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OmniTRAX Inc. meeting obligations
Savannah Gateway Industrial Hub
Mark Lastinger
Effingham Herald
Updated: Jun 23, 2020, 10:52 AM
Published: Jun 22, 2020, 2:07 PM
They have stepped up to the plate.
Effingham County Industrial Development Authority CEO Brandt Herndon

SPRINGFIELD —  The master developer of the Savannah Gateway Industrial Hub is chugging toward meeting its obligations to the Effingham County Industrial Development Authority (IDA).

In 2016, the IDA and OmniTrax Inc., which owns a network of regional and short-line railroads, joined in a public/private partnership to develop the 2,700-acre Research Forest site for industrial use. The deal’s objective is to help the IDA achieve its goals of alleviating some of Effingham County’s unique economic issues.

 According to IDA statistics from 2017, the county has only one job for every three residents in the labor force, forcing the tax burden to be shouldered disproportionately by property owners. There are fewer than 10,000 jobs in the county, and 40 percent of those are government related. The county has more than 60,000 residents.

The Research Forest tract, now known as the Savannah Gateway Industrial Hub (SGIH), picked up its first tenant last fall when A&R Logistics broke ground for an approximately 610,000 square foot building that will be occupied this fall.

OmniTRAX is set to construct more than seven miles of park-serving rail infrastructure, a multi-customer centrally located rail yard and a rail yard that can accommodate 200-plus cars for A&R Logistics, which provides bulk logistics services for customers in the chemical and plastics industries.

Property behind Blandford Elementary School is currently being cleared for a railroad switch. It will join Norfolk Southern and CSX tracks.

“That was also part of our development agreement,” IDA CEO Brandt Herndon said during Thursday’s IDA meeting. “That was the other trigger. (The widening of) McCall Road was the first trigger. The second trigger was that (OmniTRAX) would commence the design and construction of a switch by March 3, 2020, so therefore they have started that work.”

Herndon said he receives numerous daily updates about SGIH progress.

“They have stepped up to the plate,” Herndon said. “... It’s hard to complain about what they are doing out there from our point of view.”

Herndon is hopeful that McCall Road will be cut for the installation of tracks from the switch to the SGIH while school is out.

“I don’t know how long it will take them to do it but they have about six weeks to do it or they will have to wait until fall break or some other time to do it,” he said.
Effingham Donates 6,900 Shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child
Operation Christmas Child
Cohen Busbee packs a shoebox with toys, school supplies and personal care items for Samaritan’s Purse’s Operation Christmas Child. (Submitted photo)
Updated: Nov 26, 2025, 7:11 PM
Published: Nov 25, 2025, 2:28 PM

RINCON, Ga. — Effingham County’s generosity will soon be felt across the globe. Local churches, civic groups and residents combined to donate 6,900 gift-filled shoeboxes this year for Operation Christmas Child, a ministry of Samaritan’s Purse that delivers presents — along with a message of Christian faith — to children in need around the world.

Volunteers fuel  participation

Among those helping lead the effort are Pat and James McElveen, who serve as project leaders for First Baptist Church of Rincon. The couple collects items for their church year-round, coordinates volunteers and helps involve people of all ages in the packing process, including seniors, Bible school groups and individuals from the Low Country Down Syndrome Society.

Operation Christmas Child, operated by the Christian relief organization Samaritan’s Purse, aims to share the Gospel while providing what may be a child’s first gift. Each shoebox contains a “WOW” item, along with other small toys, personal care items, school supplies and clothing. Last year, the organization delivered nearly 12 million shoeboxes to children in more than 160 countries and territories.

Operation Christmas Child
James and Pat McElveen (back row) stand with Cohen (left) and Asa Busbee in a room where shoeboxes have been packed for Operation Christmas Child. (Submitted photo)

Churches, civic groups and residents all contribute

This year’s local total includes contributions from churches across the county — including First Baptist Rincon (5,100 shoeboxes) and Springfield Oaks (1,800 shoeboxes), which also serves as a drop-off site — along with Boy Scouts, high school groups and individual residents who pack boxes throughout the year. Pat said the wide community involvement is what makes the effort meaningful.

All 6,900 local boxes were delivered this week to Metter, where they will be transported to Atlanta for processing before being shipped around the world. Because many deliveries travel into remote regions, not every gift arrives by Christmas, and distributions continue throughout the year.

Once the shoeboxes reach their final destinations, each child receives both the gifts and a booklet explaining the Christian message in their language. For the McElveens and FBC Rincon, that message is at the heart of the project. ”It’s all about Jesus!”

With another successful collection completed, the McElveens say they are already preparing for next year and looking forward to the thousands of children who will once again open a shoebox packed by caring hands in Effingham County.