CPT Med to Employ 135 Within Five Years
KINGSTREE -- A company that packages surgical
instruments is bringing 35 jobs to Williamsburg County
and plans to employ 135 within five years.
CPT Medical Inc., an Atlanta-based company, makes custom
surgical procedure trays and packs and will begin making
them at the Williamsburg County Industrial Park soon.
The company said it has a commitment to hiring disabled
people, particularly disabled veterans.
“We’ll be hiring local labor, and we’re working with the
vocational rehab folks to train them,”
Connie
Liesman, chief executive officer of CPT Medical,
said. “From day one, we’ve always had the intention of a
significant percentage of our labor force being disabled
workers.”
Liesman said 35 people are being trained by the South
Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation office in Florence.
The negotiations to bring CPT Medical to Kingstree
lasted more than three years, but in the end,
Williamsburg County won out because of an aggressive
economic development effort, Liesman said.
“With any young growing company, there are bumps in the
road,” she said. “We actually looked at five different
states, but South Carolina was very aggressive, and they
were very helpful, and we loved Kingstree.”
Lt. Gov. André Bauer traveled from Columbia for the
announcement. He said having a company such as CPT
Medical in Williamsburg County will have far-reaching
effects.
“It’s not just about what it does for the economy of the
county or the state,” Bauer said, “but it’s about what
it will do for the people who live here. A lot of
peoples’ lives will be changed in this building.”
The fact that CPT Medical intends to hire a significant
number of people with disabilities will mean much to the
county, said state Sen. Yancey McGill of Kingstree. He
said the company “will create social change in
Williamsburg County.”
McGill said Williamsburg County, which has suffered from
some of the highest unemployment rates in the state,
recently saw its jobless rate go down. He said companies
such as CPT Medical will only strengthen the economy.
Last year, the county’s unemployment rate reached nearly
20 percent at one point. Last month, it fell to just
less than 10 percent.
The company will make an initial investment of $4
million at the Kingstree location. As its business
expands, it will add more employees.
While Liesman said the initial agreement is that CPT
Medical will hire 135 people within five years, she
hopes the company will grow to the point that it needs a
larger work force.
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