In 2008, Forbes magazine named Lancaster, SC, one of the top 10 most vulnerable towns because of high unemployment from the closing of textile mills. More than a decade later, Lancaster has rebuilt its economy based on advanced manufacturing and corporate headquarters.

“Lancaster County has one of most remarkable stories you will find in the Charlotte region,” says Jamie Gilbert, executive director of Lancaster County Department of Economic Development. “It’s one of the most balanced economies you will find in South Carolina and always top for new and expanding businesses.”

Three businesses that relocated to Lancaster County to enjoy exponential growth joined a panel discussion sponsored by the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance and presented by the Charlotte Business Journal. The panel was part of an ongoing series of discussions sponsored by the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance and presented by the Charlotte Business Journal highlighting the diversity of the 15-county Charlotte region.

TJ McCullough, president and publisher of the Charlotte Business Journal, moderated a discussion among the leaders of three Lancaster County businesses that have contributed to the county’s rapid transformation. Those included Kristen Blanchard, vice president corporate affairs, Nutramax Laboratories, which researches, manufactures, and markets nutritional supplements
for people and their pets, Chris Kropac, president of PCI Group, a direct mail company, and Tim Rogers, CFO of Continental Tire the Americas, LLC.

On reasons for relocating
PCI Group began in the late 1960s as a direct mail business in Long Island, New York. While Kropac loved his hometown, the cost of doing business there was a challenge.

“We came for the tax and utility cost savings but also for the business environment,” Kropac says of the 2008 move. “In New York you have to hit a homerun every single day just to survive. Here singles and doubles are great. It’s a great place to live and work.”

On why Lancaster County
Kropac says he first considered Atlanta as a new location for his direct mail business before exploring Charlotte. “When you grow up on Long Island, you think it’s the cat’s meow, that there is no better place in the world, so this was a big decision,” says Kropac.

He flew to Charlotte having never visited and was struck by the lack of traffic and opportunity for growth. Since its arrival, PCI Group has grown four-fold. The 22 employees that came from New York now measures 200 in Lancaster County with 25 open positions.

“If it wasn’t for me being down here, I don’t think I’d be where I am now and might not be in business right now,” Kropac says.

On challenges in relocating
Kropac says the only challenge he encountered after moving to Lancaster County was discovering the local workforce did not have experience in the direct mail industry. Kropac soon resolved that issue by creating PCI University, an internal training program. The three days of classroom instruction provides a foundation for new employees to succeed in the business. “What was a negative in the beginning ended up being a huge positive,” Kropac says.