News and Media Center

There’s more to Upstate research and development (R&D) than RPMs. The truth is that a great deal of R&D activity goes on unaccounted for in a variety of industries from medical devices to sporting goods.

This week, the Upstate SC Alliance will be part of a South Carolina delegation to the world’s largest rubber and plastics trade show, K 2016, in Düsseldorf, Germany. Occurring just once every three years, the last event drew 218,000 visitors and 3,200 exhibiters from 59 countries.

More than 55 Japanese companies have carved a presence in the Upstate, representing more than 11 percent of our foreign-affiliated firms. These companies employ 16,300 people, creating products and services from electronic components to logistics.

South Carolina was named the #2 State for Doing Business in Area Development’s Top States for Doing Business 2016 analysis, which is in its 30th year of economic development rankings based upon consultant surveys.

Business in the Upstate has been globally influenced as far back as the 1700s, but now it’s more important than ever that global connection and competitiveness are top of mind.

As aerospace manufacturing moves south and our state works to recruit those companies, the Upstate’s existing bounty of manufacturing facilities and machine shops could become part of a hungry supply chain.

The recent announcement that Senator International in November will launch roundtrip cargo flights twice a week between GSP and Munich, Germany, heralds more opportunities than we can count at first glance.

General Electric, a 124-year-old company that employs 3,300 at its Greenville manufacturing facility, last year launched an ad campaign to position itself not as an industrial giant, but as a tech company.

This summer the Upstate SC Alliance joined a delegation visiting Belgium to explore how cultural connections can be leveraged into business relationships that enhance the Upstate’s global presence.

Megaregions are a major focus of the America 2050 National Infrastructure Program, which acknowledges projected surges in population and explores passenger rail as an alternative to traditional highway infrastructure, according to Georgia Department of Transportation Rail Program Manager Stenley Mack.

In the wake of Brexit and attacks in cities such as Paris and Nice, JP Morgan Chase Managing Director and Head Economist Jim Glassman says there’s a common perception that globalization is nearing its end.

In a panel discussion during the recent Global South Metro Exchange, private industry representatives from businesses large and small emphasized the importance of free trade agreements to commercial successes.

During the recent Global South Metro Exchange, coordinated by the Upstate SC Alliance, Greenville Mayor Knox White and Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg shared a panel discussion about globalization’s effect on communities.

Transportation, Free Trade Agreements and the value of collaboration emerged as core themes during the Global South Metro Exchange on July 21, a first-of-its-kind event coordinated by the Upstate Alliance for leaders from the Upstate, Atlanta, Charlotte, and Charleston areas.

As Congress considers the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), it’s important to transcend talking points and understand the agreement. It’s especially significant for South Carolina companies, who exported $8.7 billion in goods to TPP countries in 2014.

So far this year, the Upstate has seen four new and three expansion announcements among advanced materials companies, with a total capital investment of $158,350,000 and 472 jobs.

The factories are the place where it’s happening … they’re clean, they’re challenging, they’ll provide a wage that is dramatically higher than any other you’ll find. The average wage in South Carolina is $37,000; the average wage in manufacturing is $54,000.

As the United States manufacturing sector grows, the labor shortage and future demand for high-skilled workers are critical issues nationwide that are also on the radar for South Carolina business and government leaders.

When Walgreens opened the doors in 2007 to its $180 million Anderson County distribution facility, the pharmacy retailer ushered in a new model for industrial staffing: recruiting workers with disabilities.

BMW Manufacturing Co. announced today that the export value of its passenger vehicles through the Port of Charleston in 2015 totaled $9.8 Billion.

“With one in five South Carolina jobs relying on trade, the next president will need to be a global leader for American exporters and strengthen our economic engagement around the world.”