Economic developments in the Midlands

[Spartan]

A "Richland County" office implies suburbia. Still glad for the jobs, but I'd like to see more coming to fill the gaping hole that SCANA left downtown.

[krazeeboi]

Just saw in the article in the Columbia Business Journal that the company will be locating at 7909 Parklane Road--suburbia. Oh well, at least the jobs are coming.

A thought just came to me: with Columbia's health IT cluster, it could be poised to gain a good number of jobs related to the changes associated with healthcare legislation. As one article has stated, "Health care technology is another growth area. As doctors' offices and hospitals face a government-mandated deadline for electronic medical records and new medical coding standards, demand will increase for people with information technology know-how." It would have been nice if Columbia could have been included in this associated pilot project.

[krazeeboi]

Palmetto State Armory will open a rifle plant in Northeast Richland County off Farrow Road and create up to 50 jobs, state and local development officials said today. Palmetto's $2.9 million investment includes a store and a distribution facility.

[krazeeboi]

SCBT’s Jan. 29 purchase of Community Bank and Trust of Cornelia, Ga. positions it for future high growth according to SCBT's CEO Robert Hill. SCBT is looking to grow in Georgia, up the Interstate 85 corridor to Charlotte, where the bank has had a presence since 2007, and into other major markets in North Carolina, Hill said. To the south, Hill said Atlanta, Savannah and Jacksonville, Fla., are all targets for growth. Hill also said he expects the recent spate of U.S. bank failures to go on for about two more years, and consolidations will continue after that through traditional mergers and acquisitions. Banks that struggled through the financial crisis will emerge looking for ways to increase stock prices and earnings, and consolidation will be a good answer.

[Spartan]

I hope they can consolidate their way into having more locations in Charlotte.

[krazeeboi]

They already have a couple of locations back from when they acquired The Scottish Bank. They renamed those branches NC Bank & Trust.

[krazeeboi]

The Brookings Institute MetroMonitor, which tracks economic recession and recovery in the nation's 100 largest metro areas, still has Columbia listed as among the 21 strongest-performing metros in the June 2010 update which covers 1Q2010.

[CorgiMatt]

Yeaaahh! I've got to go buy one of those Columbi Yeah! T-shirts.

[krazeeboi]

In some not-so-good news, after about 40 years, NCR is closing its 334-employee Springdale call center in August. The call center work is being transferred to Georgia, where NCR recently relocated its corporate headquarters and opened new distribution and call centers and a manufacturing plant. The technology company still will have employees in the Columbia area, but an NCR spokesman would not say how many or what work they do.

Before reading this, I didn't even know NCR had operations in the Midlands. When NCR announced their move to Georgia from Ohio last year, they announced that the corporate HQs would be going to the Atlanta area and I think Columbus will be getting a manufacturing operation. I wonder if these jobs would be going to Atlanta (Gwinnett County) or Columbus.

[CorgiMatt]

The Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce and COR (Columbia Opportunity Resource, Columbia's young professionals group) have formed a partnership to raise the level of educational attainment in the Columbia area and to grow, attract and retain young talent. From what I know about COR, this is great news.

http://www.columbiabusinessreport.com/news/34996-groups-create-partnership-to-attract-top-young-talent?rss=0

Edited July 9, 2010 by CorgiMatt

[krazeeboi]

Due to many banks in the state having lost money last year, more banks acquisitions are likely throughout the state, and some of the buyers could be homegrown instead of out-of-state competitors. Analysts say don’t rule out the two biggest banks based in South Carolina — Columbia-based SCBT and First Citizens — which have weathered the recession well. Those banks posted a combined income of $125 million in 2009, according to BauerFinancial data. Their leaders have indicated they are eager for more growth and expansion. SCBT chief executive Robert Hill said he wants to double the size of his $3.7 billion bank within the next five years.

[CorgiMatt]

I saw a headline yesterday that said 40 NC banks are being watched. Maybe some SC banks will move in.

[krazeeboi]

FPL Food LLC, the largest privately held beef provider in the Southeast, will locate its further processing facility in Lexington County. The opening of this facility is expected to generate 75 new jobs, with a total employee count of over 150.

[krazeeboi]

Japan-based TB Kawashima USA Inc. has announced it will expand its automotive seat fabric manufacturing facility in Lugoff. The $9 million investment is expected to generate 50 new jobs.

[krazeeboi]

The USC/SCRA Innovation Center will officially open on Thursday. The $6.6 million high-tech business incubator is located in the 66,000-square-foot former warehouse building at 1000 Catawba St., across Assembly Street from USC’s Swearingen Engineering Center. The first tenant here is Immedion, an outsource information service company. SCRA also is expecting Columbia firm Design Measurement, which produces miniature wireless sensors, to move in soon. SCRA and EngenuitySC, which supports high-tech development in the Midlands, have also moved their offices to the center. Seven other firms are considering moving the center.

[krazeeboi]

Another article on the Innovation Center from the Free Times.

[krazeeboi]

Aflac, which bought Continental American Insurance Co. less than a year ago, said today it plans to double the number of area workers over the next three to five years after moving into new offices on the fifth floor of the AT&T building at Laurel and Huger streets in January. The expansion would give the company more than 300 employees in the Columbia area. The potential for further growth is huge, said SC Insurance Commissioner Scott Richardson. A decade from now, Aflac could employ 20,000 people in Columbia, because group insurance is an untapped market for Aflac, Richardson said.

[CorgiMatt]

They've already grown from 163 to 200 and will double their current number to 400 within the next 5 years.

[CorgiMatt]

TD Bank, the bank Carolina First just merged with, will add 50 jobs in Lexington as it makes that site an important operations center.

http://www.columbiabusinessreport.com/news/36248-td-bank-makes-quick-s-c-expansion?rss=0

Edited October 5, 2010 by CorgiMatt

[krazeeboi]

That's definitely encouraging news for the bank's new presence within SC.

[krazeeboi]

Lexington County officials are looking to land a “substantive company” that could eventually bring 1,000 new jobs to an industrial park at I-77 and the 12th Street extension, two business leaders briefed on the project said Friday. The company would be the first firm to come to the site, established three years ago. Council members gave initial approval late Thursday to a fee-in-lieu of taxes offer of unspecified value for an unidentified firm. The cost of that tax break will be determined and made public once talks under way are complete.

[krazeeboi]

Owen Steel Company Inc., a structural steel fabrication company, will expand its operations at its plant in Richland County. The $5 million investment is expected to generate 30 new jobs over the next five years. Owen Steel will be upgrading its fabrication equipment and infrastructure at its Richland County plant, located at 2151 South Beltline Blvd. The company will also set up additional manufacturing operations in a recently-acquired facility in Richland County, located at 1602 Andrews Road.

[krazeeboi]

Business Vitals announced an expansion to its Main Street data center to 5,000 sq ft that will eventually add 25 jobs, doubling its workforce. The 10-year-old company is a national provider of information technology and Internet security.

[krazeeboi]

Pure Power Technologies, a Navistar company, will invest $25 million to expand its operations in Richland County, the company said. The investment is expected to create 200 jobs over the next three years. Based in Columbia, Pure Power Technologies operates a research and development center as well as a manufacturing plant in Blythewood. Pure Power Technologies LLC vertically integrates research and development, engineering and manufacturing capabilities to produce world-class diesel power systems and advanced emissions control systems for commercial and defense markets.

[BrasilnSC]

Awesome!......keep them coming.