The last few years on the Effingham Industrial Development Authority have been tumultuous and busy for Martin Wilkins.
The long-serving chairman of the IDA board has decided to step down from his position and resign his seat on the board effective next month in order to spend more time with his family and at his position as headmaster of Covenant Christian Academy.
“I had been looking to resign last year,” Wilkins said. “I considered not accepting my reappointment as chairman.”
But the IDA’s pending deal with DP Partners for the I-16 property, the acquisition of the Research Forest Tract and its other projects convinced Wilkins to stay for a while. Plus, the board went through an upheaval last summer when three members’ seats were challenged.
He didn’t think he’d have to sit on his resignation plans as long as he did.
“I thought it would be about a month or two, but it took about a year,” Wilkins said. “I wanted to see some of these accomplished. We’ve got some accomplishments under our belt now, and we’re in good shape.”
Wilkins also praised the work of IDA Chief Executive Officer John Henry, project manager Ryan Moore and assistant Debbie Trowell.
“They deserve a lot of credit for carrying out the vision we have had as a board,” he said.
In his letter to his fellow board members, Wilkins said he made his decision with mixed emotions.
“I would love to continue to serve, but I don’t have the time,” he said. “Being headmaster at Covenant Christian takes a lot of time, and it’s where my heart is. I had too much on my plate. I had to let something go. It’s just a lot. I had to step back from something.”
Over the last six months, the IDA has been at work feverishly, finalizing its agreement with DP Partners for the parcels straddling I-16 that are expected to employ from 2,000-5,000 people and have 6 million square feet of space once finished. It also landed Portuguese electrical component maker EFACEC, which is anticipated to bring more than 600 jobs by 2015.
The IDA also took possession of the 2,700-acre Research Forest Tract, which is intended to be the IDA’s “legacy” project.
“I-16 was a good decision,” Wilkins said. “I think that’s going to reap benefits for years to come. The Research Forest Tract gives us potential for years to come to bring in industrial prospects. We were thinking 20 years or more down the road.”
The IDA wanted to cap its existing industrial park with a tremendous prize, and Wilkins believes EFACEC will do just that.
“It’s on our Cadillac piece of property as well,” he said.
While it’s been an often arduous tenure, Wilkins said he has enjoyed his service on the IDA board.
“It’s been a good learning experience,” he said. “There’s always good things and bad things, but the fact we have a good board, that really had the citizens’ at heart when they made their decisions, led to our success. You’ve got to make what you think is the best decision and try to move forward.”
Wilkins also believes the public would benefit from taking a closer look at the IDA and attending its board meetings.
They would see their meetings aren’t just a rehashing of the minutes and can last for hours as board members — who are not compensated for their service — weigh past, present and future moves.
“It would be beneficial for the citizens to sit in on our board meetings and see the work we do and the thought we put into our decisions,” he said. “They would see we don’t take things lightly. They would see that kind of thought process, and there’s a lot of things that go on behind the scenes.”
