NESA aims to capitalize on region's transportation options

Hop on Interstate 95 and you could end up anywhere from Miami to Maine.

But officials with the North Eastern Strategic Alliance (NESA) hope to ride this highway to economic success over the next few years.

Officials with NESA, an economic development organization that serves a nine-county region in northeastern South Carolina, said the presence of major highways like I-95 and I-20 could help them attract thousands of jobs to the area.

That’s because interstates like these are particularly appealing to distribution companies, and that’s why NESA had made these businesses one of its main targets for future development.

“A company’s chief goal is to get products into a consumer’s hands as quickly as possible,” said Jeff McKay, NESA’s executive director.

Friday’s news that $105 million in additional key funding has been secured for the I-73 interchange at I-95 in Latta surely will add to the region’s appeal, McKay said.

“Any company looking to relocate here with logistic concerns, and that’s just about everybody, is going to notice this,” he said. “We’ve already got 20 and 95 and if you add 73 going into Michigan, that’s pretty impressive. It adds to our advantages in this area.”

The Pee Dee and Grand Strand have multiple advantages over other parts of the country when helping companies reach that goal, he said.

McKay estimates that distribution centers located in the region could extend products to 60 percent of the country’s population within a day’s truck drive.

That might not be so easy at distributions centers in major cities, which tend to have major traffic problems, he said.

“We’re building a case here to say that we aren’t a congested market,” McKay said. “We’re a great location for any logistics-type company that you're looking for, because we don't have that congestion.”

But highways aren’t the only route for distributing goods. There’s also rail, air and ports, all of which exist in or near the NESA region.

“I think we have all the things in place; it’s a matter of taking advantage of the resources we have, going out marketing, getting in front of the right folks, and getting (them) to do business here,” McKay said.

That’s something he said the region probably hasn’t done aggressively enough with distribution centers in the past. In spite of that, a handful of centers already exist within the region, like QVC and IFC in Florence, Harbor Freight in Dillon and Walmart’s distribution center in Chesterfield.

These centers serve as examples that logistics and distribution industries can succeed within the NESA region.

“Anytime you’re talking to someone, they want to see a proven track record,” McKay said. “And I think you can look at the success of the other distribution companies that we have in the region, and if they can’t help us sell this area, then we’re never going to be successful.”

Beyond transportation methods, though, the region possesses another advantageous characteristic: geography. Its central location along the east coast makes distribution to many larger cities relatively easy.

And the region’s reach grows even more in the next few years as construction begins on I-73. The interstate, from Myrtle Beach to Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., could take at least 10 years to complete. It would cross six states — Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia and the Carolinas — and cover 80 miles in four South Carolina counties: Marlboro, Dillon, Marion and Horry.

At a cost of $2 billion, it will be the first interstate link to Myrtle Beach, the heart of the state’s $16 billion tourism industry. Some say it also could cut hurricane evacuation times from the Grand Strand by 11 to 15 hours.

“I-73 will give us an ultimate access into the Michigan area,” McKay said. “So that’s just another added benefit or added asset on the existing infrastructure that we’re able to offer.”