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Union County offers incentives for SC tech company to relocate [The Charlotte Observer :: ](Charlotte Observer (NC) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) May 07--Union County is offering incentives of up to $50,000 to a South Carolina medical information technology company to help lure its high-paying jobs to Waxhaw. County commissioners unanimously approved the incentive grant this week for InteliChart, which develops patient-related and patient-accessible software applications for the medical industry. The potential relocation from Fort Mill could bring at least 50 jobs, with an average annual salary exceeding $80,000, said Chris Platé, executive director of economic development for the county. That's more than double Union County's average annual salary of about $37,500. "The impact on Waxhaw would be transformational to have this type of income level come in," along with the number of jobs, Platé said. It also could have a strong ripple effect on the local economy, he said. The county is also pursuing matching incentives from the state, Platé said, and possibly incentives from Waxhaw as well. Waxhaw's low-tax structure makes it an attractive site for companies, Platé said, noting that the county's economic development group hopes to attract other IT companies to the town. InteliChart expects to decide by the end of June whether it will stay in the Fort Mill area or relocate, company controller Apryl Heil said. InteliChart is considering moving to a new development called Historic Ventures in downtown Waxhaw. The incentives package will be an important factor in the decision, Heil and Platé said. Heil said the 4-year-old company likes the Waxhaw area, which happens to be home to some of InteliChart's executives. And the notion of leasing space in a custom-built facility also is appealing. The county grant would be stretched over three years, and job creation is a requirement of the incentive. The jobs would be a combination of new jobs and ones that would relocate from South Carolina, Platé said. Discussions with the company have been active since last year. Platé said he is optimistic about the county's chances. ___ (c)2014 The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.) Visit The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.) at www.charlotteobserver.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |