Beaufort County staring at match point when it comes to economic development

Editorial by By JOE CROLEY

When life is fair, Beaufort County officials will take a lesson from the current tennis matches in Wimbledon as it applies to the ongoing economic development strategy for the county, it is game, set and match.

Game loss came after the failed purchase of the Beaufort Commerce Park drove the original organization, the Lowcountry Economic Network, into bankruptcy. As the saying goes timing is everything, even if the park was better located, say directly on Interstate 95, the real estate market was crashing and not many businesses were looking to relocate or invest a lot of money to do. However, being located off the interstate, with no viable rail transportation or for that matter lack of public transportation, it was a questionable purchase at best.

Set occurred after fooling no one by recreating themselves under a new name, the Lowcountry Economic Alliance; they attempted to continue their efforts with no discernible, measurable results but with a newly joined partner in Jasper County, thus qualifying for additional state funding as a multi-county organization pursuing Economic Development within a geographically defined region. More here.