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Jafza International Tuesday officially announced it has purchased approximately 1,322 acres of Orangeburg County land for the potential development of a logistics, manufacturing and distribution center.

Jafza purchased the property for approximately $10,015,090, according to records on file at the Orangeburg County Register of Deeds office.

Jafza International, a subsidary of Dubai World, says the purchase is the initial planning process for establishing a logistics and business park on the site.

"I am very happy we have acquired land in Orangeburg and South Carolina and to have received such wide-ranging support from the community and its elected representatives," said Chuck Heath, managing director of Jafza International. "In particular, I believe, everyone should thank the leadership and staff of the Orangeburg County Development Commission for their far-reaching vision and exemplary focus."

Jafza has said it would invest about $600-700 million with the creation of about 8,000 to 10,000 jobs over the next decade. Officials envision additional collective investment could be $1.2 billion.

The project is touted as revolutionizing and transforming the county.

Jim Roquemore, president of Orangeburg's Super Sod Inc. and co-owner of the approximate 800 acres of land along with Ben Copeland, CEO of Patten Seed Co., confirmed the purchase was officially sealed Tuesday.

"It now belongs to Jafza," Roquemore said. "They will make the Santee community a better place to live as they will invest in this community and area. I really don't think we could have asked or picked one company in the world that has the vision, the financial resources, the experience and the connections with Fortune 500 companies. We could not have chosen better partners."

Roquemore also owned about 130 additional acres as part of a four-person partnership, Term LLC.

Roquemore said his research on Jafza has shown that in every community the company has entered, improvement followed.

"The people I have dealt with in Jafza ... have been honest and forthcoming. They are people with honesty and a lot of integrity," he said.

Roquemore said The T&D Region, which has a high poverty rate, will reap the benefits from Jafza.

"It is not going to happen overnight," Roquemore said. "It will be deliberate and well planned out and thought out. The stakeholders in Santee will have an opportunity to participate in what happens around Santee."

Roquemore's comments came a day after comments and concerns from Santee residents about Jafza's plans to locate in the area, its impact on retirees and the town's recreational assets.

In a press release issued by Jafza on Tuesday, the company said in the next few weeks officials plan to come to the state to meet with public officials and key stakeholders to understand their respective goals and concerns.

Also, company representatives said they will continue to engage public officials and are negotiating a set of mutual commitments between the company and county, state and federal bodies.

Once these and other preliminary hurdles are passed, Jafza engineers will work with local consultants to produce the project's definitive budget, timeline and a business plan.

"We think Orangeburg has the potential to become a major logistical hub in the United States," Heath said.

Orangeburg County Development Commission Executive Director Gregg Robinson expressed his excitement about the project and said Orangeburg County is "ready to move forward."

"We are excited about the Global Logistics Triangle and for the people of the state of South Carolina and the people of Orangeburg County," Robinson said. "We have a number of hurdles still to come, but this is a great day in Orangeburg County, USA."

Carolina Linkages President and CEO Lucy Duncan Scheman, in a statement issued Tuesday, said the sale "confirms our initial projections that the Santee corridor along I-95 would become a major transportation center for the Southeast."

CaroLinks had the property under option before renouncing its interest in the property Tuesday.

"The fair price paid for the land ends our involvement in Orangeburg," Duncan Scheman said. "CaroLinks will now pursue other unrelated projects in logistics and security."

"We wish Jafza International success and good fortune in pursuing its vision of a logistics and distribution park at the site, an investment that surely will bring much-needed jobs and economic growth to the area," Duncan-Scheman said.

CaroLinks had the land under option for its original plans to develop a logistics park in the area.

CaroLinks Vice President of Corporate Communications Alan Capper declined further comment on the transaction.

T&D Staff Writer Gene Zaleski can be reached by e-mail at gzaleski@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5551. Discuss this and other stories at TheTandD.com.

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