"This port will generate quality,
high-paying jobs for families in Georgia and South Carolina,
as well as allowing the capacity for both of our states to
continue growing as more and more companies want to trade
goods with Georgia and South Carolina businesses,” Georgia
Governor Sonny Perdue
The attraction of quality high-paying jobs
is important to our states, but it is crucial to Jasper County.
Jasper County is a primarily rural community, with a population
of 29,000. It is a beautiful lowcountry county with all that
entails. Growth and development is at its doorstep and it is
critically important that as the economy grows, it offers jobs
that encourage investment in education. Too many lowcountry
regions have developed with a single economic pillar – tourism
and retirement. This type of economic growth makes it difficult
to attract educational opportunities or high paying labor markets.
A community winds up with lots of homes and shopping centers
and few of the institutions that contribute to the financial
and physical well being of its residents.
The Jasper Ocean Terminal makes the difference
for Jasper County. The opportunities it brings guarantee a
diverse economic structure as the region grows. The new bi-state
port offers exciting economic opportunities for all of the
counties in both states – but
for Jasper residents it is the difference between being priced
off the land or the opportunity to earn and grow along with
the county.
