Summerton is getting another new business. Love’s is bringing a travel plaza to Exit 108 on I-95 on the outskirts of town.
The decaying Summerton Inn building has long monopolized that exit and has been an eyesore to residents and travelers alike. By this time next year, it will have been replaced by a new Love’s Travel Stop.
“The town and county have been so helpful and so warm and welcoming for this entire partnership,” said Laura Noland, External Communications Manager for Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores. “We’re excited about how great they’ve been to work with. That’s a big piece of the puzzle, how you partner with the town and county.”
The plaza will include a Speedco, Inc., which will provide onsite tire and lube services, as well as light mechanics services, for professional truck drivers. While non-professional drivers cannot spend the night, truck drivers will be welcome, and shower facilities will be available for tier one drivers.
“Love’s welcomes professional drivers to spend their overnights with us when they run out of daily hours or during their 34-hour reset,” said Noland. “We will have plenty of amenities available at the Summerton travel stop to make the professional driver’s stay more comfortable.”
However, the site isn’t just for professional truck drivers. Gas will be available, and there will be about 79 parking spaces for cars, with three for RVs and 108 for professional truckers.
The plaza will also be home to two new restaurants for Summerton: McDonald’s and Subway. Initially, the restaurants will be open 24 hours per day, and McDonald’s has it in their contract they will keep these hours for at least the first full year of operation.
The 12,000-square-foot building will sit on 14.4 acres, and construction is set to begin in the spring of 2019, though there are still steps to go before that can take place.
The final site plan has been approved. A small amount of gas contamination from the old gas station on the site was discovered during environmental testing, but Love’s has already contracted for this to be remediated. They will also remediate the asbestos in the old Summerton Inn building and demolish it just prior to beginning construction.
“The travel stop will also be strategically placed between the Yemassee and Dillon stops. It helps complete a strategic area in our network for professional drivers,” said Noland. “It’s a great place to serve more drivers, plus the motorists and vacationers.”
According to Summerton Mayor Mac Bagnal, local businesses are already assessing how the new travel stop will impact their own businesses. Bob and Lena Patel at the Days Inn directly across from where the new plaza will be built are very excited.
“Anything that helps Summerton will automatically help us,” said Patel.
Bagnal looks at the bigger picture, including economic impact and an increased tax base. He is continuing to work with town and county officials to create a business park in the area, hoping to draw more businesses to Summerton.
“Having job opportunities this close to Summerton is huge,” said Bagnal. “People won’t have to travel to Manning or Sumter or even Orangeburg or Charleston to work.” Bagnal is also looking forward to eating at the two new restaurants, and he hopes gas prices will become more competitive in the area.
The location will employ 40-50 people, including those working for the two restaurants. Management positions will begin hiring three months prior to the travel stop opening, which should be in the fourth quarter of 2019. Hiring for hourly employees will take place a month prior to the opening. All jobs will be posted on jobs.loves.com.
“I think it’ll be good business for everybody,” said Bagnal.
