SC governor, Ag secretary plan top-secret job announcement Wednesday in Hampton County
This story has been updated. Find the latest news about Wednesday’s announcement by clicking here.
Something big is coming to Early Branch, but the public won’t know exactly what it is until Wednesday morning because Hampton County and state officials are remaining tight-lipped.
“The details are still under wraps, but I wanted you to know about a HUGE economic announcement ... It’s going to mean a lot of jobs!” a Monday news release from multiple agencies said.
The announcement is planned for 11 a.m. at the Southern Carolina Industrial Campus on Commerce Parkway in Hampton County. The campus is a “newly developed 1,369-acre industrial site,” according to the SouthernCarolina Regional Development Alliance website.
The alliance, which represents the state’s seven southernmost counties, sent out a detail-light release Tuesday, saying it was hosting the event to make “a major economic development announcement.”
S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, S.C. Commissioner of Agriculture Hugh Weathers, and a representative from the S.C. Department of Commerce will all be there, according to the releases.
“It’s one of the largest announcements our region has ever seen and one of the largest in the Opportunity Zone in the country possibly,” said Kay Maxwell, vice president of marketing for the SouthernCarolina Regional Development Alliance.
Maxwell said it’s unusual for the alliance to have an announcement held until an event rather than in a news release, but “you can tell the magnitude of it since the governor wants to be there to announce it.”
Multiple local and state officials also declined to provide details, with some confirming they know what’s happening and others not confirming or denying any involvement.
“If something’s happening in Early Branch, you can count that I’m all over it,” Hampton County Council Chairman Clay Bishop said. “It’s not just a big announcement, it’s a huge one.”
When asked if he could say anything else, Bishop said with a laugh, “They had me sign an NDA.”
He did say “a lot of people’s hard work is finally paying off.”
Two officials in nearby towns not involved with the announcement said they could only speculate. One said “it’s a big secret.” The other said it should be a “big deal for the region.”
Spokespeople with the S.C. Department of Agriculture and the S.C. Department of Commerce also declined to comment. A commerce department official would also not confirm on the department’s involvement despite a news release saying it would be at Wednesday’s event.
“S.C. Commerce is not able to comment on economic development projects that we may or may not be working prior to a potential announcement,” Alex Clark, director of marketing and communications for the department, said in an email.
This story was originally published September 1, 2020 at 3:54 PM.
