New Carolina Launches TDL Council
December 17, 2011
COLUMBIA, SC – December 16, 2011 – With formal endorsement andparticipation from the SC Department of Transportation (SCDOT), SCDepartment of Commerce (SCDOC) and the SC Ports Authority (SCPA), NewCarolina recently launched the Transportation, Distribution andLogistics (TDL) Council.
The TDL Council is a collaborative effort between public and privatesector leaders to boost South Carolina’s economy, create jobs andattract investment that will position the state as a global leader inthe TDL industry. One of the objectives of the Council is to guidesystematic investments in the state’s infrastructure, such as the Portof Charleston, through a cohesive, integrated plan that better servesthe needs of the business community in South Carolina.
“In the past year, South Carolina has seen capital investment of over $194million and more than 3,000 jobs created from distribution and logistics companies. The state’s infrastructure, location on the East Coast, andworkforce talent make it an attractive location for TDL industry firms,” said Bobby Hitt, Secretary of Commerce. “The goal is to make SouthCarolina more competitive and the TDL Council will only enhance ourstate’s ability to attract new firms and build our economy.”
The TDL industry is a driving force in today’s economy and encompassesmany of the state’s most important economic assets. In order to progress and propel the Palmetto State forward, industry stakeholders need toalign their goals and work together to accomplish them.
“Our ports are committed to growing well above the market, and the timeto grow is now,” said Jim Newsome, President and CEO of the SouthCarolina Ports Authority. “The TDL Council looks to networktransportation, distribution and logistics leaders from across thestate, which will ultimately help our ports and the state’s economyflourish.”
The TDL Council will continue to aid in this process and work to provide a single voice for the TDL industry in South Carolina.
On November 22, 2011, the first official meeting of the TDL Council,members discussed the future of the TDL industry in South Carolina andoutlined some of the most immediate needs. Specifically, the groupfocused on the development of a statewide strategic plan that, whencompleted, will provide a clear roadmap for moving freight from the Port of Charleston throughout the state. The plan, led by SCDOT, will alsoprioritize future transportation infrastructure requirements. Inaddition, the plan will serve as an economic development tool to spurjob creation, business expansion and education.
“SCDOT has begun the development of its 20-year Statewide MultimodalTransportation Plan which will analyze not just infrastructurerequirements but also rail, freight, and transit components. This planwill be developed in full consultation with our government partners,especially the Department of Commerce and the State Ports Authority, aswell as the private sector partners represented in the TDL Council,”said Robert St. Onge, Secretary of Transportation. “The feedbackreceived from our partners, both public and private, will be essentialin making this a functional and useable broad-based blue-print for thestate’s collective transportation activities and future investments,” he added.
More details about the plan will be discussed at the 2012 TDL Summit in Columbia on March 13.
The governing body of the TDL Council will consist of no more than 30seats, with 1 seat reserved for each of the public partners—SCDOT, SCDOC and the SCPA. To ensure the entire state is represented, seats havebeen established accounting for geographic and industry diversity.Additional industry stakeholders are invited to participate via anAssociate Member level.
“Transportation, distribution and logistics are the infrastructure of industry in ourstate,” said Deepal Eliatamby, Chair of the TDL Council and President of Alliance Consulting Engineers. “By coupling the efforts of privatesector leaders and public agencies, I am confident that we can identifyand prioritize challenges that, when solved, will give South Carolina acompetitive advantage.”
In addition to the public representation, current TDL Council membersinclude Alliance Consulting Engineers, ATS Logistics, ColumbiaMetropolitan Airport, CSX, Duke Energy South Carolina,Greenville-Spartanburg Airport, Johnson Development Associates,MeadWestvaco Corporation, Myrtle Beach Airport, Norfolk SouthernCorporation, Nucor, Performance Team, QVC Florence, SC Power Team,Southeastern Freight Lines, Superior Transportation, Universal TradeSolutions and UTi.
About New Carolina
New Carolina—South Carolina’s Council on Competitiveness is apublic-private partnership working to increase South Carolina’s economic competitiveness through a cluster development strategy. Its focus isto:
1) Strengthen core industries through clusters
2) Foster innovation in business and education through initiatives
3) Connect the dots across efforts
Building and supporting clusters was the top recommendation of HarvardProfessor Michael Porter, who presented his analysis of South Carolinawhen he came to South Carolina in 2003. New Carolina is the go-toorganization for cluster development, bringing leaders of companieswithin the same industry together to facilitate, define and implementindustry-wide strategies.
