By SCBIZ Staff

BARNWELL COUNTY -- Elkay Cabinet Division is planning to locate a manufacturing facility in Barnwell County. The cabinet manufacturer will invest more than $12 million and expects hiring will begin sometime in 2008, with total employment reaching about 300 by the end of 2009.

Elkay will be located at the former EFCO industrial plant in the Barnwell County Airport Industrial Park. The facility will be dedicated to the production of residential kitchen and bath cabinetry.

Gov. Mark Sanford joined the Barnwell County Economic Development Corp. and the SouthernCarolina Regional Development Alliance on Tuesday in announcing the new facility.

The acquisition of the Barnwell facility comes after 14 years of consistent growth within the Elkay Cabinet Division, according to Tom Cook, division president. Cook said the new facility will help the division continue to strategically grow operating capacity to fuel continued development of the company.

“The state offered many benefits including market access to our growing Southeastern customer base and most of all a readily available and skilled work force,” Cook said. “We look forward to continuing our strategic plan to grow our business while positioning ourselves as an employer of choice in all of the communities where our facilities are located.”

Marty Martin, executive director of the Barnwell County Economic Development Corporation, said Elkay’s presence in Barnwell will have an impact on the entire Southern Carolina region.

“Elkay is an international company with a stellar reputation and we are tremendously pleased they have chosen this area for their latest expansion.” Martin said. “This represents one of the most significant job creation announcements in Barnwell County in recent years.”

The Elkay Cabinet Division has 11 facilities and 3,500 employees throughout the United States.  Operating under the brand names Medallion Cabinetry, Yorktowne Cabinetry, Mastercraft Cabinets and Schuler Cabinetry, the company is the fourth largest provider of residential cabinetry in the country.  Elkay Manufacturing Co. is a privately held 85-year-old firm headquartered in Oak Brook, Ill. Elkay is a supplier of high value residential kitchen and bath cabinetry and accessories, commercial and residential plumbing products, including stainless steel sinks, faucets and water coolers.  The Elkay Cabinet Division was created in 1993.