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Charleston, SC Businesses
Relocate your business to Charleston, SC
Inc.com: Best Cities
for Doing Business 2007 and 2008
South Carolina's pro-business,
pro-opportunity mindset is the biggest reason the state has become a
magnet for investments, according to Steve Forbes, president and CEO
of Forbes, Inc. "It seems to me that South Carolina is a prime
example of what's really happening in the global economy,"
Forbes said in an October interview with the Charleston Regional
Business Journal, citing the $600 million investment by Dubai-based
Jafza International for logistics center in Orangeburg, SC.
According to
Milken Institute,
Charleston's low cost of living relative to other cities "provides
more opportunities for retirees outside the area, while its diverse
industry base attracts skilled workers. Charleston moved up the list
from #22 in 2006; and from #57 in 2005 to #12 in 2007. Milken
found that Charleston's employment base grew 7.1 percent faster than
the national average.
Charleston has maintained a strong,
stable business environment based on a foundation of industry
incentives, transportation links, diversified economy and a growing,
highly-educated work force. The Milken Institute has recently
released its Best-Performing Cities Index, in which the
Charleston/North Charleston metropolitan area moved up ten places to
12th in economic performance among the nation's 200 largest cities
in 2008. In 2009, Charleston made it to Milken's top 10 list!
Boosting Charleston's business prowess is a thriving seaport that is
ranked among the most active and most efficient in the world, moving
in excess of $55 billion in container cargo each year. The port
serves forty shipping lines and more than 150 countries, and will
expand with another $600 million, 280-acre terminal facility in the
next five years.
Another major strengthening factor is the consistent growth and
educational quality of the Charleston-area population that continues
to attract new business and industry. From 2000 to 2006, Charleston
showed a 40 per cent increase in the number of scientists,
architects, information technologists and engineers relocating to
the area, compared with fewer than five per cent growth in those
categories nationwide. In addition, the area offers numerous
business incentives, such as workforce recruiting and training at
little or no cost, as well as reduction in corporate, property and
sales taxes. Such a business-friendly environment has attracted a
variety of high-tech industry, including aviation technology,
digital media and software production, and pharmaceutical research
and development. Among the recent businesses with plans to make
Charleston home is Jafza International, which will relocate a $600
million manufacturing and distribution megahub that could bring as
many as 10,000 jobs to the area.
A long-standing contributor to Charleston's financial strength has
been a burgeoning tourism industry that pumps more than $5 billion
into the local economy each year. Charleston's famed historic beauty
and sub-tropical climate, combined with easy access via its
international airport and Interstate network, brings more than five
million visitors to the city annually, which in turn has stimulated
real estate development, provided more funding for schools and
technical colleges, and helped build on a solid infrastructure.
A few
Charleston Businesses and Corporations:
| Alcoa |
| Bank of America |
| Bayer |
| Behr |
| BellSouth |
| Boeing |
| Cummins |
| Google |
| Maersk |
| Mikasa |
| Motley Rice |
| MUSC |
| OOCL |
| Robert Bosch |
| South Carolina Port
Authority |
| Westvaco |
Just inland, sea island and mainland sites present dramatic vistas
of tidal estuaries, as well lanes of moss-covered oaks and billowing
marshes. Johns Island, James Island, Daniel Island and Mount
Pleasant are within minutes of downtown Charleston, and feature
highly sought-after sites along shrimp-filled creeks and under giant
canopies of centuries-old shade trees. Numerous sites include dock
permits or are affiliated with community waterfront facilities, and
with the many months of Charleston’s pleasurable climate, there’s no
better way to enjoy a sunset than fishing, boating or entertaining
along the water.
Farther north from Awendaw to McClellanville, and south from
Rantowles Creek to Edisto Island, pristine land beckons from parcels
carved out of former plantation acreage. Here, the relaxing sense of
countryside privacy and natural beauty is enhanced by short drives
to beaches, gold courses and excellent restaurants. Here, there’s
room to roam in verdant meadows filled with wildflowers and
songbirds, and take a canoe or kayak excursion past sculpted cypress
trees and historic rice fields.
Links to
Charleston anecdotes...
Downtown Charleston,
Mount Pleasant and
Summerville.
Questions about
Relocating your business to Charleston?
