Oconee’s loss is Spartanburg’s gain

Formal announcement was made late this morning that Michelin North America, Inc. will build a distribution center in Spartanburg County. The development had been pursued for more than a year by Oconee County for its Golden Corner Commerce Park, but word came in February that Oconee had been eliminated from Michelin’s expansion plans.   For the Spartanburg area, the distribution center is to bring more than $270 million in new capital investment and lead to the creation of 350 new jobs.  One of the largest corporations in South Carolina, Michelin designs, manufactures and sells tires for airplanes, automobiles, bicycles, earthmovers, and farm equipment. Headquartered in Greenville, S.C., Michelin North America employs more than 22,650 workers and operates 20 manufacturing plants in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The new distribution center is to locate near the intersection of S.C. Highways 101 and 417 near Spartanburg.  The site will feature five buildings comprising a total of approximately 3.3 million square-feet and will support distribution of tires under Michelin, BFGoodrich and Uniroyal brands for passenger vehicles, heavy trucks and agricultural euipment. Construction on the new center is expected to begin later this year. The first phase is projected to open in late 2017, with full completion expected in early 2019. Hiring for the new positions is expected to begin in 2017.