It has been a busy year for the Port Wentworth Chamber of Commerce and the city in general. We’ve welcomed new businesses, celebrated successes, overcome challenges, enjoyed events, watched our community grow and, perhaps most importantly, planned for the future. We understand that growing pains are a part of life that bustling communities must endure as growth continues and the area becomes more profitable. We thank our local residents and visitors for their support as we adjust to a busier, more economically vibrant way of life here in Port Wentworth. While obstacles are inconvenient to contend with, we must keep our eyes on the big picture and understand that ultimately, we’re doing what’s best for our city and for those who call it home.
We at the chamber are very excited to welcome both big and small new businesses to the area in the coming months – places like Gander Outdoors, Agave Mexican Grill, new hotels, and plenty of other enterprises. Through your continued support, event attendance and patronage of our area businesses, we can continue to make Port Wentworth an attractive place to do business, to work and to live.
We thank you for your interest in the Port Wentworth Chamber of Commerce, and look forward to the many accomplishments we’ll undoubtedly celebrate with you in the coming year.
Sincerely,
Trisha Growe,
President & CEO, Port Wentworth Chamber of Commerce
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The City of Port Wentworth will soon be home to a new Gander Outdoors store, which will occupy a large tract of land off I-95’s exit 109. Gander Mountain declared bankruptcy in May 2017 and was bought out by Camping World, who rebranded it as Gander Outdoors and established a retail network of stores for hunting, fishing, camping, and other outdoor recreation products and services.
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The 100-acre parcel is bordered by the interstate, Highway 21 and Bojangles chicken. Camping World plans to close its location on Highway 80 in Pooler and reopen as part of the rebranded Gander Outdoors project in Port Wentworth. The project will contain a new 47,450-square-foot retail store/sales building, a 14-bay parts and service facility, an RV display area and associated customer parking, all settled on 47.5 acres.
Though it has a lot of moving parts, the company is committed to forging ahead with its well laid plans and intends to break ground in March 2019. This project is estimated to have a total investment amount of $13 million, and projected to have $30 million in annual sales revenue. It will be developed in one phase. Gander Outdoors estimates it will employ 90 people, while Camping World anticipates hiring an additional 40 employees. If all goes as planned, the Gander Outdoors project will open in summer 2020.
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Port Wentworth’s Sweet Tea Grille, at 109 Traveler’s Way, opened in 2012 as a family restaurant that serves American menu options with a unique Southern twist. They’re open for lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday, and for lunch only on Sundays.
Owner Royce Patrick is proud to serve the diners in Port Wentworth and commits a lot of time, funds and resources to helping the surrounding community. Every year, the Savannah River Spring Classic Fishing Tournament to benefit the Military Order of the Purple Heart Association is held in late April.
The night before the tournament, Royce donates and prepares all the delicious food for the Captain's Dinner. Royce and his wonderful team at Sweet Tea Grille also sponsor the children’s activity area at the annual Oyster Roast. The area, which is totally free to anyone who wants to enjoy it, contains bounce houses, slides, games, inflatable obstacle courses and more.
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Sweet Tea Grille’s next big community event is their annual
“Supper with Santa” at 6 p.m. Dec. 4 from 6-8 p.m.
Families are welcome to come enjoy dinner together and little ones will have the chance to visit with the Santa and share their Christmas wish lists. Please show your support for this wonderful local business by checking out “Supper with Santa” or by enjoying a delectable meal at Sweet Tea Grille any day of the week.
For more information on “Supper with Santa,” please
click here
.
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Stravinski Development Group, LLC is the California-based company that is developing the 200-acre Crossgate Logistics Facility, that includes three different sites. The first site will be home to
Dynacraft
, a supplier of bikes, scooters, electric and battery powered ride-ons. They broke ground in early September. The second site is currently being prepped for construction of two warehouses, one with 214,500 square feet and another with 830,000 square feet. The tenant has not yet been publicly named, but negotiations are near final and word will be forthcoming soon. A tenant for the third site has not get been chosen.
We at the Port Wentworth Chamber of Commerce are pleased to have the Stravinski Group working on this project, as they have proven to be good corporate citizens who are willing to participate in the community and make it a better place for people to live.
Here’s a Q&A with Stravinski’s director of sales, Steve Brock.
Q: Why did you choose Port Wentworth?
A:
We thought the sites were the right location and we think we’re doing something different, a higher quality, a higher standard. We think developing the location to its highest and best use is beneficial to the community. We couldn’t find any place in America where we could replicate that property. It’s within a mile of the port, the land is flat, the buyer gets good use out of the land purchased because there’s a good yield on the square footage of land bought vs the square footage of building you could put on it.
Q: How do you perceive your role in the communities where you work?
A:
We take what we’re doing extremely seriously. We try to listen to people and address truly legitimate concerns. People we’ve worked with in the past will tell you that we did everything that we said we would do and more. Our actions demonstrate what we’re about. We’re not some huge company. We’re a family-owned business and we try to listen.
Q:
How has your experience in Port Wentworth been so far?
A:
T
he sellers of the Crossgate property have been great to work with, and the project is going very well. Had there not been a rough winter (with the snow in January) and some hurricane scares, we'd be further ahead on the first phase. But we did get all the infrastructure in quickly -- sewer, water, fiber, gas, etc. The estimated time frame for the second phase will take 15 months. When we actually sign someone from the 3rd phase, the timing would be similar. Everything is subject to weather.
Q: How do you think your work in Port Wentworth will benefit the community?
A:
We truly believe we will enhance property values, not detract from them. We try to remain grounded, humble, true to our word. We want to be polite, kind, and exercise basic human collegiality.
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Thank you to everyone who attended the Port Wentworth Chamber of Commerce’s 9th Annual Oyster Roast, BBQ & Music Festival!
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The event was a resounding success, thanks to many amazing people who had a hand in orchestrating the event. The hungry crowd of over 3,000 people feasted on 5,300 pounds of oysters sold by hardworking volunteers. In addition, 15 food vendors all sold out of their culinary offerings, which included barbecue, crab cakes, chicken wings, fried fish, kettle corn, sweet treats and more. The festival also featured 15 craft vendors selling an impressive array of handmade goods, snacks, artwork, accessories, makeup, and home decor items.
Next year's Oyster Roast is already set for
Nov. 9, 2019
, and attendees will want to make sure they arrive hungry because thanks to a shift in hours, they'll be able to enjoy lunch and dinner! The festival will run from 12-7 p.m., which reflects the family-friendly nature of the event and, hopefully, will allow more area residents to come and enjoy the festivities.
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Port Wentworth's New City Hall
New Business: Port Fuel Center
New Business: Agave Bar & Grille
Village Park Homes to build 2019 St. Jude Dream Home in Rice Hope
New Business: Wayfair
Chamber Member Spotlight: Woods Seafood
Port Wentworth Chamber Membership Drive
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7532 GA Highway 21 | Port Wentworth, GA 31407 | info@visitportwentworth.com
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