Coca-Cola Bottling Company Consolidated
Companies and communities wanting to see some direct economic impact from the use of JEDA bonds need look no further than Coca-Cola Bottling Company Consolidated (CCBCC) and the town of Bishopville.
Charlotte-based CCBCC used a $5 million JEDA bond to help finance a $10 million investment in its Bishopville facility, adding a new production line for its Dasani bottled water.
"We have more than 100 good manufacturing jobs in Bishopville, SC where we produced 31,094,819 cases of refreshing Coca-Cola products last year at the South Atlantic Canners, Inc. facility," said Alison Patient, Director of Corporate Affairs for CCBCC, which has five production centers, more than 6,000 employees and is the second largest Coca-Cola bottler in the United States.
The impact of that investment goes beyond the 20 jobs created by the new production line in Bishopville that was added several years ago, Patient added. In 2007, the company added a Regional Logistics Center in Marion that employs more than 250 people. Additionally, in 2009, the company began construction of a new warehousing and distribution facility in Horry County that will create ten new jobs.
"The JEDA bond was an integral part of our expansion in Bishopville and we appreciate the assistance we received from JEDA in making that expansion a reality," Patient said. "South Carolina is a great place to do business. We have always appreciated the encouragement and support we have received from state and local officials for our business."
Harry A. Huntley, Executive Director of JEDA, said he was particularly pleased by the synergy created by the expansion and other locations in the State, and by the fact that jobs were being created in areas that have long been economically troubled.
"Our partnership with Coca-Cola Bottling Company Consolidated has been a win-win-win, for the company, for the people of this state and for JEDA," Huntley said.