by: John Lummus, President & CEO of the Upstate SC Alliance

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It’s no secret that South Carolina’s Upstate region has seen a tremendous deal of business growth in the last several decades.

It’s growth that GVL Today and its sister publications often herald: new manufacturing operations creating thousands of jobs. New office jobs providing downtown and white-collar work opportunities. New restaurants to savor, new brews to sip, novel places to unwind.

In the last five years, more than 27,967 new jobs and $10.35 billion in capital investment have been announced by the SC Department of Commerce and our region’s economic development organizations. Among those 376 projects, 147 of the announcements were by international companies choosing to call our region home.

These jobs are vital to the economic vitality of our communities; according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, every dollar in final sales generated by a dollar’s worth of final sales for manufactured products supports $1.33 in output from other sectors.

So what, exactly, attracts these companies to the Upstate?

They’re drawn to our competitive business environment, where public and private partners consistently roll up their sleeves and address challenges quickly. Where education and industry partner to address workforce needs and tailor training programs for companies. Where a connected network of international ports, roadways, rail, and airports enable swift movement of goods and people.

And, it’s true: these comparisons are also drawn to locations where unionization rates are low. A recent article in GVL Today had a tone that felt supportive of unions – however, many of the companies that have invested in our state did so with great appreciation for the flexibility that a low unionization rate provides.

Many companies we hear from are seeking environments where they have the ability to adapt to the changing global marketplace, and where they can apply creative solutions to continue to meet customer demands.

As manufacturing has made its resurgence in America, states like South Carolina and its neighbors in the Southeast have been an attractive destination because there’s a mutual understanding between the corporate environment and our residents.

The international business community has provided citizens with competitive wages, benefits packages and high quality of life – and their investment here have enabled the quality of life we’ve all come to appreciate.”

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