The logistics industry cluster is one of the largest in South Carolina according to a study released by the South Carolina Council on Competitiveness (Council). Authored by Dr. Joseph Von Nessen, the study finds that there are more than 600 logistics companies operating in the state, from transportation, to air freight providers, to warehouse […]
The SC Department of Commerce recently released the second edition of the South Carolina Innovation Plan which includes recommendations for how the state can better support the advanced manufacturing, life sciences, and technology industries. The SC Council on Competitiveness was one of 17 organizations asked to serve on an Innovation Steering Committee that had the […]
EngenuitySC recently released its third-annual Midlands Regional Competitiveness Report, ranking the Columbia metropolitan statistical area (MSA) in relation to nine other Southeastern metropolitan regions. The report ranks MSAs in five economically competitive indicators: talent, entrepreneurial/business environment, innovation, industry clusters and livability. The Midlands Business Leadership Group has announced that it will form working groups of the […]
President & CEO Ann Marie Stieritz was recently interviewed by Midlands Anchor in reference to the announcement of a $1.7 million expansion from TCube Solutions in Columbia. The Midlands’ Insurance Technology cluster (iTs|SC) is an industry cluster supported by the Council, and Stieritz points to the TCube as an example of robust industry cluster activity leading to […]
On Thursday, December 8th, President & CEO Ann Marie Stieritz presented on South Carolina’s Long-Term Economic Competitiveness at the USC Darla Moore School of Business Economic Outlook Conference. Ann Marie discussed South Carolina’s economic development successes and how that success can be leveraged for the creation of broad-based prosperity in South Carolina. The event’s keynote […]
Steve Prout of Solar Atmospheres, Todd Sharpley of GKN, and Paul V. Kumler of KTM Solutions have joined the Advisory Board for SC Aerospace. The Board is comprised of industry leaders representing aerospace-related firms of all sizes from across South Carolina. “I welcome my fellow business leaders from across the state to become an active […]
Suzanne Dickerson has been named the director of logistics industry initiatives for the South Carolina Council on Competitiveness. Dickerson transitions to the Council after eight years as director of international business development at Clemson University’s International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR). Dickerson previously worked in the fields of corporate sustainability, innovation management and long-term strategic […]
A Clemson University researcher will use a $2 million award to work with peers on lowering the cost of high-tech materials that right now make airplanes and luxury cars, two of South Carolina’s most active industry clusters, both more fuel efficient and expensive. Amod Ogale will collaborate with peers at Drexel and Virginia Tech universities […]
SC’s recycling industry cluster merges with North Carolina, businesses to discuss career readiness at TransformSC Conference, SC Angel Network reports record investments in 2015, a bill to codify the Profile of the Graduate has been introduced, and more in this month’s newsletter.
Connect / Collaborate / Innovate was the theme for the 5th Annual SC Automotive Summit. In addition to the Summit, events were held across the state Feb. 21-27 for SC Auto Week 2016 . Here are some highlights: Connect Approximately 40 industry professionals received a first-hand tour of the expansion that is currently underway at […]
South Carolina’s recycling industry cluster, formerly known as RecyclonomicsSC, is forming a new, two-state council with Carolinas Recycling Association. The new group will be called the CRA Business and Industry Recycling Council. The formation of the new Council will be celebrated at the CRA Annual Conference March 21-24, 2016 in Wilmington, North Carolina. The group will […]
The Council was represented at the US-EU Cluster Convening in DC, SC Aerospace delegation attended the Aviation High School Symposium, iTs|SC graduates second class of Leadership Insurance, TransformSC event recaps and Spring Conference Keynote announcement, and more in this month’s newsletter.
Council President & CEO Ann Marie Stieritz represented South Carolina at the United States-European Union workshop on industry clusters organized by the U.S. Department of Commerce in November. The workshop brought together cluster policy-makers, experts and policy-oriented researchers from the U.S. and the E.U. to exchange best practices on industry cluster mapping, cluster data portals […]
SC Aerospace convened aerospace-related companies on October 14th at the SC Army Aviation Support Center located at the South Carolina Technology and Aviation Center (SCTAC) in Greenville. SC Aerospace Chairman and Ranger Aerospace CEO, Steve Townes, opened the event and introduced Bill Beard of GKN Aerospace (Orangeburg, SC) for the company spotlight presentation. GKN’s existing […]
On October 21, iTs|SC’s second class of Leadership Insurance participants presented their capstone project to a room full of Leadership Insurance alumni, instructors and partners, and iTs|SC Board Members at the BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Tower Auditorium. The class project, DASH (Downtown Area Self-Guided Hike) was a continuation of a project first conceptualized by the […]
Unveils new logo Aerospace industry leaders have joined an Advisory Board to advance and market South Carolina’s aerospace cluster on the global stage. Chairman of the Advisory Board and President of Ranger Aerospace, Steve Townes, announced the new Board members and unveiled the cluster’s logo at the SC Aerospace Conference and Expo on August 27th in […]
President & CEO of the SC Council on Competitiveness, Ann Marie Stieritz, participated in The Real Economy Forum – a two-hour event hosted by WLTX, Wells Fargo and USA Today focusing on the economic conditions of South Carolina. Senator Tim Scott delivered opening remarks followed by a panel discussion on the findings of the […]
Columbia, SC (August 27, 2015) – South Carolina is outpacing North Carolina, Georgia and Alabama in private sector aerospace employment and revenue growth, according to Dr. Joseph Von Nessen, a research economist with the University of South Carolina’s Darla Moore School of Business. In partnership with the South Carolina Council on Competitiveness and the Harvard […]
The South Carolina Aviation Association (SCAA) and the South Carolina Aeronautics Commission announce that Scott Thompson, U.S. Aerospace and Defense Assurance Leader at PricewaterhouseCoopers, will be the keynote speaker for the fourth annual South Carolina Aerospace Dinner. The dinner will be held in the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center Ballroom at 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 26, […]
Officials from the Federal Aviation Administration and the NextGen Air Transportation Program based at North Carolina State University will address the topic of unmanned aerial systems at the second annual South Carolina Aerospace Conference and Expo, which will be held on Aug. 26-27, 2015. Kyle Snyder, Director of the NextGen Air Transportation Program at NC […]
The second annual South Carolina Aerospace Conference and Expo announces that Don Myers of Toray Composites Inc. and David Reese of IBM have been added to the speaker lineup for the conference, which will be held on Aug. 26-27, 2015 in Columbia, S.C. Don Myers, a native South Carolinian, is the Senior Manager of Aerospace […]
TransformSC unveils process to join, Life sciences cluster receives national nod, Aerospace cluster conference headlines, Ann Marie Stieritz presents SC cluster activities at national event
The second annual South Carolina Aerospace Conference and Expo announces that National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) member Robert Sumwalt will be one of the keynote speakers for the conference, which will be held on Aug. 26-27, 2015. Sumwalt, a native South Carolinian and inductee in the South Carolina Aviation Hall of Fame, will speak at […]
Lots of Good News: The summertime temperature is not the only thing hot in South Carolina. The aerospace industry here continues its steady growth. In the month of June, key legislation was passed, a Boeing supplier announced South Carolina as its new home and the State Department of Commerce promoted South Carolina at the Paris […]
The second annual South Carolina Aerospace Conference and Expo, which will be held on Aug. 26-27, 2015 at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center, announces that The Boeing Company will be the title sponsor for the event, and Gov. Nikki R. Haley will deliver opening remarks. “We are very excited to have Gov. Haley and Boeing […]
Lotta Keller is a rising senior at the South Carolina Governor’s School for Science and Math, where she participates in extracurricular activities ranging from athletics to Student Council. Lotta was born in Bogotá, Colombia, and raised in Germany and the United States. She has traveled extensively, which has created her passion for political science. “I […]
The Transportation Distribution Logistics Council (TDL Council) hosted a tour of the Intermodal Facility at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport on June 24. The group boarded a charter bus in Baxter Town Center in Fort Mill and,while en route to Charlotte, heard from Jason Flora with York County Economic Development. Flora provided an overview of […]
Talented workforce attracts new company On June 23, iTs|SC, the insurance technology and services cluster of the Midlands, hosted a panel discussion with: Nimish Sankalia – Senior Vice President – Insurance Services, Majesco Denise Garth, Senior Vice President for Strategic Marketing, Industry Relations and Innovation, Majesco. Chad Hardaway – Associate Director, USC/Columbia Technology Incubator […]
Supporters anticipate more capital investment and jobs COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley has signed a bill into law removing the state’s seven percent sales tax from owner operator aircraft parts referred to as “FAA Part 91.” The change is expected to make South Carolina’s aviation maintenance and repair operations (MROs) more competitive […]
Ann Marie Stieritz, president & CEO of the SC Council on Competitiveness, participated in a panel discussion entitled Better Together: Strength in Coopetition at the International Economic Development Council’s Economic Future Forum on June 7 in Madison, Wisconsin. Other panelists included Connie Loden, senior project manager for New North, Inc., and Jeff Marcell, senior partner […]
Townes named chairman of SCAerospace, life sciences industry cluster announces innovation campus, SC ranks 11th in 4K access and 40th in funding, TransformSC School featured on Palmetto Scene, other news and events
Sam Konduros, the executive director of Greenville Health System’s (GHS) new Research and Development Corp. announced plans for an innovation campus modeled after the Texas Medical Center. Innovations in Medical Economic Development (IMED) is a “public-private initiative created to support and accelerate the development of a growing life sciences and healthcare industry cluster in South Carolina.” […]
Aerospace firms from across the state gathered on April 29 at the new offices of the South Carolina Research Authority in Summerville. Attendees enjoyed lunch and networking time before being welcomed by Steve Townes of Ranger Aerospace, who was recently announced as the Chairman of SC Aerospace. Townes spoke about the purpose of the newly organized […]
The South Carolina Council on Competitiveness convened over 20 representatives of the SC Aerospace support chain on April 23 to tour the USC Ronald E. McNAIR Center for Aerospace Innovation & Research. The McNAIR Center is one of the newest and exciting assets in South Carolina’s growing aerospace ecosystem. McNAIR was launched with the generous […]
Columbia, SC (April 13, 2015) – Steve Townes has been named chairman of SCAerospace, a private-sector leadership group organized by the South Carolina Council on Competitiveness and the South Carolina Department of Commerce. He will serve a two-year term as chairman. “Businesses serving a common industry naturally cluster in a geographic location, and that’s exactly […]
TransformSC conference draws 700, TDL Summit explores dimensions of the cluster, SCBIO receives Office of Innovation grant, 2 more angel investor networks are launched
An update written from the SC Aerospace team to the SC Aerospace cluster Our team at the SC Council on Competitiveness and the SC Department of Commerce gets more excited each day about how fast the aerospace industry is growing in South Carolina. Wayne and I have visited 30 existing aerospace firms in our state […]
Funds used to provide life science start-ups with resources South Carolina’s life sciences industry cluster (SCBIO), received a $100,000 grant from the Office of Innovation to fund its QuickStart program, helping early stage life science companies navigate their first steps quickly so they can be funding ready with credible support. “We want to identify prime companies […]
Public officials and industry leaders explore dimensions of the cluster Over 200 people attend the 5th Annual Transportation Distribution & Logistics (TDL) Summit March 17th at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center. The day-long agenda highlighted the different dimensions of the cluster and touched on infrastructure funding. Three panels explored the needs of the state’s tire […]
iTs|SC, Columbia’s Insurance Technology and Services cluster graduated eight participants from its first annual Leadership Insurance program. The program was designed for up-and-comers of the local insurance tech and services industry, attracting some of the local industry’s highest potential employees. Participants ranged in age and experience, and came from five different companies from around the […]
Aerospace is an emerging industry cluster in South Carolina. The SC Council on Competitiveness entered a partnership agreement in 2014 with the SC Department of Commerce to develop and strengthen the cluster. I recently sat down with our Director of Aerospace Initiatives, Deborah Cameron, to discuss her work so far. She recapped an eventful year and […]
