Aiken & Edgefield Counties, South Carolina

Where tradition meets technology

History, tradition, and rich southern charm make Aiken and Edgefield Counties in South Carolina extremely appealing. Framed by Columbia, S.C. and Augusta, Ga., this graceful community has been a racehorse-training site and playground for the wealthy since the late 1800s. But when it comes to providing the right location for corporate success, the area exchanges its genteel ways for a direct, determined approach.

As a result of this decidedly pro-business attitude, Aiken/Edgefield has ranked among the top three small markets in the South for five of the last ten years, according to Southern Business & Development magazine. Amid intense competition, Aiken/Edgefield has earned this distinction for its proven record of drawing new companies along with continued investment from its existing industry base.

The combination of a well-trained work force, low construction costs, emphasis on technology, a business-friendly government, a solid transportation infrastructure and a great quality of life have made Aiken/Edgefield the frontrunner in so many corporate decisions. Together, the two counties are home to a diverse industry mix. Local Fortune 500 companies include Kimberly Clark Corporation, Carlisle Tire & Wheel, Automatic Switch Company (Emerson Electric), and Pepperidge Farm Corporation (Campbell’s Soup Company), and BAE Systems.

A strong global presence has also emerged in the area. Many companies with international parents, such as Bridgestone/Firestone South Carolina (Japan), GlaxoSmithKline (United Kingdom), Southern Felt Co. (UK), Toyota Technical Center (Japan), Newman Technology SC (Japan), Aiken Precision Technologies (Japan), ThyssenKrupp Materials NA (Germany), Areva NP (France), Metso Paper USA (Finland), Aiken Reinforcing Steel (Brazil), The Shinsho American Co. (Japan), Bondex (UK), American Laundry Products (UK), Lafarge North America Inc. (France), and Rieter (Switzerland) call the community home as well.

Believing that the strength of a community lies within its existing industry base, Aiken/Edgefield is committed to providing "service after the sale" to all of its companies. "There are no more important companies than the ones that already call our community their home," explains Fred Humes, director of the Aiken-Edgefield Economic Development Partnership "Over two-thirds of new capital investment and job creation originates from expanding industry, indicating a strong sense of satisfaction from our existing companies." In particular, Aiken/Edgefield has assets that make it extremely attractive to chemicals, plastics, automotive technology and hydrogen technology companies.

The quality and stability of work force is another great strength of the Aiken/Edgefield area. Workers are drawn from a population that is young, growing, and pursuing the many avenues of educational advancement available. With an area-wide population of 520,000 (in the Aiken, S.C. -Augusta, Ga. MSA), Aiken/Edgefield offers a work force of 73,000. Another 250,000 workers are within a 45-minute drive. Aiken/Edgefield also boasts a particularly large number of highly educated workers for a community its size. The presence of the Savannah River Site, which has been charged with developing technology for the U.S. government since 1950, provides a constant flow of technology-oriented individuals.

The Aiken Technical College (ATC) Workforce Development Division provides on-site employee-training programs specifically designed for business and industry. ATC works in conjunction with South Carolina’s readySC program, which offers work force training at little or no cost to qualifying companies. Aiken/Edgefield is also home to the University of South Carolina at Aiken, which provides an additional talent pipeline. For entrepreneurs and small businesses, USC-Aiken supports the region through its Small Business Development Center (SBDC), a facility providing services, resources, and workshops for the region’s startup companies.

In addition to the large, technically skilled work force, most plant managers cite the community's concentrated transportation infrastructure as a primary reason for locating in Aiken/Edgefield. More than two-thirds of the U.S. population is within a one-day drive of the area. Additionally, Aiken and Edgefield Counties are surrounded by a growing system of major highways, including Interstate 20, which allows businesses access to the major metropolitan areas of Atlanta, Birmingham, and Dallas. Interstates 26 and 77, which connect the region to Charleston (S.C.), Greenville-Spartanburg (S.C.), and Charlotte, are also nearby.  Easy access to I-95 provides major north-south availability.   Linking the region to all corners of the country, more than 30 freight lines serve Aiken and Edgefield.

The Port of Charleston, less than two and a half hours away from Aiken/Edgefield, is one of the four largest container-handling ports in the country. With $39 billion annually in international shipments, the Charleston customs district ranks as the nation’s sixth largest. Charleston harbor was recently deepened to 45 feet at mean low water, enabling the harbor to serve even larger vessels.

With its tradition of excellence, Aiken/Edgefield is also preparing for growth in new, emerging industry sectors. Leaders in Aiken/Edgefield have been thoughtful and visionary about attracting advanced technology to the region and assisting existing companies in the adoption of new technology. Recently, the community has launched the Applied Research Center (“ARC” for short), which will facilitate technology transfer in areas such as alternative fuels, biotechnology, and renewable energy.

Aiken/Edgefield is already actively engaged in one emerging technology: hydrogen. Earlier this decade, the Department of Energy named the Aiken-based Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) as one of 12 national labs to develop alternative fuels. The SRNL is focusing on hydrogen fuel and currently has the nation’s largest pool of hydrogen scientists and engineers.

The area’s Center for Hydrogen Research (CHR),part of its Applied Research Center program, (www.archydrogen.com) is a 60,000 square-foot facility built to take advantage of local expertise in the hydrogen field. Half of the space is utilized by the Savannah River National Lab and the other half is available for private-sector companies and academia. Companies are able to interact and contract services with the 50 hydrogen scientists and researchers from the SRNL.  In addition to SRNL, Toyota maintains a Lab, The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) and various university research programs are found in the CHR.

Clearly, Aiken/Edgefield is leveraging its brainpower and its technology to drive its future. In addition, area leaders are actively developing sites to house the diverse and growing industry base. In Aiken County, Sage Mill Center for Advanced Technology offers a perfect location for companies using robotics or other sophisticated manufacturing processes. Edgefield County is home to the area's newest industrial park, an ideal site for most types of manufacturing.

Along with its business advantages, Aiken/Edgefield offers an unmatched quality of life. The average high temperature is a comfortable 78 degrees in Aiken and Edgefield, while the average annual low is 50 degrees. Even in the coldest months of the year, the average high is 58 degrees. Just across the Savannah River from Aiken is Augusta which plays host to the most famous golf tournament in the world: the Masters. For avid golfers, Aiken and Edgefield Counties offer more than a dozen golf courses, including the Palmetto Golf Club, established in 1892 and ranked among the top ten oldest golf courses in America. The area also boasts the massive J. Strom Thurmond Lake, which borders Georgia and has over 1200 miles of shoreline. It is one of the most popular recreational lakes in the South, especially for fishing.
In the end, it's the combination of work force, transportation options, industrial sites, and a focus on advanced technology that put Aiken/Edgefield in the running for so many deals. However, quality of life is where the community makes one of its strongest showings. If your company is looking for the opportunity to be close to two major metros, but out of the busy lifestyle; to have all of the big city amenities, but at a quieter pace, look no further than Aiken/Edgefield, South Carolina.

For more information on Aiken & Edgefield Counties, contact Economic Development Partnership Director Fred Humes at 803.641.3300 or fhumes@edpsc.org. You can also visit www.edpsc.org.