World Trade Center Savannah honors Liberty facility
October 25, 2013 — Liberty County’s largest industrial manufacturer has been named the 2013 International Business of the Year by the World Trade Center Savannah.
The award was presented Oct. 24 to SNF Inc., a French-headquartered manufacturer of water-soluble polymers for municipal, industrial and wastewater treatment facilities, during the 2013 Business Expo & Awards Banquet presented by the Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce and the Savannah Morning News.
The World Trade Center Savannah International Business of the Year Award recognizes companies that excel in international trade and acknowledges the importance of trade to the Savannah region’s economy.
The award is presented to encourage and recognize exemplary corporate leadership for international business that advances relations between the U.S. and other nations, as well as creates quality jobs in the Savannah region.
Peter Nichols, president of SNF Inc., accepted on behalf of the company.
“We are very grateful to receive this award, which recognizes the hard work and achievement of our employees,” Nichols said. “We also very much appreciate the support we receive from the local community. This has been very important to the continuing growth of our business.”
SNF, which employs more than 1,400 at its 1.1-million-square-foot Riceboro manufacturing facility, was nominated by the Liberty County Development Authority (LCDA). Worldwide, SNF serves 300,000 end users in 130 countries — and half of those are supplied from the United States.
LCDA CEO Ronald E. Tolley said SNF is the ideal recipient for the award because the company’s global activities enable it to make a positive local impact.
“SNF is a recognized international success story for the coastal region and the entire state of Georgia,” Tolley said. “Over the past three years, SNF has continued to prove to be an industry leader by recording significant increases in sales and exports and making advances in new technologies. We are grateful to have a community partner whose business success has led to the creation of more jobs for coastal Georgia residents while also actively supporting local civic organizations.”
SNF has made a $370 million capital investment in Riceboro and has increased employment by 10 percent within the last three years.
While growing globally, the company has also continued to be actively involved in Liberty County by supporting and subsidizing the Riceboro Youth Center, the Riceboro Community Choir (Project REACH), Riceboro Community Churches (Riceboro Reach), the Riceboro Ricefest, LeConte-Woodmanston Plantation, Dorchester Academy, Rivers Alive and Keep Liberty County Beautiful in addition to providing numerous facility tours to business and community groups.