The Greater Lexington Chamber’s 22nd annual Golf Tournament is one month away, which means we’re looking for teams and sponsors to participate. One of our most popular events, the tournament is May 14 at the Country Club of Lexington. Cost for a team of four is $360 for the morning round and $435 for the afternoon. Included are greens and cart fees, range balls, breakfast, lunch, and beverage carts.

Tee times are at 8 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. An informal gathering to recognize the winners will conclude the event.

Wanna play? Wanna sponsor? Contact Sondra Gettys at sondra@lexingtonsc.org or 359-6113.

Anne Sinclair

Completing the John Hardee Expressway at the Columbia Metropolitan Airport is critical to the Midlands’ economy, Anne Sinclair told Chamber members at Tuesday’s breakfast meeting. “It means jobs, more money, and more efficiency,” said Sinclair, chair of the airport commission. “UPS has projected they would save a half-million dollars if it were
finished.” The completion of the $76.8 million Phase Two of the expressway means other
area businesses, including Amazon and Nephron Pharmaceuticals, could transport their
products much faster as well.

“We need money to make this happen,” Sinclair said, adding that the Central Midlands
Council of Governments, Lexington County Council and Randy Halfacre with the MidState
Chambers Coalition have been supportive of getting the expressway completed. “We need
your help.”

Chair of the commission since February, Sinclair provided an update, mostly positive,
about what’s going on at the airport:

• Charlotte International is still Columbia’s biggest competitor. Southwest Airlines’
decision to offer service from Charleston and Greenville/Spartanburg hasn’t affected
Columbia.”We knew people would start flying from those airports,” Sinclair said. “I’m
here to share with you that that has not occurred.”
• The airport district encompasses a lot of land–2,655 acres–and includes the Foreign
Trade Zone and Columbia Airport Enterprise Park, some of which can be used for economic development
• There are 1,500 jobs on the airport property, producing an annual payroll of $44.3
million
• To reduce costs and be more competitive, staff have been cut 37 percent since 2010
• Debt has been reduced by $12,050,000 since 2010
• Delta added 200 seats and changed prices to compete with the Charleston and
Greenville/Spartanburg airports
• Delta is adding second flights to Detroit and LaGuardia
• United Airlines will start flying to Newark and has added a fourth flight to Dulles

Airline mergers and fuel prices have caused ticket prices to rise and the
number of flights and seats to shrink, Sinclair explained. Meanwhile, the regional jets
that have been the airport’s “bread and butter” have aged and won’t be replaced. The
airport commission and staff are working to get bigger planes, and Delta has indeed added
larger planes.

“The planes that leave Columbia are full,” she said. “There are a lot of
places you can go from Columbia without stopping.” Currently the airport offers non-stop
flights to Chicago, Philadelphia, Houston, Dallas, Newark, New York, Charlotte, Atlanta,
and Washington, DC.

“We have a lot of good things going on,” Sinclair said. “We are your local
airport and we hope you will fly out of it and ‘fly with ease.’ That’s our new slogan.”

Tuesday’s breakfast meeting was sponsored by BB&T.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, Michelin North America Chairman/President Pete Selleck, and Gov. Nikki Haley at the Michelin expansion announcement in Greenville. Photo courtesy Michelin North America

Tuesday’s announcement about Michelin North America’s expansion in Lexington County has local business and government officials crowing. The State paper reported that besides building a new $550 million plant in Anderson County, the tire manufacturer plans to spend $200 million to expand its Lexington County operation and hire 125 people locally.

“It is a great day in Lexington County,” said a jubilant Bill Banning, chairman of Lexington County Council. “The $200 million investment is huge and the jobs are huge. It shows Michelin is committed to the Midlands.”

Michelin has been showing its Lexington commitment since building here in 1981. Last May the company announced it would invest $200 million and hire 270 workers. More than 2,000 people will be employed there when both expansions are complete, Banning said, adding that he and others have been working to expedite the new expansion since October.

“The compounding factors are phenomenal,” Banning said. “We’ll see more payroll. It’s going to drive everything.”

One of the Greater Lexington Chamber’s Blockbuster Partners, Michelin has two plants at its Two Notch Road site. One plant makes passenger car tires and the other makes 5-ton Earthmover tires, which are used for construction sites, mines, and quarries.

Lexington’s Earthmover plant is celebrating its 15th year, says Bryan Dunlap, its manager. “This is the fifth phase of an expansion that started in 2006,” he said, noting the Earthmover market has grown 20 percent between 2009 and 2011. “There’s an unprecedented demand for Michelin Earthmover tires throughout the world. Nearly every tire is sold before it’s produced.”

Founded in France with operations across the globe, Michelin North America is headquartered in Greenville. The Anderson County plant is in the town of Starr.

“A real key is Pete Selleck,” Banning said of the company’s chairman and president. “He’s from South Carolina and is going to be a real asset to us. He’s a 30-year Michelin employee, not some new kid on the block. He knows about community involvement. He is really committed to Michelin having a bigger presence in our community.”

Banning said he, Randy Halfacre and Ike McLeese, presidents of the Lexington and Columbia Chambers respectively, plan to invite Selleck to address their organizations in the near future.

“Michelin’s most recent investment is a testimony of Lexington County Council’s ongoing efforts to create economic prosperity for the citizens of Lexington County and the Midstate region,” Halfacre said. “It also speaks volumes for the cooperation and partnerships that have been established between local governments, communities, and business sectors. I hope everyone realizes that this is just ‘downright good stuff, y’all!’”