EngenuitySC

Mike Randle’s article in Southern Business & Development magazine is titled, “Watch Out World: The Palmetto is Back.” He praises South Carolina as an economic development powerhouse and closes with the words, “South Carolina is back and it is feared again.”

The state has earned its high marks by leading the region in expansion of manufacturing jobs. And it has done it with high-profile catches. Look at the companies that are presently establishing or expanding their presence in the state. Industrial giants such as Boeing, Bridgestone Americas, Continental Tire, BMW and Michelin are in the process of collectively investing more than $4 billion in South Carolina in projects expected to mean more than 7,000 new jobs.

Ralph U. Thomas, president of the South Carolina Power Team, the development organization of the state’s electric cooperatives and Santee Cooper, is bold in assessing the landscape: “In the ultra-competitive world of industrial recruitment, our state is positioned to aggressively pursue any opportunities we wish.”

Thankfully, the S.C. Department of Commerce under the leadership of Secretary Bobby Hitt is aware that there are only so many big catches to be had. And not every county, at least in the short term, will be so fortunate as to grab the game-changing enterprise. That’s why Hitt stresses the importance of small business development to the state’s continuing economic progress.

The further good news in development is that small businesses like South Carolina, too...

Continue reading at The Times and Democrat.