Bamberg County Markets Shovel-Ready Industrial Sites to Attract New Investment

Bamberg County Council voted in May 2024 to give an unnamed company a 30-year tax break, an infrastructure credit, and special source revenue credits in exchange for a promise of $35 million in capital investment and 250 manufacturing jobs at CrossRhodes Industrial Park. That company, publicly identified only as "Project Lightning," has still not disclosed its name to residents. Less than two years later, in January 2026, a second manufacturer landed at CrossRhodes with a different package: a $200,000 public grant and a ready-built spec building, backed by a pledge of 40 jobs and an initial $7 million investment. Together, those two deals illustrate exactly how Bamberg County plays the industrial recruitment game, and what taxpayers are owed in return.

CrossRhodes Industrial Park: The County's Main Card

CrossRhodes Industrial Park sits along U.S. Highway 301 and is owned and operated by the SouthernCarolina Alliance, the seven-county regional development organization that serves Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton, and Jasper counties. The park carries a multi-county industrial park designation, a classification that matters financially: companies locating there qualify for an additional $1,000-per-job bonus stacked on top of South Carolina's standard Jobs Tax Credit, unlocking incentives unavailable on standalone private parcels.

The SouthernCarolina Alliance has used CrossRhodes as a speculative building platform, constructing industrial shells in advance of any committed tenant to shorten the gap between a company's site decision and its first day of production. That strategy has produced both wins and hard losses, as the scoreboard below shows.

The Incentive Toolkit: What Bamberg Puts on the Table

When a prospect approaches, the Bamberg County Economic Development Commission, which operates as a member organization of the SouthernCarolina Alliance, assembles a package from several available instruments:

• A fee-in-lieu-of-tax (FILOT) agreement, which replaces standard property tax assessments with a negotiated payment locked in for terms as long as 30 years, as was structured for Project Lightning
• Infrastructure credit agreements that offset capital costs for site preparation, utility connections, or building improvements
• Special source revenue credits, an additional layer of tax relief tied to infrastructure investments at the specific project site
• Rebates of 2% to 5% of new employees' state withholding taxes for up to 15 years, approved on a case-by-case basis by the state
• Access to Set-Aside grants through the Coordinating Council for Economic Development, such as the $200,000 the council awarded Bamberg County to support the JGB Brothers project

Who Approves the Deals

Every FILOT and infrastructure credit package requires a formal vote by Bamberg County Council, which issues an inducement resolution as a first step before passing the authorizing ordinance on second reading. Project Lightning's package cleared both readings in May 2024. The Coordinating Council for Economic Development, a state body, controls Set-Aside grant awards independently. The SouthernCarolina Alliance, led by Executive Director Danny Black, manages day-to-day recruitment, site marketing, and project coordination, while County Administrator Joey Preston and County Chairman Evert Comer Jr. anchor the local government side of each negotiation.

The Scoreboard: Pitches Made, Results Delivered

The track record at CrossRhodes and nearby Bamberg County sites spans more than a decade:

• Tobul Accumulator expanded at CrossRhodes with a $5 million investment and a commitment to add 50 jobs, a verified win celebrated by then-Governor Nikki Haley.
• Arnett occupied the first SCA-built spec building at CrossRhodes, committing more than $6.8 million and 122 jobs. The facility opened in 2022 but was leveled by a tornado on January 9, 2024, eliminating those positions through no fault of the company or county.
• Circular Composite Solutions cut the ribbon at the former Rockland Industries building in Bamberg under a fee-in-lieu agreement, infrastructure credit, and special source revenue tax credit, with Governor Henry McMaster attending and General Manager Matt Coley on hand.
• Project Lightning secured a 30-year FILOT, infrastructure credits, and special source revenue credits for a promised $35 million investment and 250 jobs at CrossRhodes, approved by County Council in May 2024. County Chairman Comer called it "incredible news for Bamberg County," but as of April 2026 the company's identity remains undisclosed.
• JGB Brothers, a subsidiary of Poland-based family manufacturer InterFiber, announced in January 2026 it is establishing operations at 66 Innovation Drive in Bamberg inside the CrossRhodes spec building. The $7 million initial investment and 40 new jobs could eventually scale to $36 million, according to InterFiber President Jacek Bednarek. Operations are expected online in late 2026.

The Public Money Behind the Buildings

Before any private company signs on at CrossRhodes, substantial public capital has already underwritten the site. Bamberg County received a $4 million grant from the Savannah River Site Litigation Settlement, specifically designated for constructing the industrial spec building at CrossRhodes. County Administrator Joey Preston described it as "a critical step in recruiting and securing an industry that can provide needed jobs to Bamberg County residents and encourage economic growth in one of the state's poorest counties," crediting Sen. Brad Hutto, Rep. Justin Bamberg, and SCA Executive Director Danny Black for securing the award. That same building is now occupied by JGB Brothers, whose project received an additional $200,000 Set-Aside grant to cover building improvements, meaning state and county public funds seeded both the structure and the tenant's fit-out.

Sites Beyond CrossRhodes

CrossRhodes is not the county's only industrial asset on the market. The SouthernCarolina Alliance also lists the Wolf Site in Denmark along Heritage Highway and the Guess Industrial Tract as available parcels suited for manufacturing, distribution, or agribusiness. SCA Project Manager Joshua Urwick told county officials, "We've seen a little bit of traction on the Wolfe tract, which is over in Denmark on Heritage Highway," suggesting active prospect interest, though no deal has been announced. Current acreage details, transport proximity data, and contact information for all three sites are maintained on the SouthernCarolina Alliance's Bamberg county page and available from the Bamberg County EDC directly.

What Residents in Bamberg, Denmark, and Olar Are Watching

Each CrossRhodes deal follows a predictable sequence: construction work reaches local contractors first, followed by permanent manufacturing, logistics, and production jobs accessible to workers across Bamberg, Denmark, Ehrhardt, Olar, and Govan. The county's tax base grows only when promised investment actually arrives and companies hit their job-creation milestones. A 30-year FILOT like the one granted to Project Lightning means reduced property tax revenue for three decades; the county's principal leverage is in the infrastructure credit agreements, which can include performance clawbacks tied to job counts and wage benchmarks.

With JGB Brothers still fitting out its facility on Innovation Drive, Project Lightning's identity still unrevealed, and the Wolf Site drawing early interest, the most important question for Bamberg residents is the same one it has always been: which promises on that scoreboard will still be standing when the next recruitment pitch begins.