South Carolina
| Program | # of Grants | EDA Funds |
|---|---|---|
| Economic Adjustment Assistance | 1 | $780,000 |
| Public Works | 4 | $6,888,487 |
| Regional Innovation Strategies | 1 | $395,000 |
| Planning | 2 | $56,345 |
| Technical Assistance |
4 | $413,172 |
| Total | 12 | $8,533,004 |
Positioned in the center of three large commercial areas, Charlotte-Mecklenburg in North Carolina, and Greenville-Spartanburg, and Columbia in South Carolina, Chester County’s location makes it attractive to new industries. Predominantly rural with a large agricultural base, the county also has a growing and diverse manufacturing community.
In June of 2014, Giti Tire, a Singapore headquartered tire company, announced that Chester County would be home to its first greenfield North American manufacturing facility. The Chester facility will allow Giti Tire, the world’s tenth largest tire company, to meet growing demand in the North American market. The plant will produce passenger and light truck tires for the replacement and original equipment markets and will combine manufacturing plant and distribution center activities. Giti Tire is South Carolina’s fifth original equipment manufacturer tire manufacturer supporting further growth in the State’s automotive cluster.
The location of Giti was estimated to create more than 1,300 jobs and generate $560 million in private investment in Chester County. Yet in order for Giti to locate in Chester County, the community needed critical infrastructure improvements. In May 2015, EDA awarded $2 million to the Chester Sewer District for construction of sewer infrastructure upgrades to serve the new manufacturing plant. Construction of the proposed sewer improvements will provide needed capacity to serve the industry for the foreseeable future as well as provide for other industrial expansion in the area.