Greater Greenville Economic Developments

[B&R]

Here is a quote dated March 4th about the Geneva auto show relating to BMW, VW, Audi etc. There's nothing new - just confirming stuff we have heard already - but it might be interesting still.

http://www.eurograduate.com/article.asp?id=1086&pid=2

"For European and Japanese heavyweights such as Volkswagen and Toyota, the weak dollar is making competition tougher and prompting interest in boosting production in the United States. Audi, part of Europe's largest automaker Volkswagen, said that it was considering building a U.S. plant in response.

"We are considering the most varied options. That can mean joint production with Volkswagen but also a completely independent Audi plant would be a possibility," Audi Chief Executive Rupert Stadler told reporters at the auto show.

Toyota President Katsuaki Watanabe on the eve of the event said he would take steps to respond to the yen's strength against the dollar and that the best long-term solution for Toyota was to have plants in its key markets.

BMW, the world's biggest luxury brand, said it too was looking to boost production at its U.S. plant in South Carolina, keen to raise sales in its largest market as well as reduce its reliance on the euro."

[GvilleSC]

Clemson to hold retreat in Greenville

Clemson is moving its annual summer retreat from Charleston to Greenville this year. I wish it were going to be downtown, but the Hilton is ok, too, I guess. They'll hold their meetings at the Hilton and the retreat days at the CU-ICAR campus. This year's retreat is being held there because of the topic for this year's event: the university's role in economic development.

[gs3]

The BMW announcement is more sizable dollar wise than I expected.....an additional 750 Million investment / expansion. 500 additional jobs.

Article from the GV News:

http://www.greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs....INESS/803100309

[gs3]

Just reading in this article, the square footage of the addition at BMW will be 1.5 Million square feet. To put it into perspective, Haywood Mall is 1.2 Million sq. ft. on two levels.

http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/go...amp;newsLang=en

[gs3]

A positive side effect of the BMW expansion........additional jobs at BMW's network of suppliers.

Article from GV News:

http://www.greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs....EWS01/803110353

[Spartan]

What's even better news that this is that with BMW's high economic multiplier, nearly 2000 additional jobs will be generated in Spartanburg, Greenville, and other counties in the region.

[gs3]

Synnex, which currently employs aprox. 425 in Greenville will be expanding their office building for "additional headcount". The number of new jobs has not been released, but the expansion square footage is about 2/3 of the current total square footage, so should be a healthy number of jobs.

Article from Greenville News:

http://www.greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs....S/80401024/1003

[gs3]

Article from the Greenville News about the positive effects on the construction industry in the Upstate, from the BMW expansion (and it's network of supplier expansions).

http://beta.greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs.../804050309/1003

[Greenville]

I just saw that Synnex Corp. is expanding their Greenville operations. It will be a $7.5 million investment and create 300 new jobs. The article stated that these jobs will all be white collar jobs (executive management, sales, marketing, etc.).

http://greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/.../80407061/0/rss

The company is based in Fremont, CA but has their distribution and sales headquarters in Greenville. This is a nice piece of business for the Greenville economy.

[GvilleSC]

4 out of 6 state high school football championship games will move from Columbia's Williams-Brice Stadium to Clemson's Memorial Stadium. While, the benefit may be slight, this should definitely positively affect Greenville's tourism. It won't be the same impact as a Clemson home game, but I think we can all agree that Greenville will see some additional visitors during that weekend.

goupstate.com

[whitehourseview]

4 out of 6 state high school football championship games will move from Columbia's Williams-Brice Stadium to Clemson's Memorial Stadium. While, the benefit may be slight, this should definitely positively affect Greenville's tourism. It won't be the same impact as a Clemson home game, but I think we can all agree that Greenville will see some additional visitors during that weekend.

goupstate.com

I'd be surprised if Greenville saw much of anything resembling tourism with the state championships in Clemson. They don't really contribute to the Columbia economy at all, as folks drive up and back in one day to the stadium. Stopping 40 minutes away would make even less sense for the traditional spending habits of those games.

Now if the games were at Furman, it might make a difference, but Furman wasn't the one lobbying for the games to be moved from Columbia.

[goodbye]

It will be interesting to see if the Lowcountry and Coastal/Pee Dee teams stay overnight, since the trip to Clemson is longer than to Columbia.

You've also got to consider the fans who will travel from various parts of the state. I wouldn't expect much economic impact either, but it will be interesting to see what happens.

[CorgiMatt]

All the Upstate teams that make it to the championship game will go back home, and only about 2/3 of the coastal fans who drive to Columbia will drive all the way to Clemson. The ones that do will stay in Anderson if they stay overnight. So much for meeting in the middle.

[Greenville]

All the Upstate teams that make it to the championship game will go back home, and only about 2/3 of the coastal fans who drive to Columbia will drive all the way to Clemson. The ones that do will stay in Anderson if they stay overnight. So much for meeting in the middle.

They've been "meeting in the middle" for the last 15 years or so, yes? I have no problem with it being in Columbia, but also see nothing wrong with having it other places from time to time as well. We're talking about a maximum drive of 4-5 hours for a team, families, and fans to see the two best teams in high school football. Is that really a huge deal when your son, nephew, brother, or friend is playing for the state championship? It's not like this game happens every weekend.

[CorgiMatt]

That's more than halfway to Washington, D.C. from Columbia, for a high school state championship football game in a state that is as geographically small as South Carolina is. Hmmmm. Practicality and centrality mean nothing, I guess.

[GvilleSC]

Ok, I didn't mean to suggest millions upon millions of tourism dollars flooding into Greenville. But from my experience in college, most people from the low country/pee dee/etc have never stepped foot in Greenville (much less downtown). They have no reason to make the drive, I guess. But we've all seen the positive press about Greenville's downtown in the Charleston Post and Courier, the Sun News, Southern Living, etc... It's my thinking that here's your opportunity to make that stop for dinner 30 minutes from Clemson, book a hotel, or whatever. It's not going to yield a great uptick in revenue, but this is what Greenville's all about, reaching one person at a time. So, yea, if one person or one family makes the stop to check out Greenville, then it's been worth it, IMO.

[whitehourseview]

They've been "meeting in the middle" for the last 15 years or so, yes? I have no problem with it being in Columbia, but also see nothing wrong with having it other places from time to time as well. We're talking about a maximum drive of 4-5 hours for a team, families, and fans to see the two best teams in high school football. Is that really a huge deal when your son, nephew, brother, or friend is playing for the state championship? It's not like this game happens every weekend.

With what I have seen before from the state championship games, you end up with lots of relatives and school supporters who caravan together to a game, many of them older, many of them who don't make an usual habit of driving four to five hours, ever, for much of anything. It's a big trip, and the main event is in Clemson. Yes, it is that big a deal.

Restaurants and hotel operators in Columbia have stated that they make very little off the state championship weekends, as folks drive from Camden, Union, Spartanburg or Summerville up and back in a day, perhaps stopping off an interstate to eat a meal, but that's it.

[goodbye]

It will do no good to argue with a Columbia and Gamecock booster. This move will be good for the change it will afford teams and their fans.

With that said, I would MUCH rather see a rotation of locations for the state championships. Each year they should play in a different city from each of the state's main regions, rotating through the entire cycle every 4 years or so. Upstate, Midlands, Lowcountry, Coastal/Pee Dee.

[CorgiMatt]

So that if Summerville and Conway play for the championship (just a geographical example - don't even know if those two teams are both 4A or 5A or whatever), they can bus all their fans all the way to the opposite end of the state via the interstate, bypassing the closest venue that's large enough, and that is as easy for both to get to as Georgetown is, and head on for another two-hour drive just to please those who have chosen to make this a university and "Upstate" (quoting an S.C. lawmaker) thing as opposed to a geographical convenience thing. In this case I am not boosting anything but common sense. There are some in this state who would somehow find it in their makeup to compliment Columbia by saying that at least it does have one redeeming quality - that is is centrally located - and then negate that compliment by not taking advantage of that central location. This is my last comment on the issue.

[Greenville]

The proponents of continuing to have the game in Columbia every year always talk about its central location. What nobody seems to be pointing out, however, is that Columbia area teams don't really have to travel AT ALL for the state championship game. It is like a home game for them. Is that fair? Teams from the Midlands haven't had to travel for 15+ years. Isn't it only fair that they have to travel for the state championship game every now and then? Plus, due to Columbia's "central" location those teams and their fans would never have to travel more than a couple of hours!

[erm1981]

I think its only fair that it should move around, so why not let the upstate have a stab at it for a few times. Maybe they could have some around Charleston also eventually.

[GvilleSC]

It'd be a great if it moved annually. Sirrine Stadium would be large enough, I'd think.

Wow, I'm surprised there hasn't been a 'you're being too sensitive comment' yet. Oh, that's only comes out for Greenville forumers... Never mind, carry on.

[CorgiMatt]

The proponents of continuing to have the game in Columbia every year always talk about its central location. What nobody seems to be pointing out, however, is that Columbia area teams don't really have to travel AT ALL for the state championship game. It is like a home game for them. Is that fair? Teams from the Midlands haven't had to travel for 15+ years. Isn't it only fair that they have to travel for the state championship game every now and then? Plus, due to Columbia's "central" location those teams and their fans would never have to travel more than a couple of hours!

Best argument yet. Y'all win. Just in case I need to say it, I'm not being sarcastic. I concede on the basis of fairness for the teams, and your point, Greenville, is a point I admit I had never even thought about. I was not, however, as someone said, being sensitive about one city over another or one area over another; I was arguing only on the basis of Columbia's central location while failing to take Midlands teams' perennial hometown advantage for the past decade into consideration.

I will say, however, that I hope S.C. legislators from areas other than the Midlands don't come up with the idea of rotating locations for General Assembly sessions.

Now, I will do my part to allow this forum to return to its correct subject. I apologize for barging in.

Edited April 19, 2008 by CorgiMatt

[Greenville]

Best argument yet. Y'all win. Just in case I need to say it, I'm not being sarcastic. I concede on the basis of fairness for the teams, and your point, Greenville, is a point I admit I had never even thought about. I was not, however, as someone said, being sensitive about one city over another or one area over another; I was arguing only on the basis of Columbia's central location while failing to take Midlands teams' perennial hometown advantage for the past decade into consideration.

That's big of you to say, CorgiMatt. It is definitely a multi-faceted issue. As I said before, I don't have a problem with it being in Columbia every year. I don't think it gives USC an unfair recruiting advantage, nor do I feel that it gives the city of Columbia tons of economic benefit not afforded the other large metros in our state. An advantage to moving it around is that the traveling for each region will even out over time. Plus, it exposes other areas of the state to people who might not travel much. Whatever they decide on a long-term basis is fine with me.

I will say, however, that I hope S.C. legislators from areas other than the Midlands don't come up with the idea of rotating locations for General Assembly sessions.

You know this state is mostly run by the Lowcountry good 'ol boys anyway, so you shouldn't have to worry that the general assembly sessions will ever be moved to the Upstate. If anything, they would try to move it to Charleston.

[swu_BA_student]

I thought I might let every one know that there is going to be a regional Pro-video game competition tomorrow held by East Coast Gaming and sponsored by Best buy. It's at the Hyatt. I am going to be representing Best Buy, if any one wants to say hello. So I don't get myself in trouble I'm an hourly employee and not being paid to post this, I just thought it might fit in with the baseball tournament discussion.

Disclaimer- The views expressed in this forum in no way represent Best Buy. Best Buy corp in no way agrees tech_bus_student's comments on this forum or any other, and for the record he's a weirdo. Heres the link for the web site

Edited April 19, 2008 by tech_bus_student