EDITORIAL: Free flow of information needed

Local government officials and economic development leaders have helped pave the way for Materials Innovation Technologies to bring 120 jobs to Florence County. The company seems to be the kind of modern and forward-thinking operation that can offer solid employment opportunities amid a rough economy.

The Fletcher, N.C.-based advanced-materials company hopes to build a Lake City facility to reclaim carbon fiber from composites, Jim Stike, the company’s founder and president, said.

The carbon fiber would be used in automobile or aerospace components, he said.

Carbon fiber is being used in the new Boeing 787 jet, a portion of which will be manufactured in Charleston, Stike said.

On top of the innovative aspects, the business has an environmental facet because the company will reclaim its carbon fiber from material that otherwise would be sent to a landfill, Stike said.

Because of that, the company seems to have the potential to be a welcome addition in southern Florence County, where residents have been torn over the need for jobs versus the environmental impact that certain plants could have.

Materials Innovation Technologies also provides solutions for industries developing emerging technology such as fuel cells, according to the company’s Web site, http://www.emergingmit.com.

Its commercial partners include a tool, die mold and machine shop; a molding production facility; a machine designer and fabricator; a marketing product development company; and a scale-up engineering group, according to its Web site.

Materials Innovation Technologies has received several grants, including a 2006 Energy Department grant of $750,000 to continue its work on low-cost carbon fiber composites for lightweight automobile parts.

During the previous year, the department gave the company an initial grant to begin its research into the composites.

Florence County Council on Thursday gave its final approval to incentive and lease agreements for the company to locate in Florence County.

In Lake City, Materials Innovation Technologies would make an initial investment of about $4 million, which it hopes to double in two to three years, Stike said.

County documents show the company’s Lake City location would be at Godley Morris Commerce Center, off S.C. 341 just west of town.

Council on Thursday also held a public hearing on the ordinances that established the incentive and lease agreements, although no one signed up to speak.

County documents released last week along with council’s agenda revealed the name of the company only as MIT-RCF LLC.

Florence County has a positive economic development on its hands, and sealing such a deal can be a sensitive matter.

But the public needs a little more basic information about such projects, such as the company’s full name and what it produces, so that council can hold truly meaningful public hearings.

We understand the need for secrecy in negotiating contracts. We also wish the public had more time to provide feedback to their elected leaders.

— Unsigned editorials represent the views of this newspaper. Editorial Board members are Mark Laskowski (regional publisher), James Bennett (regional editor), Sam Bundy (sports editor), Kimberly Ginfrida (news editor), David Johnson (regional circulation director), Charles Tomlinson (Lake City News & Post editor) and Jackie Torok (metro editor).