'Neptune' likely to park locally

As a news report surfaced Wednesday that Charleston had landed a large tire import business, a local elected official said the deal known as "Project Neptune" is likely bound for South Carolina.

"I'd be very surprised if it went somewhere else," said state Sen. Larry Grooms, R-Bonneau.

The deal involves TBC Corp., the parent company of Tire Kingdom. State leaders hope the company would become the first anchor tenant in an industrial park outside Summerville.

The company also is expected to give a boost to the Port of Charleston.

No one directly involved with courting Project Neptune would confirm TBC's decision.

The state Department of Commerce and MeadWestvaco Corp., which is one of the developers of the property, both declined to comment Wednesday. Patrice Kelty-Webster, communications manager for TBC in Juno Beach, Fla., said in a written statement that "no official decision has been announced to date."

Grooms said an announcement could be made within a week.

Officials in South Carolina have been pursuing the distribution center at a time when the state unemployment rate languishes in double digits and as local employers are hesitant to hire new workers.

Meanwhile, the State Ports Authority's container volume fell nearly 20 percent as global demand for consumer goods made abroad has plummeted.

It's unclear exactly how many jobs the tire importer would create, with reports ranging from 125 to 200. But economic development leaders are banking on the company becoming a catalyst for other business activity.

In addition to the Norfolk, Va., area, Project Neptune also was eyeing Savannah, according to reports. The Smithfield Times of Virginia said Wednesday that Charleston had won the TBC project, citing comments from local official Lisa Perry, who heads up economic development for Isle of Wight County, Va.

Perry would not identify the company in question, and she said its decision has not been announced publicly.

"We're out of the project as we understand it," Perry told The Post and Courier.

She noted that South Carolina wooed the company with a lucrative incentive package.

"They needed this hit, they needed an anchor tenant to come into that park. If they're being aggressive, there's a reason for it," Perry said. "We have a well-established park, and we didn't need to do that."

The company is expected to locate in a new business park to be built off U.S. Interstate 26 near Jedburg by the Rockefeller Group and MeadWestvaco. It would be the tenant.

In all, developers have proposed a combined total of 12 million square feet of industrial space for that area during the next decade.

Reach Katy Stech at 937-5549 or kstech@postand courier.com. Reach Allyson Bird at 937-5594 or abird@postandcourier.com.