Poly-East, a 500,000-square-foot plant to be built near Richburg, will make a $100 million investment in Chester County and employ 400 by the year 2012, a company executive said. The salaries for the jobs will range from $14 to $35 per hour.

"This area has a ready and willing work force," Poly-America Vice President George Hall said. "That's why we're excited to be here in Chester."

The plant, located on 200 acres on Cedarhurst and Beltline roads, will be east of the PPG plant on S.C. 9, Hall said. The vast acreage will allow for company expansion, he said. The self-sufficient plant will also include its own trucking company.

Poly-America, a leader in polyethylene products, needed a larger site than the property it owned in Lexington County, Hall said. After an 18-month planning strategy, he said Chester was selected as the location to serve Poly-America's clients on the East Coast. The company makes Husky trash bags.

In 1995, the decision to come to South Carolina was made, he said.

The company's needs and the business have changed, but "South Carolina is still the place to be," said Hall, who believes the distribution and logistics of the Chester site made good business sense.

The plastics operation is "a large electrical consumer," and it's important to have a supplier like Duke Energy to help the company stay competitive in the market for the product they supply, Hall said.

Also, the Lancaster & Chester Railway was a factor that the company considered because the bulk of its raw materials are delivered by rail.

The opportunity to have a trained work force from the new Chester York Technical Center also was a drawing factor.

"We chose Chester for the infrastructure already here," Hall said. "South Carolina and Chester are open for business, and we look forward to calling you neighbor."

Gov. Mark Sanford, in town for the announcement, said to have a higher standard of living, you have to do it through investments like Poly-America has done with Chester. Change is real, and innovation is important, he said.

"Today's announcement is another significant step forward in our efforts to create jobs and raise income levels for South Carolinians," Sanford said. "With 125,000 more people working in this state than there were in 2003, we remain committed to continue growing our economy through bettering the soil conditions for business creation in our state."

Sen. Linda Short, D-Chester, and Rep. Greg Delleney, R-Chester, also welcomed Poly-America to Chester.

Short said local residents recognize the quality of Chester and what's available there, but now others recognize that quality, too.

Delleney told the Poly-America executive that Chester has had some hard times.

"We've had a difficult time," he said. "But we have a quality workforce, and you will not be disappointed."