New Mitsubishi plant is great say business owners in Pooler

Pam Anderson and her husband own an eye wear business in Pooler. She’s been following news of the “Megasite” for years.  “It looks like a wasteland, we thought nothing would ever go there,“ she tells me.

Now Anderson thinks word of new Mitsubishi plant means good things for her and many others business owners throughout Pooler.
“I’m excited,“ she says.  “It’s a lot of new jobs for local people and it and it will bring a lot more people to Pooler.“

Carey Canales had the same reaction.  I found him eating lunch at a local restaurant.  “I think the area’s been suffering awhile with the layoffs from JCB and (the furloughs) from Gulfstream and I think that would definitely be a good impact for our community.“

Canales says he’s been lucky and has kept his job.  “But I have friends who haven’t been so lucky and who are looking for something,“ he says. 

As far as a plant finally going into the site near I-95 and I-16, Canales was around more than six years ago when area leaders took a chance, investing money in the anticipation that a Chrysler plant would take up the entire 119 acres.  “I know Pooler invested a lot of money in that property, and when Chrysler pulled out it seemed like all that money was for nothing,“ he says.  “ But now Mitsubishi’s moving in and they’ve decided to split up the site (so perhaps other businesses can use the excess) andI think it’s definitely going to help Pooler and the community as a whole.“

Anderson is crossing her fingers, saying the recession has taken its toll on their bottom line.  “We just moved to a new location and we’ve got a lot of people that stop in just because they see us here, “ she says.  “The moore people come to Pooler of course the more business we’ll have.“