What is the 30 second pitch for South Carolina?
March 12, 2016
By Alan Cooper
Publisher MidlandsBiz, UpstateBizSC, LowcountryBizSC
The following is based on the themes that I developed in a radio interview on the South Carolina Business Review with Mike Switzer on February 29, 2016.
We have lived in South Carolina for 15 years. Over that time, we have taken visitors to many areas of the state – Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head, Greenville, Columbia, and Charleston (Folly, Edisto, Hunting, Isle of Palms, Sullivan’s).
On a recent trip to Charleston, my sister-in-law asked a question, “So, what are the main businesses in Charleston?” Simple enough. “Er…well Boeing chose Charleston for the final assembly of its new 787 Dreamliner…Charleston is beautiful so it’s a hugely popular tourist destination…and also a wedding hot spot…oh, and it’s a port town, too…and it has a lot of great restaurants, in fact, it’s a culinary destination.”
I felt as though I had failed. Bogged down in the details, I did not paint any kind of a picture of the region.
It got me to thinking. I need to practice my 30 second pitch for Charleston, Greenville/Spartanburg, and Columbia, and for South Carolina! A 30 second pitch – for a company looking for venture capital, for a person seeking a job etc. – is designed to generate interest in a short period of time.
Here are some of the ground rules:
- Tell a story, avoid a list of random facts. (You want to peak someone’s curiosity, not kill them them with details).
- Avoid business jargon
- Make it conversational, therefore feel free to ask questions. Don’t lecture them.
- Stay focused on what is most unique about South Carolina? What differentiates us from our neighboring states and from the rest of the world?
Let’s start with South Carolina.
_____________________________________________
Visitor:
What does South Carolina do well?
Me:
We make things.
[Hopefully that prompts another question].
Visitor:
Tell me more.
Me:
South Carolina has always been good at making things, and today, in 2015, we are a leader in the manufacturing renaissance that is taking place in this country.
South Carolina has been on an amazing journey over the past 30 years. We have moved from an economy dominated by the three “T’s” – Tourism, Tobacco, and Textiles – to one that is strong in the three A’s – Automobiles, Aerospace, Agriculture and of course still, Tourism. Did you know that South Carolina is ranked as the 3rd strongest state in the country for automobile manufacturing? We are also ranked #1 in the United States in tire manufacturing. We have a beautiful state with 187 miles of coastline, mountains, and an incredible national park right in state capital, Columbia. And of course, we have a possible future World Heritage site in the state.
Visitor:
Oh what’s that?
Me:
Not just the beautiful city of Charleston, but the whole Lowcountry as its called, is applying to see if it can become a World Heritage site.
Visitor:
What companies are located here?
Me:
Have you heard of BMW? Boeing? Michelin? They are in the Top 5 of the largest private employers in the state. Robert Bosch, a major automotive supplier is also a Top 5 employer. Did you know that there are 250 automotive related companies in South Carolina? On a per capita basis, South Carolina leads the country in foreign direct investment.
The largest single employer in South Carolina is BlueCross BlueShield.
Visitor:
Wow, I thought South Carolina was a poor rural state. Why locate in South Carolina?
Me:
We are a predominantly rural state and that does pose some challenges. Companies are locating here because 1) of our pro-business environment, 2) we are a small state with excellent communication and coordination between the regions, 3) we have an amazing technical education system including an apprenticeship program that is a national leader, 4) the Port of Charleston is the 6th largest in the country, 5) the Southeast is booming! Many of the companies that are locating here are choosing to locate in the rural areas, 6) our top ranked universities. Can you name some of the top universities in South Carolina?
Visitor:
Isn’t Clemson in South Carolina? I saw them in the National Championship game.
Me:
Wasn’t that awesome! Clemson in the Upstate, the University of South Carolina in Columbia, and the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston are amongst the top research universities in the country.
————————————————————————-
Visitor:
What does Charleston do well?
Me:
If you grew up in Charleston during the 1970’s and 1980’ and came back here today, you would be shocked to see the transformation. You know what Charleston does well?
Visitor:
Weddings?
Me:
Yes, definitely. But you know what else…Charleston makes things.
Visitor:
Tell me more.
Me:
The traditional manufacturing breadbasket of the state is Greenville and Spartanburg, or what we call the “Upstate.” Today, Charleston now rivals that area in terms of manufacturing. It’s incredible.
With the arrival of Boeing in the Charleston area, aviation and aerospace are now huge parts of the local economy. With Boeing’s presence, a whole series of aviation supply chain companies are located in the region and around the state. Because of Boeing’s success, Charleston has now attracted automotive manufacturing. Both Mercedes and Volvo are currently building manufacturing facilities in Charleston. Success breeds success.
When we say “make things” we can also extend that to software. Did you know that one of the largest employers in the region is a software company? You know they call San Francisco “Silicon Valley”. Guess what they are calling the Charleston region? Silicon Harbor.
Charleston is also home to the College of Charleston and the Medical University of South Carolina, which is both a hospital and an educational facility that trains doctors.
Do you know what Charleston also “makes”?
Visitor:
I don’t know, what else is there?
Me:
Food. Charleston is a world-renowned culinary destination. People come here for the high concentration of unbelievably good restaurants and a nationally recognized commitment to locally grown produce.
Visitor:
What companies are located here?
Me:
Of course Boeing. Also Robert Bosch, the huge German automotive supplier. The software company that I mentioned, Blackbaud, is a Top 5 employer.
———————————————————————-
Visitor:
What do Greenville and Spartanburg do well?
Me:
They, too, make things. Namely textiles and automobiles.
Visitor:
Tell me more. I thought textiles were gone.
Me:
Greenville and Spartanburg were the heart of textile manufacturing in this state with the number of mills in the Upstate peaking at the end of the 1970’s. With the signing of NAFTA in 1994, the number of mills dropped off significantly. Textiles are still a large part of manufacturing in the Upstate, it’s just less labor intensive. Now they make specialty products for use in a variety of industries.
Have you ever heard of Spartanburg? In 1992, BMW located in the Upstate, in Spartanburg County. More than anything, this has been the most transformative business event over the past three decades for our state. There are now 12 major suppliers to BMW located in the Upstate. The Upstate is also home to Michelin.
The Upstate is home to Clemson University.
Visitor:
What companies are located here?
Me:
Top 5 employers are obviously BMW and Michelin. The Upstate is also home to Fluor, a global engineering construction firm which is a Top 5 local employer.
———————————————————-
Visitor:
What does Columbia do well?
Me:
They make things. Software. Metal products. Agriculture and timber.
Visitor:
Tell me more. I thought Columbia was a state capital.
Me:
Definitely, Columbia is the home of the state government as well as Fort Jackson, which trains over 50% of all Army Basic Combat Training Soldiers in the country. The largest employer in the state is located in Columbia, BlueCross BlueShield. Because of their presence, the region has developed a high level of expertise in software development for the insurance industry as well as consulting services to insurance companies.
Columbia is home to the only national park in the state, Congaree National Park. It is also home to the flagship public university, the University of South Carolina, which is right in beautiful downtown Columbia.
Visitor:
What companies are located here?
Me:
Top 5 employers are BlueCross, BlueShield as well as Michelin.
—————————————————————————-
I offer these short 30 second pitches to hopefully encourage you to think about how you might choose to pitch the state. I concede that there may be some major omissions in this discussion. The bias here is towards the private sector so there is no mention of government. Health care industry and hospitals are also clearly amongst the largest employers in our regions. But, every state has large hospitals.
What differentiates South Carolina is… We make things!
What’s your 30 second pitch for South Carolina or any of our regions? Send it to me at [email protected] and it might just get published!
Who are the Top 5 private employers in each of South Carolina’s areas? *
| South Carolina | Columbia | Greenville | Charleston | |
| 1 | BlueCross Blue Shield –11,000 | BlueCross Blue Shield –11,000 | BMW – 8,000 | Boeing – 8,087 |
| 2 | Michelin of North America – 8,520 | Palmetto GBA- 1,800 | ZF Transmissions – 2,500 | Robert Bosch – 2,000 |
| 3 | Boeing – 8,087 | First Citizens Bank- 1,785 | Fluor – 2,200 | Blackbaud – 1,500 |
| 4 | BMW – 8,000 | Verizon Wireless – 1,500 | Michelin Corporate – 2,075 | Science Applications International – 1,300 |
| 5 | Robert Bosch – 4,000 | Michelin – 1,430 | Michelin Manufacturing – 1,935 | Gildan USA – 750 |
* table provided by the South Carolina Department of Commerce
Special thanks to Secretary Bobby Hitt for his help with this research.
