I am sure by now some of you have read the article in the Independent about Joe Taylor, the Secretary of Commerce from the South Carolina Department of Commerce having a meeting with county officials and Anderson SC REALTORS. I was there and it was quite informative. But why did we have this meeting?

In these rough economic times, it is imperative that we lay the groundwork for future growth in Anderson County. South Carolina was very lucky to get Boeing to locate here in SC. Read this article that talks about the possibility that Boeing will help SC recover from the recession earlier. The Engineering firm that is working on the new facility is located in Greenville. This is a great example of how the impact will be felt statewide.

Some people like to point to SC being a right to work state as being the reason for us landing Boeing. However, one big factor that many are not aware of was the land. Specifically the land Boeing was considering had already been zoned correctly. If it was going to take months to change the zoning, Boeing would have marked SC off their list.

The key to attracting new companies to Anderson County is having available sites and buildings suitable for large industrial applications ready now. Not ready in a couple of weeks or months but ready today! Anderson County has 29 sites and nine buildings that qualify for large uses according to the SC Commerce department. There may be more, but unless the owner and the county work to get the zoning and utilities in place, well sadly the property may not sell for many many years.

Anderson County is blessed with I-81 passing right through and giving us over 60 miles of interstate frontage. Plus since we are almost directly the halfway point between Charlotte and Atlanta it also gives us another advantage. But have you also considered that because of the multiple rail carriers and dual line service in some areas, that potential manufacturers will want to locate in Anderson County? With all of the potential land in Anderson county, it is hard to believe that there are not more sites available.

Anderson county is also blessed with a great quality of life with the lakes, mountains, and a wonderful downtown that is growing.Plus Anderson County already has an established manufacturing base with Bosch, Michelin, Hexcel, Milliken, Electrolux and many other great companies. If these manufacturing facilities can be successful in Anderson County, there is no doubt that any company looking for a location to excel should look at Anderson County South Carolina.

Secretary Taylor also talked about how potential commercial development is linked to our workforce and the excellent training opportunities available from Clemson, Anderson University, Erskine, Southern Wesleyan and according to Taylor, the one factor that manufacturing companies look at and are impressed: Tri County Tech!

But in addition to these factors making Anderson County SC a great location for future development is the low cost of energy in our area. Duke Energy provides some of lowest cost power in SC and the US.

Plus because of our low labor costs and great cost of living, many potential manufacturing companies are amazed at the bang for your buck you can get in Anderson County.

But for all the great stuff Anderson County has going for it, there still remain some work to be done. A good industrial site should have:

• Minimum of 50 Acres
• Written Agreement that the property is for sale!
• Written agreement as to the sale price!
• Topography should be gently rolling
• Industrial grade water and wastewater (8' lines minimum) in place already!
• Natural Gas
• Electrical power on site
• Available Railroads-Dual rail is a big plus!
• Adjacent to the Interstate or at least easy access to interstate via a 4 lane highway
• Appropriate Zoning Already in place!

Now I know that many people think they can sit on land and eventually someone will make them an offer. Maybe if you are lucky but seriously unless it is listed, unless it is zoned correctly, has the utilities in place and unless your agent is taking the steps to make sure the SC Department of Commerce, Anderson County officials and everybody else knows about your land, you are fighting a losing battle. Unadvertised, secret or "pocket" listings will not sell large tracts of land for potential commercial development.

We all want to see Anderson County grow and feel secure about our future. We all want our friends, neighbors and children to be able to find a good paying job right here in Anderson County. But with out planning for the future, and getting the county officials to have the correct zoning and infrastructure to attract more development we are fighting a losing battle.

The fact that the Anderson County council is working to see what needs to be done to get more businesses to locate here is great. But they cannot do it alone. It will take everyone in Anderson County working together to ensure Anderson County continues to grow. The County Council had the wisdom to contact both the SC Department of Commerce and the local REALTORS to help in the quest to attract more businesses to Anderson County.

Some people hate to see politicians give new businesses some type of tax incentive to locate here. What they do not realize is the small tax break we give will be more than made up in revenue from other areas because of the company locating in Anderson County. Believe me, I have no love for politicians. But at least it appears the Anderson County Council is trying.

We need more jobs and it is great to see the SC Department of Commerce, the Anderson County Council and the REALTORS from Anderson County looking at ways to improve Anderson County.