By Dan McCue

ORANGEBURG -- Officials with Jafza International, the Dubai-based giant in international trade, have decided Orangeburg will be the site of a $600 million logistics, warehousing and light manufacturing center, a company adviser confirmed Tuesday afternoon.

According to the adviser, the company hopes to close within the next few weeks on a 1,300-acre parcel near the intersection of Interstate 95 and S.C. Highway 301.

The confirmation comes after two weeks of speculation that such a deal was imminent.

However, individuals who have talked with Jafza officials say the whole deal could fall apart if certain players in the negotiations continue to “publicly misrepresent themselves.”  

Sources said representatives of Jafza International were blindsided earlier this week by a published report regarding the purchase of 196.83 acres adjacent to I-95, by CaroLinks, a Charleston-based intermodal startup firm.

What concerned the Dubai company’s reps were quotes attributed to CaroLinks President and CEO Lucy Duncan-Scheman in The (Orangeburg)Times and Democrat newspaper, which appeared to imply that CaroLinks and Jafza International are working together to develop the Orangeburg site.

An individual privy to the ongoing discussions between Jafza International and individuals here said that characterization is completely off the mark.

“Duncan-Scheman continues to use the word ‘we’ and there’s no ‘we’ about this,” the individual said. “Yes, Mr. Scheman bought the tract, but his is just the first step of a process that will result in Jafza purchasing the rights and interests of CaroLinks on several tracts of land in the Santee area.”

On Sept. 21, L. Ronald Scheman, the finance chairman of CaroLinks’ holding company and husband of Duncan-Scheman, purchased three parcels totaling 196.83 acres from LC of South Carolina Inc. for $2.9 million.

LC of South Carolina Inc. is owned by Motley Rice attorney Miles Loadholt, who came to prominence through the law firm’s groundbreaking asbestos litigation, and Robert Collins, the owner of Robert O. Collins Co., a construction firm with offices in North Charleston.

Loadholt said he and Collins bought the land in 1996 as an investment and never intended to develop it themselves.

“It took a little longer to sell than we anticipated,” he said.

CaroLinks’ option on the land would have expired on Sept. 24, Loadholt said, adding that he’s been in talks with Jafza International about his property for about three months.

Individuals familiar with the situation said Jafza International could have waited for CaroLinks’ options to expire, but wanted to be fair to everyone who has some kind of interest in the land in question.

“This is an ongoing process, and we prefer to officially comment only when the entire purchase is finalized,” the individual said. “We would like to reiterate that we are purchasing the interests to the land—including the land Ron Scheman just purchased—from CaroLinks.

“We are not partnering in any way with CaroLinks,” the individual said.

But if a major land deal is shaping up in Orangeburg, there’s still a long way to go before the facility comes to fruition. Land deals of this size are often accompanied by numerous unexpected twists and turns, and negotiations and discussions are occurring over some eight time zones.

And it will be only after all the individual land deals are closed that Jafza International will enter the planning stage of the facility and forge the regulatory and public/private partnership agreements that go along with developing a significant amount of land.

“I am pleased Jafza International has the confidence in Orangeburg County to invest $600 million in the largest economic development project in the county’s history," said House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn, who represents Orangeburg in Congress. "This is welcome news on the heels of last week’s report that Orangeburg County ranks 10th in the nation for the poorest counties with populations over 65,000. 
 
"I have always believed that with the intersection of I-95 and I-26, and access to other U.S. and state highways and railroads, Orangeburg County was ideal for an intermodel distribution hub," Clyburn continued. " It is gratifying to see investors who share my vision. This is an exciting day for Orangeburg County and the entire I-95 corridor.”

“We’re putting our money where our mouth is,” said the company adviser. “Scheman’s purchase of the land was just the first step of the first step of this getting done.

“If everything goes according to plan, we hope to close on those tracts in the next few weeks. In the meantime, we continue to talk with local and state officials about our plan for a major distribution and logistics park in the Santee area.”