Ask companies like Target and Kawashima Textiles why they chose Kershaw County as a place to do business, and their answers will include several factors.

A skilled workforce, excellent transportation infrastructure, proximity to the state capital of Columbia, and low operating costs will probably be among the reasons. But most important, Kershaw County was ready – ready to work.

That is why Southeast Renewable Energy announced in late 2010 that it is constructing a $50 biomass plant in Kershaw County that will ultimately hire 20 employees. The plant is scheduled to open in late 2012.

Ready, Set, Go

As an active participant in the state's readySC program, Kershaw County is ready to seamlessly start up new facilities, identify company needs and train local workers to meet the challenges of evolving industries in a changing world. The readySC program acts as an outsourced human resources department, at little or no cost to the company, by recruiting and advertising, developing a relevant curriculum and educating trainers and potential new workers.

ReadySC has trained 1,655 workers at companies in Kershaw County, including Advanced Performance Tech, BlueCross BlueShield, DANA Corp., Hardwicke Chemical, Heritage Embroidery, Kawashima Textiles, Target and Veratec.

Regionally Speaking

Meanwhile, on a more regional level, the Central SC Alliance, a group of 10 counties and one city in the heart of the state, pools assets to attract capital investment and jobs. In addition, Central Carolina Technical College in Camden/Sumter and Midlands Technical College in Columbia offer industrial training and occupational education to workers in Kershaw County through their continuing education programs and credit courses.

Automotive Assets

All these efforts have a tangible economic result, as Kershaw County is home to a small but growing base of automotive-related manufacturers. Kawashima Textiles USA makes car seat fabric, South Carolina Yutaka Technologies manufactures catalytic converters, and Dana Corporation produces trailer modules. Other area companies are the source for products such as aluminum wheels, filter elements and more.

Location That's Right on Target

Since these products must be able to reach consumers quickly, another reason for choosing the area as a home base is location. Kershaw County is located halfway between New York and Miami, and is within 24-hour ground access to more than 70 percent of the U.S. market.

These logistics affect the Target Distribution Center, which has more than 40 acres under one roof and recently underwent a $70 million expansion to become the retailer's largest distribution center in the U.S. It serves Target stores in the Carolinas, Georgia and Virginia, which are all easily accessible from the nearby interstate system.

Growing Service Sector

Kershaw County seeks to continue growing its industry by targeting the business services sector, which includes call centers, corporate offices, claims and processing centers, and more. One of the latest developments to recruit these types of businesses is virtual call center spec building in Wateree Executive Park, which consists of virtual plans for a 60,000-square-foot building that are made available to companies for review.

Without the costly investment of bricks and mortar, Kershaw County is able to offer new businesses a tangible site, complete with a 3-D video of the virtual building. When a business decides to call the building home, construction of a shell building can be completed in 90 days or less.