By Melinda Copp

BEAUFORT -- Beaufort County has a reputation for booming growth. But population increases need to be balanced with economic development, which Beaufort County doesn’t have.

With nearly 90 percent of the tax base coming from residential property, the need for economic development to balance out the population boom continues to become more apparent for Beaufort County officials and the community.

To achieve this the S.C. Department of Commerce and the Greater Beaufort-Hilton Head Economic Partnership have worked with the county officials to develop a number of incentives and breaks for businesses looking to relocate or expand into Beaufort County.

Their efforts to streamline the permitting process for building new facilities in industrial areas are paying off. Wednesday, they announced Carolina Door & Millwork had acquired about 28 acres of the Beaufort Commerce Park to construct a new manufacturing facility.

Carolina Door & Millwork is a division of CNC Components and Millwork Inc. and an affiliate of Grayco Building Centers of Beaufort. The company will invest more than $10 million in the new facility, which will manufacture interior and exterior doors and customized architectural millwork, and create 50 new jobs.

“As Beaufort County residents, we are grateful to have the opportunity to start our company in our own back yard,” said Joe Walters, Chief Operating Officer for Carolina Door & Millwork, who hopes to break ground on the facility in the next month. “This would not have been possible in Beaufort County without the development of the Beaufort Commerce Park.”

Walters also credited the county’s fee in lieu of tax incentive for easing the decision to build and operate in Beaufort.

“I’m proud to be a part of a partnership for recruiting jobs in Beaufort County,” said County Councilman Gerald Dawson. Companies like Carolina Door & Millwork are beneficial to the area work force because they increase the commercial tax base and increase wage benefits for citizens, and the proximity of the Beaufort Commerce Park location will reduce commute times, he said.

The average wage earned in Beaufort County falls far below the state average. The Greater Beaufort-Hilton Head Economic Partnership has worked with the County to boost the County’s average income level and balance the tax digest by developing incentives to draw industry and marketing the advantages of doing business in the area.

“It’s easy to see that Beaufort County is open for business,” said Kim Statler, executive director of the Greater Beaufort-Hilton Head Economic Partnership. “And we are excited about new businesses like this one coming to our county.”