ANDERSON, S.C. (Feb. 10, 2012)—Michelin North America Inc. is considering a sizable investment in Anderson County, S.C., where local government officials are offering tax relief and other incentives to encourage the tire maker to pursue an expansion.
Michelin already employs about 700 in the county, operating partially finished rubber processing plants in Sandy Springs and Starr, S.C.
Greenville, S.C.-based Michelin declined to comment on its plans, but did verify that the county's offer.
“Incentives such as those being considered by Anderson County pave the way for the potential of future investments down the road,” the company said. “While Michelin routinely considers a variety of business opportunities, we have nothing to announce at this time.”
The company's potential interest in what the county is calling its “Project Cougar” package came to light Feb. 6 in a public notice in the Anderson Independent Mail newspaper about an Anderson County planning meeting to be held Feb. 21.
The notice references the county's offer to Michelin for tax relief “in connection with investment in certain manufacturing and related facilities at one or more locations in the County.”
The county has been putting a proposal together for a few months that would provide tax relief and other incentives if Michelin created at least 125 jobs and invested a minimum of $150 million. The incentives scale up with greater investment and more jobs.