Upstate SC Alliance holding annual meeting Wednesday
March 25, 2013
UPSTATE, SC – March 25, 2013 – Upstate SC Alliance, the marketing engine behind the region’s collective economic development efforts, today released the year-end results for 2012, including more than $2.28 billion in planned capital investments and the addition of 4,117 new jobs spread across 66 companies in the Upstate. More of the major results for the year will be given out at the group’s annual meeting this Wednesday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the BMW Zentrum.
In recognition of March being International Month in the Upstate, the keynote address will be delivered by Dr. Harris Pastides, president of the University of South Carolina. He will talk about the role the university plays in helping South Carolina compete globally. There will also be an update on the inland port being built in Greer given by Jack Ellenburg, senior vice president, economic development and projects for the South Carolina Ports Authority.
Three years ago we set a goal for the region to gain $5 billion in new investment and 16,000 new jobs. We’re now three years into it and we’re practically there, said Upstate SC Alliance president and CEO Hal Johnson. The Alliance’s 2013 Annual Report shows that since 2010 the region has gained $4.95 billion of new capital investment and 15,847 jobs.
In 2011, the Upstate SC Alliance set all-time-highs in the number of Upstate overview presentations to potential economic development decision-makers, hosted more company and site consultants in the region than any other year and attended more tradeshows/conferences in the history of the Alliance. We added great talent to the organization last year and it is really starting to pay off, said Jim Evers, Upstate Alliance chairman.
Over the past three years the organization implemented a target marketing strategy that focuses on recruiting businesses in five key sectors where the Upstate has a strong ability to compete for projects. Those areas are Aerospace, Automotive, Advanced Materials, Biosciences and Energy.
Said Johnson, This region is becoming a strong and globally competitive center for business. While the rest of the country has been talking about a ‘manufacturing renaissance,’ the Upstate has been building it.
About the Upstate SC Alliance
The Upstate SC Alliance is a public/private regional economic development organization designed to market and brand the Upstate of South Carolina. The Upstate represent the commerce-rich northwestern corner of South Carolina, including the I-85 corridor and the Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson metropolitan area. Additional information is available through the Alliance’s web site, www.upstateSCalliance.com.
