We Are Aiken County: Manufacturing an important part of the local economy

Dede Biles, Aiken Standard, S.C.
·3 min read

Feb. 16—Editor's note: We Are Aiken County is a series of articles that will run through Feb. 26. It celebrates people, places and events that shaped Aiken County.

Tires, fiberglass yarns, flooring and disposable diapers are just some of the many products industries produce locally.

"Since the 1840s, manufacturing has played an important role in Aiken County's vibrancy," said Will Williams, president and CEO of the Western SC Economic Development Partnership. "Today more than 10,000 people are employed by such recognized brands as Bridgestone, Kimberly-Clark, Shaw Industries and Rolls-Royce, to name a few. Their $400 million in annual payroll supports the employee families along with our retail and hospitality establishments."

In addition, "these corporate citizens provide over $17 million annually in property taxes to Aiken County Public Schools and Aiken County," Williams continued. "Their support of the many charitable causes and community events are vital to making Aiken County a great place to call home."

The 10 largest manufacturing operations in Aiken County, based on the number of employees, according to a list provided by Williams, are Bridgestone, Kimberly-Clark, AGY, the Shaw Industries Group Inc., Autoneum, Hubbell Power Systems, Emerson, The Carlstar Group, Rolls-Royce and BAE Systems.

In fall 2021, Shaw Industries announced plans to invest approximately $400 million for an expansion in Aiken County that would create more than 300 new jobs.

The completion of that project is scheduled for the end of 2004.

The Western SC Economic Development Partnership and Aiken County are collaborating to construct a new industrial park in the northern part of the county.

That effort has included the purchase last year of a 397.17-acre tract near Monetta from KHP LLC.

"We are excited because it's a part of the county where a lot of folks living there feel like they have been ignored and that a lot of growth in the rest of the county has passed them by," County Council Chairman Gary Bunker told the Aiken Standard. "It also will allow us to continue to attract world-class manufacturing and industrial growth to the county long after we run out of space in Sage Mill Industrial Park."

Sage Mill, which is in the Graniteville area, has been around since the 1990s.

It is the home of two Bridgestone tire plants, Rolls-Royce's MTU Aiken Plant and other companies' manufacturing operations.

Among the additional sites for factories locally are Verenes Industrial Park, North Augusta Industrial Park and Ventures Industrial Park.

Thanks to a big push from William Gregg, Aiken County rose to prominence in the manufacturing industry in the 19th century.

A native of Virginia, Gregg became an investor in the Vaucluse Manufacturing Company, a struggling cotton mill, in 1837.

Eight years later, he and several partners secured a charter from the South Carolina General Assembly to establish the Graniteville Manufacturing Company.

Their initial capital investment was $300,000, and the business became one of the most successful producers of textiles in the South.

Gregg died in 1867.