Site Readiness Helps Rural County Increase Per Capita Income

Achtergrond:  In February 2018, Crown Health Care Laundry Services, LLC. opened its processing plant in an upfitted speculative building in I-20 Industrial Center in Lee County, SC. While the new jobs and capital investment were welcome and celebrated, Lee County did not have any available Class A industrial speculative buildings or building pads after Crown commenced operation.

Uitdaging:  With a per capita income more than $10,000 below the state average at the time, the County needed shovel-ready industrial property to compete for investments that created new jobs. A site development plan for the I-20 Industrial Center called for additional building pads. Before physical work on the pads could begin, funding had to be secured. 

Oplossing:  TheLINK Economic Development Alliance, representing both Sumter and Lee Counties (TheLINK) convened funding partners to pay for the needed improvements at I-20 Industrial Center. Lee County, the SC Department of Commerce and Black River Electric Cooperative (I-20 Industrial Center’s electric power provider) all contributed funds. South Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives, through the Site Readiness Fund (SRF) administered by South Carolina Power Team, contributed $500,000 to the building pads project, resulting in the completion of a 250,000 sq. ft. pad, a 150,000 sq. ft. pad, and a 100,000 sq. ft. pad. An additional $500,000 in SRF monies came in 2020 to fund a portion of the costs associated with building a new 50,000 sq. ft. speculative building on the 100,000 sq. ft. pad inside I-20 Industrial Center, the park’s third structure of that type.

Resultaat:  The site enhancements made to I-20 Industrial Center from 2019 to 2021, overseen by TheLINK, made an immediate difference in Lee County’s ability to attract economic development projects. EFP (Engineered Foam Packaging), LLC., a manufacturer of protective packaging, put Lee County on its site selection list, in part, due to interest in I-20 Industrial Center’s third speculative building. In a 2023 announcement, EFP selected Lee County for their sixth location, with an announced investment of $15.375 million and 53 new jobs. The company officially launched operations in May 2024. Due to EFP’s success in Lee County, the company announced an expansion in 2025 resulting in an additional investment of $31.578 million and an additional 57 jobs. The company’s total commitment to Lee County, as of March 2025, represents $46.953 million in capital investment and the creation of 110 new jobs. Lee County’s per capita income increased more than 8% after EFP began operations in May 2024.