MARION, SC (WBTW) – Marion county leaders sat down with Congressman Tom Rice on Tuesday to discuss economic development and job growth. Their main focus was on bringing jobs to suffering communities in the Pee Dee with the help of so-called “opportunity zones.”

Opportunity zones are part of the Republican Tax Bill passed in 2017. The program, that was established by Congress, encourages investors to take capital gains and invest them into low-income communities and save on federal taxes. County leaders say that could attract investors from around the county to Marion county and ultimately create jobs for residents. 

In order to be granted these opportunity zones, the county had to apply and meet certain requirements. They analyzed their census tracts and examined several factors. That includes the poverty rate, unemployment rate, and median family income. In Marion county, 8 areas were nominated and 7 were eligible to become an opportunity zone. Congressman Tom Rice said that is a disheartening statistic and he wants to change it.

“We went through a period where people were saying… Americans were saying… they didn’t think their children would have the same opportunities as they had. That is such a shift for our country. That’s one of the reasons I ran for Congress,” he said.

Out of those 7 eligible parts of the county, two of them were chosen to become an opportunity zones. They’re both in the central eastern part of the county. The county’s executive director of the Economic Development Commission, Dr. Julie Norman, says any investment could bring more jobs to the area.

“As an economic developer, if I’m meeting with a prospect that is looking to establish a business here, invest money, then I might say ‘let’s take a look at this opportunity zones here’ because that’s going to be an additional financial benefit to that prospect,” said Dr. Norman.

Opportunity zones are just one of many development focuses that the county is working on. Investment and infrastructure are the other top priorities in what they’re calling “The Trifecta.” It’s a plan to create jobs, add businesses, and better connect Marion to major highways like Interstate 73.

“You put those things together, you have infrastructure in place, opportunities for investment and financial opportunities and then building that workforce is so critical to these operations, we’re going to see great things happen,” Dr. Norman said.

There are 135 opportunity zones in South Carolina. 24 of them are in the 7th Congressional District, which included 6 Pee Dee counties as well as Horry and Georgetown counties.