I’ll put out my best Paul Harvey radio personality impression and tell you “the rest of the story” behind MTU Detroit Diesel’s coming to Graniteville.
It starts four years ago when a company making wheel bearings in a building in Sage Mill Industrial Park gets the word that production is being moved to Mexico – and 250 jobs will move out of Aiken County.
SKF USA could have forgotten about the building, even though it owned it, and left it to the ravages of vandals and storms, especially as the years drew on.
Instead, SKF USA kept some employees working in the empty building to maintain it and watch over it. It not only helped catch a buyer but also probably helped it get top dollar.
MTU is currently leasing its space in Michigan from Daimler. It wanted to find a new home in 2008, but it took a few years because of the economy.
When Chef Executive Matthias Vogel goes in search of a new home for his company, he hears about a building in Aiken County and finds it in pristine condition.
“It was a perfect setup and a perfect environment for us,” he said. “That really triggered the decision to come here.”
The pat on the back to SKF came from Aiken County officials when MTU held its ceremony with the governor.
In October, MTU will have established its new North American headquarters down here and will start producing its Andre the Giant-size diesel engines.
REFURB: The Partridge Inn turning 100 isn’t the only thing going on at the historic Augusta hotel this year.
Its restaurant, The Verandah Grill, is getting a makeover and a new name. Well, the name isn’t all that new. It is reclaiming its name from days gone by, The P.I. Bar and Grill.
Along with the décor, the restaurant’s menu is going to be updated too.
“Our new Southern Contemporary theme represents the best of the restaurant over the past decades and new, exciting elements that are sure to please the most perceptive of guests,” said chef Dominic Simpson.
BARNWELL: The residents of Barnwell, S.C., will get to experience the remodeling of their Walmart, but on a lesser scale than Augustans went through with the Bobby Jones Walmart – and the mess that surrounds the Sam’s Club now.
Every department of the store will be updated, including all-new shelving, signs , flooring and product assortment.
The Barnwell Walmart hired 50 additional associates to help with the remodeling. (By the way, Barnwell County’s unemployment rate is 21.2 percent.)
It is already under way. Expect the dust to settle by May.
LENDING: U.S. Small Business Administration-guaranteed lending in Georgia increased significantly in the first quarter of fiscal year 2010 (that’s Dec. 31), compared to a year ago. The total number of SBA loans increased 83 percent from 224 to 410. The dollar volume of lending jumped by 139 percent, from $91.6 million to $218.7 million.
“Given where we were a year ago, this uptick in SBA-backed lending activity is definitely encouraging,” said Terri Denison, Georgia’s SBA district director. “It is a hopeful sign that our economy is starting to turn in a positive direction.”
Some of the lending increase is the result of the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009, which changed the rules around to reduce risk and eliminate fees.
