1000+ jobs coming to Carolina Forest; Horry County to invest $8m in deal (Update)

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Update August 10, 2012:  Assuming the last details can be finalized, construction could start on Project Blue's new facility around September 1, 2012.

Questions are being raised about the $8 million in debt the county will take on to seal the deal.  Some feel as if there isn't yet enough specific information about the agreement that warrants that level of financial liability.  Further, there is a "safety net" in the terms that stipulates a $7 million sale price of the land and facility to the county if the company does not stay in the new location for five years and a new tenant can not be found.  While it's evident the workings of this contract are complex, isn't that just more potential debt for Horry County tax payers to cover?   It's obviously difficult to find the delicate balance within the "It takes money to make money" philosophy.  Have a look at this Sun News article for many more details.


Update July 24, 2012: The "where" has been confirmed for Project Blue as Carolina Forest by Myrtle Beach Regional Economic Development chief, Brad Lofton.

The Sun News reported this along with the deal could be worth a $75 million annual impact to the area. Read more here. Horry County Council Chairman Tom Rice has called a special meeting for this Thursday to discuss the details of the deal including the sale of $8 million in general obligation bonds. Carolina Forest residents should hope some of that money could be used to improve the roads and interchanges.

If this deal goes through, Lofton will have far surpassed his contractual obligations which required him to bring in 500 more jobs


Update July 19, 2012: We still don't know the "who" or the "where", but there's a little more detail about the "what" and the "when".

The Sun News reports that two deals are being worked by the Myrtle Beach Regional Economic Development Corporation that add up to nearly 1200 jobs. An official announcement is expected in August. The majority of which would be coming from Project Blue which we reported earlier could be a call center located in Carolina Forest. For more details on the other project, see the full report here.


Update July 6, 2012:  While the dots are only loosely connected, the 1000 jobs could be in the form of a call center based in the Carolina Forest area.

WBTW reports that Horry County leaders are in negotiations with the company, though no additional details have been released about the nature or name of the business.  Nor has the exact location for their center been disclosed. 

Stay tuned for hopeful good news and the subsequent immediate freak-out about the increase in traffic for that area.


First report: While the details are scarce, the Horry County Council signed a resolution that would bring 1000+ new jobs to the area.

There's no word on what type of work or when the jobs will be available, but "Project Blue" was unanimously approved. 

According to the Sun News, "It calls for the county administrator and staff to disburse up to $906,000 from the Myrtle Beach Regional Economic Development Corporation’s product development fund, and up to $894,000 from another county fund to help with project incentives."  They had the write-up with the most details, which you can find here.

As more details become available, we'll post updates. 

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