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Investment by National New Markets Fund Will Create 90 Local Jobs

BARNWELL, S.C., August 06, 2026--(BUSINESS WIRE)--National New Markets Fund, LLC ("NNMF"), an affiliate of Los Angeles-based SDS Capital Group, has invested $18 million of its New Markets Tax Credit ("NMTC") allocation to support ST Group of Companies' acquisition and renovation of a shuttered manufacturing facility in Barnwell, South Carolina. The investment will result in the creation of 90 full-time jobs, the vast majority of which will be accessible to low-income individuals in the region.

ST Group of Companies, under its newly formed subsidiary Barnwell Tissue Solutions, is reopening and upgrading a 300,000-square-foot tissue mill located at 285 Midfield Road that closed in 2023, resulting in 138 layoffs. NNMF's allocation will support the acquisition, equipment upgrades, and working capital needed to return the facility to full operations.

"Reactivating this facility represents a meaningful opportunity to restore quality manufacturing jobs in a community that has experienced significant economic disruption," said Deborah La Franchi, CEO of National New Markets Fund. "Projects like this, where a shuttered plant is brought back to life, demonstrate the power of the NMTC program to strengthen local economies and provide accessible, quality employment."

The project is especially significant for Barnwell County, a rural community where manufacturing plays a critical role in economic stability and where the poverty rate exceeds 35%. Restoring these manufacturing jobs will help reverse the economic impact of recent declines in the sector across South Carolina and other rural areas. This is not the first time NNMF has financed a paper mill. In 2010, NNMF invested $15 million in ST Paper. The mill was within weeks of foreclosure. NNMF provided an NMTC loan that enabled ST Paper to keep operating and today there are more than 95 employees at this mill, located in a small rural community in Oconto Falls, Wisconsin.

"NNMF has been a tremendous partner to us. Due to the poor condition of the existing equipment, the costs required to bring the mill back to a high-quality operating standard would have been prohibitive without NNMF's investment, putting the 90 new jobs at significant risk. We appreciate this second investment NNMF has made with ST Group. We remember their very timely investment of $15 million of NMTC allocation during the Great Financial Crisis, which enabled us to avoid foreclosure and the loss of more than 180 jobs," said Sahil Tak, owner of Barnwell Tissue Solutions. "With this newest investment in place, we are now working closely with the Southern Carolina Alliance, whose outreach and promotional support are helping us connect local residents with these new employment opportunities."

Story Continues

Two data centers are coming to areas near Beaufort County.

One data center is planned for the Savannah Gateway Industrial Hub in Effingham County, Georgia, and the other at the Savannah River Site in Barnwell County, South Carolina. Both facilities will power Artificial Intelligence technology, and there are 20 built or planned datacenters in South Carolina. None are located in Beaufort County.

Data centers have over increased power costs, high water consumption and noise pollution. Here’s what we know about the two projects:

Project Camellia

OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, will build the data center planned for Effingham County, nicknamed “Project Camellia,” according to a Tuesday. ChatGPT processes more than two billion queries per day, according to OpenAI.

The project is “long-term,” and once completed, needs 3.2 gigawatts of power, according to the press release. 3.2 gigawatts translates to 3,200 megawatts of power. For reference, the natural gas plant proposed by Dominion Energy and Santee Cooper in Canadys, South Carolina will produce 2,200 megawatts, which they said can power one million homes and businesses. Georgia Power Company will supply the 3.2 gigawatts in phases between 2028 and 2032, according to the press release.

OpenAI states that the project will not raise power costs for residents, use minimal water and benefit the local community. An independent firm will audit the project each year and release the results to the public, according to the press release.

Savannah River Site

The U.S. Department of Energy chose four federal sites for data center development, including the Savannah River Site in Barnwell County, a 310 square-mile complex used to manufacture materials for nuclear weapons. The National Nuclear Security Administration selected private engineering company Amentum to and on-site energy to power it.

The data center will require one gigawatt of power, and the on-site energy will produce two gigawatts. The power will be generated from natural gas, and then later use nuclear power, according to a press release from NNSA. How the change will occur is not explained in the press release.

The project is consistent with the federal Ratepayer Protection Pledge, and will not shift power costs onto the public, according to the press release. The NNSA has not released a timeline for the project, nor which company or companies will make use of the data center.

Could a data center be built here?

Nine South Carolina counties have passed or proposed on data center development, and two have implemented regulations. Beaufort County is not one of the eleven counties. There are no announced plans to build a data center in Beaufort County.

National New Markets Fund, LLC (“NNMF”), an affiliate of Los Angeles-based SDS Capital Group, has invested $18 million of its New Markets Tax Credit (“NMTC”) allocation to support ST Group of Companies’ acquisition and renovation of a shuttered manufacturing facility in Barnwell, South Carolina.

The investment will result in the creation of 90 full-time jobs, the vast majority of which will be accessible to low-income individuals in the region.

ST Group of Companies, under its newly formed subsidiary Barnwell Tissue Solutions, is reopening and upgrading a 300,000-square-foot tissue mill located at 285 Midfield Road that closed in 2023, resulting in 138 layoffs. NNMF’s allocation will support the acquisition, equipment upgrades, and working capital needed to return the facility to full operations.

“Reactivating this facility represents a meaningful opportunity to restore quality manufacturing jobs in a community that has experienced significant economic disruption,” said Deborah La Franchi, CEO of National New Markets Fund. “Projects like this, where a shuttered plant is brought back to life, demonstrate the power of the NMTC program to strengthen local economies and provide accessible, quality employment.”

The project is especially significant for Barnwell County, a rural community where manufacturing plays a critical role in economic stability and where the poverty rate exceeds 35%. Restoring these manufacturing jobs will help reverse the economic impact of recent declines in the sector across South Carolina and other rural areas. This is not the first time NNMF has financed a paper mill. In 2010, NNMF invested $15 million in ST Paper. The mill was within weeks of foreclosure. NNMF provided an NMTC loan that enabled ST Paper to keep operating and today there are more than 95 employees at this mill, located in a small rural community in Oconto Falls, Wisconsin.

“NNMF has been a tremendous partner to us. Due to the poor condition of the existing equipment, the costs required to bring the mill back to a high-quality operating standard would have been prohibitive without NNMF’s investment, putting the 90 new jobs at significant risk. We appreciate this second investment NNMF has made with ST Group. We remember their very timely investment of $15 million of NMTC allocation during the Great Financial Crisis, which enabled us to avoid foreclosure and the loss of more than 180 jobs,” said Sahil Tak, owner of Barnwell Tissue Solutions. “With this newest investment in place, we are now working closely with the Southern Carolina Alliance, whose outreach and promotional support are helping us connect local residents with these new employment opportunities.”

The NNMF investment utilizes capital from the NMTC program administered by the U.S. Treasury Department. Investment groups, such as NNMF, compete annually to receive NMTC allocations. NNMF sells the tax credits to institutional investors, using the proceeds to invest in projects benefiting low-income communities, such as Barnwell Tissue Solutions’ manufacturing facility.

NNMF’s investment is part of a broader NMTC financing structure supported by Dudley Ventures, which is serving as the tax credit investor.

Barnwell Tissue Solutions is a subsidiary of Franklin Paper and part of the ST Group of Companies, a family-owned business with a strong track record of operating manufacturing facilities throughout the United States. The company is one of the largest parent roll marketers in the country and is expanding its footprint with this, its first location in South Carolina.

The project has received strong support from state and local leadership, including recognition from South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster and state economic development officials, who have identified the investment as a key driver in restoring manufacturing employment in Barnwell County.

The new jobs will offer all employees wages above the local living wage, along with comprehensive benefits, including healthcare, retirement plans, and professional development support, helping ensure long-term workforce stability in the region.

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About National New Markets Fund

National New Markets Fund, LLC, founded in 2005, has invested $818.5 million (54 investments) of its New Markets Tax Credit allocations into projects located in the Great Lakes region and the Deep South. Each investment has provided critical community services or quality jobs to high-distress communities, such as hospitals, charter schools, and food banks, as well as job-creating manufacturing expansions. In 2013, NNMF narrowed its focus to invest only in manufacturing and food-processing companies (26 companies total). This more focused strategy centers on creating quality jobs for the local residents of these impoverished communities, both rural and urban. SDS Capital Group, the parent of NNMF, is a pioneer and national leader in impact investing. SDS’s founder launched SDS in 2001 with a vision of creating a platform of impact funds that would attract and engage the private sector in the battle against poverty. Today, SDS’s platform includes five distinct impact fund strategies ($2.2 billion in current assets under management, with an additional $1.2 billion having been exited), with its direct investments having helped support the creation of over 25,000 jobs and over 9,600 low-income or permanent supportive housing units throughout the U.S.

About ST Group

The ST Group of Companies includes ST Paper in Oconto Falls, Wisconsin; ST Tissue in Franklin, Virginia; and Barnwell Tissue Solutions in Barnwell, South Carolina. The company is the largest parent roll marketer in the U.S., supplying integrated and independent converters in the away-from-home tissue industry. ST maintains a strong environmental focus, particularly in its production of recycled paper, and is committed to revitalizing American manufacturing through local hiring and investment in rural communities.

Media Contact:

Bruce Beck/DB&R Marketing Communications, Inc. bruce@dbrpr.com (818) 540-8077