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The takeaway
The mission of the trip for the delegation was to gain a better understanding of Dubai and what type of facility could be coming to Orangeburg.
“Mission accomplished,” said Orangeburg County Council Chairman Harry Wimberly.
Wimberly admitted he’d expressed some doubts about whether there was need for a delegation from Orangeburg to travel to the Middle East.
“I sure feel differently about that now,” he said.
Part of that feeling, he explained, stemmed from the fact that he now felt steeped enough in Dubai and Jafza to be able to explain to constituents, intelligently and in detail, what lies ahead for Orangeburg County.
“At the same time, I think we have a better understanding of why they want to diversify their own economy, and why they want in the North American market.”
Jeannine Kees, chair of the Orangeburg County Commission, agreed.
“It all worked together to help us understand the big picture,” she said. “I think I came away with better understanding of global logistics and how these two distinct points in it, Orangeburg and Dubai, can and will function together as a part of it.
“The opportunity for community leaders to investigate the size and scope of the Jafza’s project in the Middle East, gave us a truer sense of how its successes can be replicated in our own country.”
Bill Clark, Orangeburg’s county administrator, said he was struck by the underlying similarities between what Dubai once was and what the county is today.
“Although it’s easy to forget given the explosion of growth one experiences here, it was only a few decades ago that Dubai was a small town, a small fishing village, that was desperately in need of a transformation,” he said.
Clark said he wasn’t expecting Orangeburg to ever be home to sky high buildings, but the lesson for the community was clear.
“We shouldn’t limit ourselves, limit our imagination, because of what we see before us today,” he said. “Rather, we should look at the resources available to us and strive to find ways to make it all it can be.”
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