News and Press Releases for May 2006

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04/28/2006

Gov. Sanford Issues Statement on Kimberly-Clark Expansion

Company Announces Additional 100 Employees During Groundbreaking Ceremony

Columbia, S.C. - Gov. Mark Sanford today issued the following statement on Kimberly-Clark's announcement that they plan to hire an additional 100 employees on top of the previously-announced 150 employee addition to their Beech Island facility, bringing its total workforce to more than 1,200 with this second expansion in two years:

"Kimberly-Clark's decision to expand its presence again in our state is another sign that our economy is moving in the right direction," Gov. Sanford said. "With over 117,000 more people working in South Carolina than there were three years ago, this expansion represents another step toward our goals of creating jobs and raising income levels in our state -- and we want to further those efforts by continuing to better the soil conditions for businesses growth through lower taxes, slower government growth and changes like tort reform."

From January of 2003 through January of 2006, South Carolina outpaced two-thirds of the nation in percentage of job growth. The first three years of Gov. Sanford's administration outpaced each previous administration over a comparable time period since the creation of the Department of Commerce. According to a recent report ranking South Carolina's business environment the most business-friendly in the nation, "From A to Z, South Carolina understands economic development and is clearly making the effort to continue its attractiveness to business. When it comes to economic development, it is a state that other states should emulate."