Economic Development in South Carolina

[krazeeboi]

In Bizjournals.com's ranking of the nation's 100 largest metros for income growth, Charleston ranks 5th (yes, fifth), Columbia 49th, and Greenville 81st.

[LuvSC]

Expansion Management magazine lists Greenville/Spartanburg No. 6 in the nation for business recruitment and attraction among large metro areas.

Columbia and Charleston farther down on the list of "mid size" markets.

http://www.expansionmanagement.com/smo/new...=18800&st=3

http://www.expansionmanagement.com/SMO/DOC...GE%20METROS.PDF

http://www.expansionmanagement.com/SMO/DOC...UM%20METROS.PDF

[gs3]

Expansion Management magazine lists Greenville/Spartanburg No. 6 in the nation for business recruitment and attraction among large metro areas.

Columbia and Charleston farther down on the list of "mid size" markets.

http://www.expansionmanagement.com/smo/new...=18800&st=3

http://www.expansionmanagement.com/SMO/DOC...GE%20METROS.PDF

http://www.expansionmanagement.com/SMO/DOC...UM%20METROS.PDF

Excellent to see! Way to go GSA.

Also, read today where an aerospace firm is about to move it's headquarters and manufacturing to Newberry. Excellent news for this area. Nice to see smaller cities that aren't part of any of the big three metros get in on the action.

[krazeeboi]

Expansion Management magazine lists Greenville/Spartanburg No. 6 in the nation for business recruitment and attraction among large metro areas.

Columbia and Charleston farther down on the list of "mid size" markets.

http://www.expansionmanagement.com/smo/new...=18800&st=3

http://www.expansionmanagement.com/SMO/DOC...GE%20METROS.PDF

http://www.expansionmanagement.com/SMO/DOC...UM%20METROS.PDF

Good to see the Big Three make the list, but it's interesting that the list utilized the Office of Management and Budget

[gs3]

St. Jude Medical manufacturing will be building on to it's facility in the Greenville metro (Pickens) and adding an additional 300 jobs over the next 5 years, doubling it's number of employees.

Article from Greenville News.

http://greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/...314/1004/NEWS01

[GvilleSC]

Donaldson Addition to Bring Aircraft, Jobs to Upstate

The National Guard is expanding in Greenville County. The investment, costing about $44 Million, will create 100 jobs. Though most jobs will be military, some will also be civilian supports jobs as well. It's great to see more investment in Southern Greenville County, which also has another project in the works.

[Charleston native]

Thats that kind of company Charleston needs more of.

Absolutely. Those types of businesses are locating there consistently, but not in mass numbers. Give it time, though, we will see more in the next few years.

[krazeeboi]

Insignia Group, which designs e-catalogs featuring auto parts and accessories, is moving to Rock Hill from Charlotte. The business employs 12 workers but has plans to hire as many as 150 people.

Newberry County has landed Schweitzer-Mauduit International to an existing industrial park just off I-26. Schweitzer, an Alpharetta, Ga.-based maker of cigarette paper, plans to spend $4 million renovating a vacant, 54,000-square-foot specialty printing plant. Schweitzer will need about 10 months to get the facility running. Ultimately, the plant could employ up to 55 workers, said Ron Federico, operation manager for the new plant that also will be a research and development site for the company.

[GvilleSC]

Insignia Group, which designs e-catalogs featuring auto parts and accessories, is moving to Rock Hill from Charlotte. The business employs 12 workers but has plans to hire as many as 150 people.

Newberry County has landed Schweitzer-Mauduit International to an existing industrial park just off I-26. Schweitzer, an Alpharetta, Ga.-based maker of cigarette paper, plans to spend $4 million renovating a vacant, 54,000-square-foot specialty printing plant. Schweitzer will need about 10 months to get the facility running. Ultimately, the plant could employ up to 55 workers, said Ron Federico, operation manager for the new plant that also will be a research and development site for the company.

That's some good stuff! Rock Hill's growth is interesting to watch from afar. Thanks

Greenville News reports that South Carolina is in the top 10 in the nation for income growth in the first quarter. We're keeping in stride with our neighbors in something now!

Edited June 22, 2007 by GvilleSC

[Spartan]

That really is good news^

[krazeeboi]

It has been reported that Rolls-Royce, which asked eight states (including SC) in December to submit proposals for accommodating new manufacturing, assembly, and testing facilities, has expressed interest in Clemson University

[krazeeboi]

Last week was a good week for the knowledge-based economy in SC.

VC3, a Columbia-based firm that specializes in providing e-government solutions to municipal governments, announced it was acquiring Excelsio Communications of Alpharetta, Ga., a municipal broadband consulting group. Since its founding in 1994, the company has grown from a handful of employees at its headquarters in Columbia to offices in Atlanta, Raleigh, Charlotte and Charleston.

Another Columbia company, medical software company Companion Technologies, announced it is merging with SDS, a leading health information management company also based in Alpharetta, Ga. The merger will result in the formation of a new company, HealthPort, named after SDS

[GvilleSC]

that's definitely some good news for the entire state!

[interestedexpat]

It has been reported that Rolls-Royce, which asked eight states (including SC) in December to submit proposals for accommodating new manufacturing, assembly, and testing facilities, has expressed interest in Clemson University

[GvilleSC]

I heard a rumor that the actual acreage they are looking for is 1200. And there is a nearby site under consideration. This would be wonderful for Anderson County and the upstate as a whole.

I also think it would be a good move for Rolls-Royce. Clemson graduates a lot of quality job candidates. Anderson University is growing and improving. Tri-County and Greenville Tech are both doing a great job. And the overall quality of life in the upstate just keeps getting better. With BMW and ICAR around the corner and the central location between Atlanta and Charlotte ... wow! - I look forward to more great Econ Development announcements in the next few years for upstate SC. This would be a great start.

This indeed would be a great start. Here's to a possibly huge economic development

[krazeeboi]

Hopefully the nearby site would work out, since it appears that Clemson has its mind made up about not selling the land that Rolls-Royce has inquired about. I can't say that I blame them.

Although it's too early in the game to say whether or not SC would even land this development, it's encouraging to know that at least a site is under consideration.

[GvilleSC]

South Carolina's tourism industry is no doubt growing in the Upstate, and it's going to get a sizable boost from the region next year.

Just announced, the Gold Wing Convention will be held in Greenville for 2008, over the 4th of July holiday. This will be the third time the event has been in Greenville in its 30 year history (1995, 2001).

Expected to draw 14,000 people and it's expected to fill 9,000 hotel rooms. This will more than overflow Greenville's 8,000 rooms and be a boon for the entire region. The direct economic impact is estimated to be $11 million.

Greenville News

Also, other major events coming next year:

2008 BassMaster Classic

2008 USPRO Cycling Championship

2008 SoCon Baseball Tournament

[krazeeboi]

So I see it's a motorcycle convention (Greenville's version of Myrtle Beach's bike fest perhaps?). Sounded like something to do with food, but that may be because I'm hungry right now.

[gs3]

South Carolina's tourism industry is no doubt growing in the Upstate, and it's going to get a sizable boost from the region next year.

Just announced, the Gold Wing Convention will be held in Greenville for 2008, over the 4th of July holiday. This will be the third time the event has been in Greenville in its 30 year history (1995, 2001).

Expected to draw 14,000 people and it's expected to fill 9,000 hotel rooms. This will more than overflow Greenville's 8,000 rooms and be a boon for the entire region. The direct economic impact is estimated to be $11 million.

Greenville News

Also, other major events coming next year:

2008 BassMaster Classic

2008 USPRO Cycling Championship

2008 SoCon Baseball Tournament

Excellent news! The GoldWing cult typically has good amounts of disposable income to spend. Ang 14,000 of them.....WOW.

[goodbye]

I am glad this happened, as it was expected for quite awhile now. Greenville has hosted this event twice in recent years - 1995 & 2001. Expect to see the Gold Wings everywhere around town that week.

edit: typo

Edited July 5, 2007 by Skyliner

[krazeeboi]

Found some hard job growth figures for April. The Greenville and Columbia areas led the way with job gains of 2,200 and 2,000, respectively. They were followed by Myrtle Beach (+1,700), Charleston (+1,400), Florence (+800), and Spartanburg (+800). Anderson and Sumter reported job gains of 100 each.

Source

[Spartan]

What are we missing in Myrtle Beach? Is that just temp jobs for the summer?

[krazeeboi]

^I would assume so.

[krazeeboi]

Here's a state spotlight on SC from Business Facilities magazine from April 2007, with a special emphasis on the Upstate as "the nation's next great R&D hub." Pretty good read.

[goodbye]

Someone needs to ban that old photo of Downtown Greenville. It is way overused, not to mention outdated.