Greater Greenville Economic Developments

[whitehourseview]

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.

You know, the only reason Columbia exists is because of its central location, as a place, at the fall line, that is near equidistant from the farthest points of the state. Columbia was founded to lessen the influence of the lowcountry vs. the backcountry.

The state is mostly run by Lowcountry good 'ol boys? The balance of power in the state, at least geographically speaking, is probably as balanced as it has been in decades, especially since Speaker Wilkins left, and Sen. Smith died. The Upstate held a disproportionate amount of power in the major offices for nearly twenty years. Geography wise, things are as close to being balanced as they have been for a while, though I'd guess the state as a whole is wondering if David Wilkins will make a run for Governor after he leaves his post in Canada.

[vicupstate]

I don't see any 'balance' myself. Charleston has a trifecta currently. The Governor, the Speaker of the House and President Pro Tem of the Senate are all Charlestonians. The balance has always shifted between Greenville and Charleston, but there is rarely a balance between the two.

[gs3]

Good article about Greenville's employment growth rate being 4th in the nation from Feb 2007 to Feb 2008. I think some of these figures have been posted, but good job by the Greenville News on reporting this story.

http://greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/...337/1004/NEWS01

[gs3]

More good news on jobs for the area. Looks like in addition to the hiring at Fluor, Jacobs Engineering is now looking at possible new hires, thanks to booming business. Article from the Greenville News:

http://www.greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs..../804250324/1003

[gs3]

Excellent article here titled: "The Southeast - Dispelling the Economic Gloom" GSA is called out along with Raleigh/Durham, Charlotte and Atlanta as one of the most attractive business locations.

http://www.metrocorpcounsel.com/current.ph...mp;EntryNo=8267

A bit from the article:

The following areas in the Southeast were identified as the most attractive locations for the following reasons:

In South Carolina: Greenville/Spartanburg/ Anderson Counties because all three have access to small, international airports, as well as direct interstate connection to the nearby ports of Charleston and Savannah. All of the advantages listed in the preceding paragraph fully apply in this tri-county region, which already boasts a large number of national and international companies. The region offers a superior quality of life and very solid public and private education, as well as a very strong university presence with Clemson, Furman, Wofford and excellent technical colleges with flexibility in creating training programs. Greenville possesses a heavy concentration of foreign companies and all that is ancillary to them.

In Georgia: Atlanta offers all the advantages associated with a major metropolitan area. One firm emphasized that from Atlanta you can do business anywhere in the world because you can fly out of Atlanta or have your clients fly directly in.

In North Carolina: Charlotte offers a world class financial service infrastructure, while Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill offer a superior knowledge and technology focus.

[GvilleSC]

Good press!

[krazeeboi]

Pretty flattering press there. The Chamber of Commerce, as well as the entity charged with bringing more jobs downtown, should highlight this.

[gs3]

Precision Corp to invest 50 million in an expansion and add 190 jobs. This will include two facilites in Greenville County, one near Furman and the other in Travelers Rest. Article from the Greenville News:

http://www.greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs....INESS/805060337

[GvilleSC]

Level One moving to Batesville Rd

I hate it that they're moving further out, but they are making way for more employees! According to the article, Level One is renovating a current structure and constructing a new one.

That building will have space for up to 400 marketing associates when completed. Long said it will take a number of years for the company to grow to the point that the building is used to full capacity. But at full capacity, about 1,200 employees would work there during the course of three shifts daily. Level One now has 260 marketing associates.

Level One has been in Greenville since 2003

[gs3]

Excellent news if you own Fluor stock! Article from the Greenville News:

http://www.greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs..../805080309/1003

[Greenville]

Excellent news if you own Fluor stock! Article from the Greenville News:

http://www.greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs..../805080309/1003

That is good news, indeed. This quote in the article caught my attention:

"Scott Ruby, general manager of Fluor's local operations, had told The Greenville News the company plans to add between 200 and 400 white-collar jobs locally this year on top of its current local work force of about 2,800.

Fluor, out of room at its campus near Haywood Mall, has already put about 600 employees at the Patewood Plaza office park along Interstate 385."

If Fluor isn't a prime candidate to relocate to a downtown highrise, I don't know who is! I'm sure they are mostly happy where they are off of Haywood, but it sure would be great if the stars aligned and they moved downtown. Isn't this the kind of thing downtown is after in trying to recruit more corporations and headquarters downtown? Adding 3,000 new businesspeople downtown would make a nice difference...

[GvilleSC]

If Fluor isn't a prime candidate to relocate to a downtown highrise, I don't know who is! I'm sure they are mostly happy where they are off of Haywood, but it sure would be great if the stars aligned and they moved downtown. Isn't this the kind of thing downtown is after in trying to recruit more corporations and headquarters downtown? Adding 3,000 new businesspeople downtown would make a nice difference...

That would a HUGE win for downtown. Can you imagine the restaurants alone that would be added downtown to serve the increase in demand by the new 3,000 people? Who knows, maybe with them buying the naming rights to Fluor Field at the West End, they'll be more enticed to come back downtown?

If the new 'downtown business recruiter' doesn't try to attract Fluor, then they should be fired. If no one filled their current campus' office space, I'd say tear it down and create a Verdae style development. I'm not worried about filling it, there's other uses for it.

[B&R]

There would be a nice symmetry if Fluor moved back downtown. One of the main problems downtown Greenville had from the 1960's during the decline was the exodus of office and professional workers. Liberty Life built a campus at Wade Hampton Blvd. and Pleasantburg Dr. instead of building downtown. Flour moved to their place off Haywood Rd.

They did hang on longer than most. Daniel's influence, probably.

Besides the restaurants and some shops there would probably be a nice boost in the demand for apartments and condos downtown.

[goodbye]

...If Fluor isn't a prime candidate to relocate to a downtown highrise, I don't know who is! ...

Anyone else thinking about phase three of RiverPlace?

With the addition of such a company, downtown would become a prime candidate for a new large-scale mixed-use/residential development as well. I could see RiverPlace expanding well beyond its current conceptual plans.

[gs3]

Also in the economic news, thought this was a good article about the future growth prospects of the Bausch & Lomb plant. I didn't realize it employed 400. Found this line interesting also: "The plant has never had a layoff..."

Article from GV News:

http://www.greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs..../805080314/1003

[greenvillehistorytours]

Anyone else thinking about phase three of RiverPlace?

With the addition of such a company, downtown would become a prime candidate for a new large-scale mixed-use/residential development as well. I could see RiverPlace expanding well beyond its current conceptual plans.

Back in summer of 2006 when I was formulating my tour business, I met with Phil Hughes to learn more about Riverplace. At the start of our meeting, he showed me a few conceptual sketches from a meeting that he just got out of with a client and said that it was ideas for phase 3 with a client who might possibly build the tallest skyscraper in the city. He wouldn't say who it was, but I've always remembered that there was serious talk in his meeting about building Greenville's largest there in phase 3. I've been anxiously waiting to see if it comes through. Hopefully it will be Fluor and it will be large.

[gman]

Back in summer of 2006 when I was formulating my tour business, I met with Phil Hughes to learn more about Riverplace. At the start of our meeting, he showed me a few conceptual sketches from a meeting that he just got out of with a client and said that it was ideas for phase 3 with a client who might possibly build the tallest skyscraper in the city. He wouldn't say who it was, but I've always remembered that there was serious talk in his meeting about building Greenville's largest there in phase 3. I've been anxiously waiting to see if it comes through. Hopefully it will be Fluor and it will be large.

The tallest skyscraper in the city at Riverplace would be great. However, isn't there some kind of "rule" about the height of new buildings in the west end of town? I specifically recall someone that wanted to build something across from the new Hampton Inn that was ten stories or so. That development was met with objections because it was too high. Am I wrong? I know there are already drawings for the final phase in place that show a building of eight to ten stories. I tend to think that a building of that size would fit in better at Riverplace. I somehow cannot picture a 30 story building there. It seems like to me that a building like that would overpower the others. Don't get me wrong, I love tall buildings. I still remember the first time my dad took me to the top floor of the "Daniel Building". It seemed like I was touching the clouds. I've been looking forward to a taller building for 40 years now. But we do have plenty of other spots for the tallest building, like the Gateway location.

Edited May 10, 2008 by gman

[goodbye]

That ruling was restricted to the historic district and visual impact from development immediately surrounding it, if I recall correctly. Phase three of RiverPlace should be allowed to go up to any height, in my opinion, so long as it is attractively designed (a truly signature design).

[kristib726]

I generally tend to lurk and strictly speaking this should probably be in the spartanburg section, but there was an interesting article on CNN Money about the latest steep decline in home prices. The 7.7% first quarter drop in single family home prices is the largest since 1982, but the bright spot in all of this was 3 markets that increased by double digit percentile points. Spartanburg was ranked 3rd with a 10.2% increase for a median home price of 130,300 (national median home price has dropped to 196,300. Still checking to see where Greenville falls on the list, but yeah for Spartanburg and good for us that we're holding steady!

Kris

http://money.cnn.com/2008/05/12/real_estat...dex.htm?cnn=yes

Edited May 13, 2008 by kristib726

[breed]

I generally tend to lurk and strictly speaking this should probably be in the spartanburg section, but there was an interesting article on CNN Money about the latest steep decline in home prices. The 7.7% first quarter drop in single family home prices is the largest since 1982, but the bright spot in all of this was 3 markets that increased by double digit percentile points. Spartanburg was ranked 3rd with a 10.2% increase for a median home price of 130,300 (national median home price has dropped to 196,300. Still checking to see where Greenville falls on the list, but yeah for Spartanburg and good for us that we're holding steady!

Kris

http://money.cnn.com/2008/05/12/real_estat...dex.htm?cnn=yes

Greenville is 11th, at 6%. This is a message that needs to be distributed. With the national housing struggles and the struggles of one of our largest builders in Poinsett, the perception is assumed that the local real estate market is getting hammered, when in fact it is one of the few that is cruising right along. Sure, new construction is slowing... but it's not nearly as bad as many people (even locals) seem to think.

[B&R]

I saw a comment on the web recently that said officials from JER Envirotech of Vancouver, Canada were in the Greenville area in April scouting locations for a manufacturing operation. They would close a similar facility in Malaysia and move the equipment to the Greenville plant. Kind of reverses the conventional pattern. They signed a big deal with Greenville based Guardian Building Products and want to be closer to their customer.

JER makes composites using sawdust and recycled plastics.

Has anyone heard more on this?

[greenvillegrows]

The tallest skyscraper in the city at Riverplace would be great. However, isn't there some kind of "rule" about the height of new buildings in the west end of town? I specifically recall someone that wanted to build something across from the new Hampton Inn that was ten stories or so. That development was met with objections because it was too high. Am I wrong? I know there are already drawings for the final phase in place that show a building of eight to ten stories. I tend to think that a building of that size would fit in better at Riverplace. I somehow cannot picture a 30 story building there. It seems like to me that a building like that would overpower the others. Don't get me wrong, I love tall buildings. I still remember the first time my dad took me to the top floor of the "Daniel Building". It seemed like I was touching the clouds. I've been looking forward to a taller building for 40 years now. But we do have plenty of other spots for the tallest building, like the Gateway location.

RiverPlace is not in the West End historic district. Anything in the Central Business District still has to go through the Design and Preservation people, but it seems like a skyscraper is in keeping with the CBD. The D&P group may disagree.

[gs3]

A good callout for Greenville in CEP (Canadian financial news publication). The article is about U.S. nationwide home sales decline, but Greenville and Springfield, MO. are called out as bright spots.

Quote from the article:

Real estate across the country has posted mixed results but Greenville, S.C. and Springfield, Mo. showed solid price gains due to strong local economies.

Link to article:

http://www.economicnews.ca/cepnews/wire/article/83713

[gs3]

A good article on the large Cytec expansion that was announced last year:

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

[GvilleSC]

Props to G-man for this one:

Greenville County is currently in the running for an economic development locally titled "Project Teal". This will involve in excess of 500 new jobs and a 15 million dollar investment.

You can read more here: County Council resolution PDF

The competition currently lies between Greenville County, Virginia, and Texas.