Site Selection January 2012 : Page 112
South Carolina South Carolina Dept. of Commerce 1201 Main St., #1600 Columbia, SC 29201 Bobby Hitt, Secy. 803-737-0400 Governor: Nikki Haley ( R ) sccommerce.com “It is a great day in our country knowing that the NLRB dropped its frivolous lawsuit against Boeing.” — Gov. Nikki Haley via Twitter, Dec. 10, 2011, after the National Labor Relations Board dropped its challenge of Boeing’s right to locate its new manufacturing facility in North Charleston. Population 2011: 4,680,440 Population growth forecast 2011-2015: 6.24% Median household income: $49,884 Work Force Education by Percentage Less than High School High School Diploma Associate’s Degree Bachelor’s Degree Graduate Degree 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 Private Sector Employment 1,496,500 jobs 15 % Manufacturing 20 % Goods Producing 219,300 jobs 299,700 jobs Property tax rank: 23 Top corporate tax rate: 5.0 Unemployment insurance burden rank by least percent of taxable wages: 41 Worker’s comp rank by lowest index: 12 Industrial power prices (per million BTU) : $16.97 Ranked by low price: 18 Median hourly wage for production occupations: $14.68 Right-to-work state? YES 80 % Service Providing 1,196,800 jobs Legislative Update • In October Gov. Haley received the 2011 State Leadership Award at the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform’s annual summit after shepherd-ing the South Carolina Fairness in Civil Justice Act to passage. • After incentives for a project in Lexington County from Amazon.com were initially voted down, a later package became law on June 8 without the governor’s signature, giving Amazon a fi ve-year exemption from col-lecting sales taxes from online shoppers in South Carolina in return for 2,000 full-time jobs with health benefi ts and a $125 million investment. • As of early December, since Gov. Haley took offi ce in January, the state’s economic development efforts had brought nearly 19,500 jobs to the state, and a total investment of more than $3.7 billion, according to Did You Know? • The Palmetto State’s 2010 exports were valued at $20.3 billion. • Two 2011 announcements from tire companies, Bridgestone and Continental, are bringing a total of $1.7 billion in investment to the state, along with a projected 2,550 jobs. • The Upstate Alliance has tar-geted the industries of advanced materials, automotive, biosci-ences and energy. • In 1830, the fi rst U.S. steam locomotive built for railroad use was put into service in the state. • More than 1,200 international fi rms have facilities in South Carolina. Foreign-affi liated companies (majority-owned) employ more than 102,600 South Carolinians — 7 percent of the state’s private industry employment. • South Carolina has 46 counties and 187 miles of coastline. 112 JANUARY 2012 SITE SELECTION S.C. Dept. of Commerce fi gures cited by the Charleston Post and Courier. • In June Gov. Haley signed into law an illegal immigration reform bill. Earlier in the month, Haley secured permission from the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security to access E-Verify documents that certify an em-ployer’s verifi cation of all new hires. • In February, after two weeks on the job, Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation Director Catherine Templeton had reduced requested general fund allocations by nearly $600,000; reduced fees for 98,373 licensees in South Carolina for a savings of approximately $1.6 million per renewal cycle; and reduced verifi cation fees payable to the agency for a savings to businesses of $60,630 annually. Selected Corporate Facility Projects 2011 Company City County Continental Tire the Americas AQT Solar Sumter Blythewood Sumter Richland Lexington Lexington Florence Aiken Laurens Spartanburg Chester Type MF MF MF MF DW MF MF MF MF MF DW N/E N N N E E E E N E E N Product Tires Solar Cells Investment (in millions) $500 460 Employment 1,700 1,000 707 270 250 Nephron Lexington Pharmaceuticals Corp. Michelin Johnson Controls Bridgestone Corp. ZF Group Amys Kitchen Guardian Industries Corp. Domtar Corp. Odfjell Holdings Lexington Florence Graniteville Laurens Greenville Richburg Pharmaceuticals 313 Tires Battery Recycling Tires Auto Parts Food Flat Glass Paper Deep Sea Freight 200 150 135 80 63 45 40 37 300 700 50 Bennettsville Marlboro North Charleston Dorchester 1 MF = Manufacturing OF = Offi ce HQ = Headquarters RD = Research & Development CC = Contact Center DW = Distribution/Warehouse N = New E = Expanded Target Industries: In addition to its pronounced strengths in the aerospace, automotive, manufacturing and technology sectors, the state is paying attention to a burgeoning market for recycling, with more than 300 companies located in the state that broker, collect and transform recovered materials into new products.
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