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Georgetown County lands large employer
Gypsum wallboard manufacturer to build $125 million facility
By Matthew French
Staff Writer
A Texas-based company has announced plans to build a $125 million gypsum wallboard plant in Georgetown County. The facility would employ more than 100 people.
American Gypsum Co., a subsidiary of Eagle Materials Inc., will break ground on the facility later this year, and will bring the plant into full operation by 2007. The plant will manufacture gypsum wallboard, which is often used in bathroom walls. Gypsum is a key ingredient for the manufacture of drywall.
Gov. Mark Sanford says the company choosing South Carolina, and Georgetown County in particular, is a “great example of our state playing to its strengths when it comes to economic development.”
American Gypsum has entered into a long-term supply agreement with Santee Cooper Power to supply the new plant with synthetic gypsum. Santee Cooper’s coal-fired power plants at Cross and Winyah will generate a synthetic gypsum byproduct as the result of using scrubbing technology to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions. By using Santee Cooper’s synthetic gypsum and excess steam in its gypsum wallboard production, the partners are converting waste into a building product, which would otherwise be dumped in a landfill.
The plant will use more than 500,000 tons of gypsum each year to produce about 750 million square feet of wallboard. The fifth-largest manufacturer of wallboard used in residential and commercial real estate, American Gypsum is promoting its plant as environmentally friendly.
The gypsum paper that American Gypsum uses is made from recycled paper fiber creating a finished product from essentially 100% recycled materials, according to a company statement.
“We’re thrilled to be doing business in a growing state like South Carolina,” says Steve Rowley, president and chief executive officer of Eagle Materials. “This facility will allow us to better serve customers nationally with a much improved nationwide distribution network.”
Georgetown County has experienced much higher-than average unemployment for many years. Going back to 2002, the county has had double-digit unemployment numbers, going as high as 12.5% in 2003.
“This announcement is another positive sign that things are beginning to happen here in Georgetown County,” says Sel Hemingway, chairman of Georgetown County Council. “Our efforts and hard work are beginning to pay dividends.”
Allen Burns, Georgetown County Economic Development director, says the facility will help provide jobs, eliminate a waste stream, and create a significant tax base for the county and schools.
Matt French covers manufacturing for the Business Journal. E-mail him at mfrench@crbj.com.
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