The Liberty County Development Authority is providing a benefit for the county’s residents, a board member told a recent Chamber of Commerce gathering.
Authority member Marcus Sack told the Chamber’s January Progress Through People luncheon that the LCDA is doing public good.
The LCDA is attracting good-paying jobs and has a diverse portfolio of available jobs, Sack said.
“All in all, the Liberty County Development Authority is doing good work for the people of Liberty County,” he said.
Sack also said the use of tax abatements to as a means to court new prospects has its dividends.
There are $5 million in tax abatements for local industries, which have produced a payroll of $120 million.
“That’s a huge return on investment,” Sack said. “They are needed to attract industries so we can diversify our job portfolio.”
Twelve companies are receiving abatements, said the LCDA’s Carmen Cole.
The last two years also have been busy for the LCDA.
“And we’re grateful for that,” she said.
Cole, the LCDA’s director of operations and business development, pointed to some of the more recent accomplishments, such as the 1.4 million square foot facility split between Hooker Furnishings and Safavieh.
“And they are full,” Cole said.
Hooker, with about 60 employees, uses 1 million square feet and Safavieh, with 40 employees, uses the rest.
That building is in Tradeport East, and Bluescope has completed a 637,000 square foot spec building in that area. The LCDA is working with a potential client for it.
Newbridge Residential Parks also has plans for 139 acres inside of Tradeport East, on Coffer Court. Cole added the LCDA is working on phases 2 and 3 of Dorchester Commerce Park and has had over 800 acres rezoned for industrial in the last few months.
“For the development that is going to come,” she said, “we need it.”
While work progresses on the Hyundai metasite in north Bryan County, Cole said the LCDA has been working with projects related to the massive Hyundai facility and others that are not.
Sack pointed out that one in nine jobs in the state is linked to the Savannah ports.
“It’s huge,” he said. “One of our goals should be to support them in any way we can.”
Sack also said the top industry in the county pays 25% of the total taxes in Liberty County. The total payroll of the industries within Liberty County is $238 million, and 70% of those are manufacturing sector jobs, Sack said. There are about 1,776 jobs in warehousing in Liberty County, and more than 2,000 in manufacturing.
Liberty County residents make up 45% of the workforce, Sack noted, and unemployment is at 3% in the state and 2.8% in the county.
“When unemployment is 3%, where are we going to get the people?” he said.
There also are two phases north of Tradeport East that can open up another 7-8 million square feet of space, Cole noted.
“As you can see, the next couple of years, 2023 and 2024, are going to be exciting,” she said.