PICKENS COUNTY - It’s a major coup for Alliance Pickens: The economic development arm of the county not only brought 450 jobs back from the brink of extinction, it also lined up 115 more to boot. “This one is a Merry Christmas to us all,” said Alliance Pickens Executive Director Ray Farley about Fluid Routing Solutions Inc.’s decision to keep its Pickens County area plant open.
Mark IV Industries Inc. was acquired this summer by Sun Capital Partners, Inc. which is now operating the network of businesses under the FRS name. The company’s initial decision was to consolidate by shutting down the Dayco-Mark IV plant on S.C. 93 near Easley and move its operations to Canada. “As grandpa would say, the cow had left the barn’ on this one,” Farley said. “It was done, it was a done deal.” But Farley and others decided not to let the closure happen quietly. “That was not a good day when I got that phone call,” Farley said. “It would have been years to replace those 450 jobs.” So Farley and several others rose to the challenge of wooing the company back. Now, thanks to fast action and persuasive negotiations, FRS announced today, Tuesday, that not only would it keep the local plant open, but that it was also moving its Canadian operations to Pickens County. That’s an addition of 115 new jobs with more growth potential on the horizon.
“Big sigh of relief,” Farley said. “And it comes at a good time.” Said County Council Chairman G. Neil Smith, “We are very thankful we didn’t lose 450 jobs this holiday season. “We’re very happy that we were able to persuade FRS after months of negotiations that Pickens County was the best site for consolidating its operations,” Smith said. “This is a nice Christmas present for the FRS employees and their families.” FSR officials made the announcement at a press conference at the former Mark IV site, now with a Fluid Routing Solutions sign out front.
“In the short term, they’re going to physically move out of the Easley plant the warehousing elements, the non-manufacturing elements,” Farley said. The materials will be housed locally where supplies can be trucked to and from, as well as finished product prior to shipping, Farley said. “In that vacated floor space, they’re going to move the Canadian capital equipment in and hire the folks there,” Farley said, adding that the process is expected to take between 18-24 months. FSR’s next decision is whether to expand the existing site or build new in the Pickens County Commerce Park. “Either way, it’s a win for the community,” Farley said.
Another possibility for the company is to relocate its Michigan headquarters to Pickens County. Farley said the state Department of Commerce as well as Pickens County Council assisted in making this negotiation a smooth one by offering incentives. Incentives included job-tax credits, job development credits, training for the new jobs and county fee-in-lieu-of-tax on new investment including machinery, new buildings or additions and property tax, Farley said. “This is the epitome of teamwork,” Farley said. “In a very short period, we called in a significant number of people who could effect change on their decision.” Still, there was no need for arm twisting, he said. “A main factor in consolidating and expanding here, is our Pickens County workforce,” Farley said. “They’ve said more than once how pleased they are with our area workforce.” Said new Operations Manager for power steering products Tim Parys, “In the end, it came down to the excellent workforce in Pickens County that made staying in Pickens County the best decision for our business. “The experience level, the strong work ethic and the flexibility of the workforce is vital to our company’s ongoing success,” Parys said. “And we’re pleased to remain an active member of this business community.”
Other aspects that attracted FSR included state training programs like ReadySC and the proximity of Clemson University and implications of Clemson-ICAR. “They saw what was available in our area and I think they started to get it,” Farley said. “They really have more of an entire package here quality of life, the pace of life and cost of living,” Farley said.
Reach Ginny Johnson at 855-0355 or gjohnson@theeasleyprogress.com.
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