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Bridgestone-Firestone Plant in Aiken, SC

For 200 years, the area surrounding Aiken, South Carolina was a summer retreat for wealthy farmers and businessmen. In the early 1900's, Aiken became better known as a retreat for northern industrialists to train their cherished racehorses.

While the community's love of all things equestrian continues, in the latter part of the 20th Century, Aiken made a significant transformation from a textile-based economy to one that is consistently among the state leaders in manufacturing capital investment and job creation. Since 1990, companies have invested more than $5 billion in the Aiken-Edgefield area and created nearly 10,000 new jobs.

One of the more significant investments was the Bridgestone-Firestone announcement in 1997 that the company would build a new $430 million light truck and passenger tire plant in the Sage Mill Industrial Park along Interstate 20, which runs through the entirety of the county. Exactly one year after the announcement, the first tire rolled out of the plant, not only a new company and new jobs, but a new example of how quickly the state and Aiken County could respond to the needs of a technologically advanced manufacturer. Bridgestone joined other automotive companies that had found a readily available, skilled workforce. To cap off the 1900's, Aiken County was named the "Top Small Market of the Decade" by Southern Business & Development magazine

With its proximity to the larger markets of Atlanta and Charlotte, Aiken is situated well for automotive companies to respond to customers quickly. The ports of Charleston and Savannah are less than three hours away.

The Aiken area has a distinct cosmopolitan feel, with more than 16 international companies calling it home. The City of Aiken's vibrant and attractive downtown reflects its All-America City designation.

The community is part of the Aiken, SC-Augusta, Ga. MSA, with a population of nearly 500,000 and a workforce of 250,000 within a 45-minute drive. Seventeen percent of the local workforce is employed by this community's diverse manufacturing base. And because of its proximity to the Savannah River Site -- a Department of Energy installation -- the area is home to thousands of highly skilled engineers, scientists and technicians from all over the nation and world. A little known fact is that there is a greater collection of scientists dedicated to hydrogen and fuel cell technology in the Aiken area than any other place in the United States.

"The County's commitment to technology is a big part of our success in attracting new companies and helping our existing industries prosper," says Fred Humes, Director of the (Aiken-Edgefield) Economic Development Partnership. "This community has a strong commitment to education, and we've made remarkable strides in terms of improving the quality of life for our residents and business. One example is that the County recently began construction of a fiber optics network between all its industrial parks, its technical college, university and high schools."

The community has a consolidated public school system that consistently bests the state average in all testing categories and 85 percent of its students graduate with diplomas, while one in five holds a college degree. The University of South Carolina Aiken, with 22 undergraduate and two graduate programs, combines with Aiken Technical College, the Aiken County Career Center and The South Carolina Center for Accelerated Technical Training to offer educational opportunities to thousands of students.

With a cost of living 10 percent below the national average, Aiken-Edgefield is a community committed to business success.

For more information, contact Fred Humes at (803) 641-3300, by Fax at (803) 641-3369 or e-mail at edpsc@aol.com. The organization's Web page is http://www.edpsc.org.