Golf Manufacturer’S Expansion Brings $13 Million Investment To Pickens County – Easley Progress

By Joe Toppe
PICKENS COUNTY – The TaylorMade Golf Company will establish a 120,000 square-foot golf ball production plant in Liberty and expects to break ground next month.
“South Carolina is home to a number of world-class, well-known brands, and it’s great to see another one choose to grow in the Palmetto State,” said Gov. Nikki Haley. “We celebrate TaylorMade Golf Company’s decision to invest $13 million in Liberty with its new plant. Announcements like this are another indication that South Carolina is becoming the “it” state for business.”
The company’s new manufacturing research and development facility will be located in the Pickens County Commerce Park.
“The opportunity to have a permanent home in Pickens County was too good of an opportunity for our company to pass up,” said John Kawaja, executive vice president at TaylorMade Golf. “We are getting a new building in a booming area that will improve our unit production, quality and margin position. Most important, we are committed to keeping jobs in South Carolina.”
The manufacturing research and development facility will be TaylorMade’s North American golf ball production headquarters.
“We are very excited about TaylorMade’s decision to locate its new golf ball production facility at the Pickens County Commerce Park,” said Pickens County Council Chairman Neil Smith. “To have another industry leader choose Pickens County and the Upstate is a testament to the pro-business approach of South Carolina.”
According to the South Carolina Department of Commerce, South Carolina has recruited more than $8 billion in capital investment and has supplied more than 21,000 jobs in the manufacturing sector.
“Today’s announcement is the product of the solid work done by Team South Carolina,” said Secretary of Commerce Bobby Hitt. “The Company had a choice between keeping operations in South Carolina or moving to a site in Georgia. State and local officials were able to work with the company to keep TaylorMade here and convince them to grow their investment in the Palmetto State.”
Construction on the plant in Liberty is expected to be completed next January with a complete transition by July of 2014.
“This plant will create some net jobs and I have seen in the press releases that a total of 125 jobs will be available,” said Senator, Larry Martin. “There will also be some net win for schools in terms of tax revenue.”
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