Businesses are booming + new developments are being announced almost weekly, telling us that Columbia is, indeed, thriving.

But when it comes to stats, we don’t look great: Richland County’s population has grown 5% in the past five years, but Charleston County has more than doubled us at 11% growth + Greenville County has grown 9%. Job growth in Richland County is at -2.6%, while Charleston County jobs have grown by 26.2% + Greenville County at 8.3%.

Why is Rich Co falling behind? One major reason: A high cost of doing business here.

So the Columbia Chamber is launching a new initiative: Forward, Together, a two-day workshop focused on how to reduce the cost of doing business in Cola.

The workshop (funded by revenue from businesses investing in the Chamber; not taxpayer dollars) will bring together 100 of Cola’s top business leaders to ask the tough questions + brainstorm ways Cola can better foster an environment where businesses can flourish; and a plan that better welcomes jobs and investment in our region – creating a more desirable environment for businesses to grow + succeed in our city.

2 min read / The State