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Jessica Nelms

John Thompson loads up a cooler at the Twice the Ice location in Seneca. The two owners of the ice business recently installed a third machine on SC 28 and Highway 11 in West Union.

WEST UNION — That frigid feeling is starting to sweep across Oconee County.

The men responsible for it are Kevin Cope and Danny Mimms, a couple of high school buddies turned real estate specialists, turned icemakers … not literally, but sort of.

Cope and Mimms recently installed their third freestanding ice machine near the intersection of SC Highway 28 and scenic Highway 11. Although it is in a somewhat more rural setting than the duo's first two machines, the latest addition has caught on quickly.

"It has taken off faster in the first 10 days," Mimms said.

These are not your average convenience store ice machines. Hooked directly to municipal water lines, each unit will hold 6,500 pounds of ice. The water is triple-filtered and a laser beam tells an onboard computer when the ice is low and more water is needed.

Cope and Mimms were vacationing on Edisto Island when they saw a line of people at one of the machines and decided they would look into getting the franchise for Oconee County. Last June they installed their first machine on By-Pass 123 in Seneca, and it clicked immediately.

"I think people realize there is an immediate value to the machines," Cope said, noting that 16 pounds of ice sells for less than seven pounds at retail outlets. "They get twice as much for less money."

That fact and the convenience of the stations have gained the machine popularity far beyond the crowd of backyard barbecuers. Mimms and Cope said building contractors, caterers and restaurants are among their bigger clients, often taking advantage of an even less costly 20-pound bulk purchase option.

"We were surprised by the service this has proven to be to restaurant owners," Mimms said. "It has become a large part of our business plan."

A second machine was installed last November on SC Highway 123 between Seneca and Clemson.

"We caught tailgaters for a few of the (Clemson University football) games," Cope said, "but that machine also gets wide use from contractors who eat at the diner next door and then fill their coolers before leaving."

The business has proven so successful that Cope and Mimms have been able to expand on a planned donation program to include Red Cross, local fire stations, EMS and even the Seneca football team.

"We're open to non-profits," Cope said.

The duo also believes they are doing their part to contribute to the greening of America. They point out that, since the machine make ice, ice deliveries to the machine are not necessary, the ice-making process produces no emissions and the amount of energy consumed is limited to a few watts of electricity.

Cope and Mimms hope to eventually add three more ice stations in the Fair Play, Westminster and Tamassee-Salem areas.