of growth that will be beneficial both for our citizens and the businesses that choose to locate and invest with us.”

    “We’re happy to be establishing this new facility in Fairfield County, and we are very appreciative of the ongoing support from both the local and state governments,” Healthcare Co., Ltd. President James Ni said. “This is a milestone for our company, and we are excited to support the community we will soon be calling home.”

    Founded in Jiangsu, China in 2003, Healthcare Co., Ltd. is the first publicly-traded, memory-foam mattress manufacturer in China and is now the largest such manufacturer in that country. Becoming a global industry leader, the company has established overseas production operations in both Serbia and Spain, with approximately 3,600 workers globally.

    The Coordinating Council for Economic Development has awarded a $300,000 Rural Infrastructure Fund grant to Fairfield County to assist with the costs of building renovations.

    “South Carolina’s ongoing economic success can be attributed, in part, to our manufacturing prowess and ability to recruit foreign direct investment,” Secretary of Commerce Bobby Hitt said. “This $45 million investment in Fairfield County only reinforces that notion. We look forward to this new partnership with Healthcare USA Co., Ltd.”

    See the full story in Thursday’s issue of The Voice.

    FIVE FAST FACTS

    • Healthcare US Co., Ltd. is launching new Fairfield County operations.
    • $45 million investment to create 250 new jobs.
    • Healthcare US Co., Ltd. is a China-based manufacturer of memory-foam mattresses for a variety of customers.
    • Located at 1 Guardian Way in Winnsboro, the company is expected to launch its new, 650,000-square-foot facility in the first quarter of 2019.
    • Hiring is expected to begin simultaneously, and interested applicants should contact healthcare.us@hkfoam.com for more information.

     

  • Winnsboro’s new ER hosts Open House Dec. 13

    WINNSBORO – The public will get their first peek inside the new Providence Health-Fairfield Emergency Room next week – Thursday, Nov, 13, from 4 to 6 p.m. – when officials hold an open house with a ribbon cutting and tours of the new facility.

    Located at 1810 US Hwy 321 S, across the street from the Winnsboro Bi-Lo, the state-of-the-art Emergency Room will open for business later this month.

    Officials with Providence stated that the new facility will provide Fairfield County with quick and easy access to round-the-clock, high-quality emergency care.

    The County contracted with Providence to construct and operate the facility after plans were initiated to   close Fairfield Memorial Hospital earlier this year. Closing date for the hospital is Dec. 18.

    “This facility was designed to include everything that we need to provide efficient and safe emergency care,” Providence Health-Northeast CEO said.

    The building includes four treatment rooms with two pre-constructed additional exam rooms for future expansion. It also includes two trauma rooms and an onsite full service laboratory for the fast return of blood work results.

    The facility also has a top-of-the-line CT scan, an ultrasound and x-ray technology to facilitate quick access to the diagnostic information needed for emergency care.

    The structure is laid out in a horseshoe shape so patients can feel the progress of their visit as they move through the facility, White pointed out. In the center of the horseshoe is a large, open nursing station keeping the staff in close range to all parts of the patient journey.

    “We gave careful consideration to patient comfort such as the use of natural light and high ceilings,” White said. “We wanted to provide a healing environment for our patients, families, and staff.

    “The ambulance entry for the facility leads directly to the nurses’ station so that care can be delivered as quickly as possible for the most emergent cases,” White said. “Directly next to the ambulance entrance are two large trauma bays that will provide ample space and supplies to ensure that staff has, at their fingertips, whatever tool is needed to provide the complex care required for more serious cases.”

    White said the trauma rooms in the new facility are some of the nicest ones she’s seen in her experience with emergency care.

    “The facility itself is somewhat of a futuristic layout in terms of how we can best meet the emergency needs of the community,” White added.

    The structure also includes 6,000 square feet of shell space to achieve future needs as they are determined.

    White said the emergency room’s location, easily accessible near the intersection of Highways 321 and 34, is key to providing quality care to the community.

    “The facility’s close proximity to the Providence Health-Northeast community hospital provides the added benefit of fast-track access for patients who need to be transferred for more advanced care,” White added.