Senator DeMint Tours Growing Upstate Business

U.S. Senator Jim DeMint toured a growing Upstate business Monday afternoon and thanked the business’ officials personally for doing business in South Carolina. 

DeMint toured Piedmont’s Watson Engineering, a large fabricator, machine shop and powder coater. The company has been in business for 31 years and employs 350 at its Michigan headquarters and 120 at its Piedmont facility. 

Last month, the company announced a $6 million expansion expected to create 85 new jobs. 

“It’s really exciting to see all of the things we make here in South Carolina,” DeMint said. “You could drive by this place and not know that you’re making stuff for Caterpillar, BMW. It’s pretty amazing to see the finished product, to see people making products with their hands. Training welders, it’s good for the economy, and not just here, the more skills people have, as manufacturing moves here, success tends to build.”

Joe Campbell with Watson Engineering said the local technical colleges, including Tri-County Technical College and Piedmont Technical College, have been “very beneficial” to the business.

Chuck Watson, owner of the company, said bringing a facility to South Carolina positions the company to better serve its customers.

“This put us in the center of about five Caterpillar facilities,” Watson said. “Being here reduced the shipping time and created new opportunities for us with Caterpillar. That was kind of the catalyst for this whole thing. We’ve gotten that going and now we’re going to diversify the company like we have in Michigan.”  

He said county and state officials have been very receptive to the company’s needs.

“It makes all the difference,” Watson said.

The company exports to Brazil, Canada and are exploring shipping product to China.

“Go get them,” DeMint said.

“We believe the future is bright, our better days are ahead of us, not behind us,” Campbell said. “We’re going to go forward. We believe in doing the impossible.

“We know we get further building bridges than building walls,” he continued, adding that DeMint should bring that message back to Washington.   

“If they’re growing here, that tells you we’re doing something right,” DeMint said.

Anderson County Councilman Ken Waters said he was very impressed with his tour of the facility.

“We appreciate you guys being here,” Waters said. “It’s always good to have better news.”  

Burris Nelson, Director of Anderson County Economic Development, said Anderson County appreciates the company’s presence in Anderson County and the opportunities the company’s expansion provides. 

“We still have a number of people out of work,” he said. “The opportunities you provide with great quality jobs, super pay, a great work environment, we appreciate you providing great opportunities for our citizens. This is one of the gems of Anderson County.”  

Many businesses throughout his district are “trying to figure out how they’re going to grow,” DeMint said.

“But they’re holding their breath as far as what’s going to happen with taxes and healthcare,” he said. “A number of them are afraid to make a commitment until they find out what’s going to happen next year. A lot of people are geared up to grow. I feel optimistic that with a few right decisions in Washington, we can get this economy going.”

Watson agreed, saying he’s seen increases in healthcare for his company as much as 19 percent a year.

“We’re happy if it’s only a 8-12 percent increase,” he said. “It’s really expensive to provide employee health care. They need to do something about that. It’s been like a runaway train.”

“It’s keeping us a little nervous,” Campbell said. “If we continue to have good leadership in Columbia and Raleigh and Atlanta and Washington that’s business-friendly, we can continue to grow. If we’re burdened with regulations and extreme, heavy taxation, it’s kind of hard to grow.”

DeMint said, as Watson Engineering’s growth shows, Anderson has created a good environment for business.

“The whole Upstate really has,” DeMint said. “They made it easy for them to find a place, to get whatever tax abatement they needed to invest. They promised 60 jobs – they delivered 120.”

Business leaders tell him that what they need is a business-friendly environment, he said. 

“They don’t any government money, they just need an environment that lets them grow with some kind of certainty,” DeMint said. “We think we can fix the tax plan in December? These guys have to plan well ahead of now how they’re going to hire next year. I’ve had people come see in Washington and say, ‘If my taxes go up, I’m not going to do anything. If they stay where they are, I’m going to hire 25 people.’

“It sounds like political speech to say it, but it’s pretty black and white for these business guys – if they have to pay more in taxes, they’re going to hire fewer people,” DeMint continued.