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Upstate South Carolina Business Guide

Table of Contents

I. Introduction................................................................................ 1 II. 2018 Upstate Announcements (New & Existing) ......................... 2 III. Largest Manufacturing Employeers ............................................. 5 IV. Upstate Jobs by Industry ............................................................. 6 V. Manufacturing Workforce Comparison with other Regions ........ 7

VI. Upstate Manufacturing Workforce Profile .................................. 9

VII. SC Business Incentives .............................................................. 11 VIII. Rankings and Recognitions ....................................................... 12

IX. Project Support and Customized Reports .................................. 15

124 Verdae Boulevard ∙ Suite 202 ∙ Greenville, SC 29607 ∙ 864.283.2300 ∙ upstateSCalliance.com

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I. Introduction

Upstate South Carolina is a 10 county region, comprised of two metropolitan statistical areas (Greenville-Anderson, SC and Spartanburg, SC) and four micropolitan statistical areas (Gaffney, Greenwood, Seneca, and Union). The Upstate offers an innovative business climate, a can-do attitude from government and public organizations, and a strong workforce to serve business and industry needs. And, the Upstate has a variety of workforce initiatives and training programs in place to support the growth of companies located here. This report includes information on businesses that are locating and growing in the Upstate, available tax incentives, as well as data on the Upstate’s workforce, focusing on the largest portion of the workforce serving advanced manufacturing. We have the resources to provide more specific and specialized labor reports by industry, by job classifications, or in a more specific geography: and, reports that compare regions. Please let us know if we can provide customized reports for your needs.

Upstate Population (2018) 1,473,466 Population Growth (2013-2018) 5.8% Jobs (2018) 692,171 Unemployed (2018) 20,378 Student Completions (2017) 20,271 Unionization Rate - South Carolina (2018) 1.6%

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II. 2018 Upstate Economic Development Announcements of New and Expanding Companies

Total Announcements

(New & Expanding): 65

Capital investment

$1,292,599,001

Jobs

4,259

New Company Announcements County New Company Capital Investment Jobs Target Industry International

Greenville Zylo Therapeutics 30 Biosciences No

Spartanburg Grupo Antolin 50,000,000 152 Automotive Spain

Oconee Keowee Brewing Company

600,000 10 Other - Food Manufacturing No

Oconee Jocassee Valley Brewing

250,000 15 Other - Food Manufacturing No

Laurens Birdseye Energy 35,000,000 0 Energy No Abbeville ACS Manufacturing 6,000,000 150 Energy No

Greenville EAS Change Systems 20 Advanced Materials Netherlands

Oconee Lakeside Lodge 45,000,000 30 Other- Business Services No

Greer Tribe513 70 Biosciences No Union Kemper Corporation 1,900,000 28 Advanced Materials No

Spartanburg Keurig Green Mountain 350,000,000 500 Other - Food Manufacturing No

Anderson Southern Current 30,000,000 Energy No

Greenwood Down Home Manufacturing

2,400,000 50 Other - Consumer Products No

Greenville Alorica, Inc (Samsung) 400 Other - Business Services South Korea

Greenville Master Gage & Tool Other - Industrial No

Union Midway Green Solar LLC

12,000,000 Energy No

Cherokee Green Tech Solution Inc.

75,000,000 200 Advanced Materials China

Spartanburg SeeDaten Inc. Other - Business Services No

Greenwood Caterpillar Inc. 13,500,000 85 Automotive No

Anderson Element Materials Technology

3,400,000 31 Advanced Materials United Kingdom

Spartanburg Huvis Indorama Advanced Materials

48,000,000 50 Advanced Materials India/South Korea

Greenwood Castelli Magnet 1,100,000 57 Other- Consumer Products No

Spartanburg KV Final 2,500,000 50 Automotive Czech Republic

Laurens BDS Technologies, LLC 17,265,000 44 Other- Industrial No

Spartanburg Project Hook 15,082,000 42 Biosciences Germany Spartanburg Project Tiger 2,090,422 43 Automotive Canada

Spartanburg Project Horse 29,000,000 78 Automotive China

Spartanburg Plastic Omnium 119,600,000 327 Automotive France

Spartanburg VIS/Pinestone Warehouses

16,800,000 153 Other - Logistics No

Greenville Zylo Therapeutics 30 Biosciences No New Companies 29 $876,487,422 2,615 11

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Existing Company Announcements

County Existing Company Capital

Investment Jobs Target Industry International

Cherokee KapStone Paper and Packaging Corp.

6,000,000 Advanced Materials No

Greenwood Van Dyke's Restorers Inc. 31 Other - Building Materials No Greenwood Enviva Pellets Greenwood, LLC 20,000,000 Energy No

Pickens United Tool and Mold Inc. 11,100,000 17 Advanced Materials No

Greenville Grace Hill Inc. 53 Other - Technology No

Spartanburg Magna International 8,026,579 130 Automotive Canada

Anderson Oppermann Webbing 10,000,000 71 Advanced Materials Germany

Oconee RBC Aerostructures 3,800,000 22 Aerospace No

Greenwood Lonza (formerly Capsugel) 46,000,000 30 Biosciences Switzerland Oconee JTEKT North America 19,400,000 56 Automotive Japan

Greenville Koops, Inc. 2,200,000 20 Other - Industrial No

Greenville International Vitamin Corporation (IVC)

Biosciences No

Greenwood Monti Inc. 2,700,000 19 Other - Industrial No

Union Timken Tyger River Plant 2,500,000 Other - Industrial No Spartanburg Synthomer 16,000,000 10 Advanced Materials United

Kingdom

Greenville ACL Airshop 7,200,000 32 Aerospace No

Greenwood FUJIFILM Manufacturing USA Inc. 3,900,000 67 Advanced Materials Japan Greenville Materials Sciences Corporation

(MSC) 2,700,000 23 Advanced Materials No

Laurens Flame Spray North America 4,000,000 20 Aerospace, Advanced Materials

Italy

Greenville redi-Group 140 Automotive Germany

Greenville JTEKT North America 5,800,000 100 Automotive Japan

Greenville Green Cloud Technologies 7,800,000 50 Other - Technology No Laurens Brawo USA 3,000,000 10 Advanced Materials Italy

Anderson Bosch 45,000,000 20 Automotive, Advanced Materials

Germany

Union Milliken & Company 2,500,000 Advanced Materials No

Spartanburg Draxlmaier Group 42,700,000 460 Automotive Germany

Greenwood Ascend Performance Materials (Ascend)

35,200,000 30 Advanced Materials No

Greenville Ahold Delhaize 10,000,000 Other- Business Services Netherlands

Union GES Recycling 6,300,000 28 Advanced Materials Spain

Spartanburg AL Solutions 3,000,000 28 Automotive Israel Spartanburg AFL 50,000,000 0 Energy Japan

Spartanburg Cooper Standard 17,500,000 107 Automotive No

Spartanburg Green River Cabins 285,000 0 Other - Building Materials No

Spartanburg Scenic Tool 5,000,000 10 Automotive No

Spartanburg Kohler 10,000,000 0 Advanced Materials No

Pickens TaylorMade 6,500,000 60 Advanced Materials Germany

Expanding Companies

54 $1,594,829,800 4,115 21

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III. Largest Manufacturing Employers by Combined Upstate SC Regional Employment

Company Name County Employee

Range Line of Business

BMW Manufacturing Corp. Spartanburg,

Greenville 5000+ Automobile manufacturer

Michelin North America Anderson,

Greenville, Laurens, Spartanburg

5000+ Designs, manufactures, and sells tires

for every type of vehicle

Milliken & Company

Spartanburg, Greenville,

Anderson, Union, Laurens, Cherokee,

Pickens

2501 to 5000 Textiles, floor covering, performance materials,

and specialty chemicals

GE Power Greenville 2501 to 5000 Gas turbine manufacturing

Magna International Greenville 1001 to 2500 Manufactures automotive body panels, car

seating, and front and rear exterior components; assembles body systems

ZF Transmissions Gray Court

Laurens, Spartanburg

1001 to 2500 Manufactures an 8-speed automatic

transmission, as well as the world’s first 9-speed automatic transmission

Electrolux Anderson 1001 to 2500 Top-freezer refrigerators and

under-the-counter refrigerators

Robert Bosch, LLC Anderson 1001 to 2500 Manufactures oxygen sensors, integrated

air fuel modules, transmission control modules and other parts

Nestle Prepared Foods Division

Cherokee 1001 to 2500 Frozen specialties

Sealed Air Corporation Greenville, Oconee,

Spartanburg 1001 to 2500

Plastic products, food packaging products and solutions

DAA Draexlmaier Automotive of America

Spartanburg 1001 to 2500 Interior parts, E-box, handbrake/gear cover

and main harnesses (Tier 1)

Techtronic Industries Power Equipment (TTI)

Anderson, Pickens 1001 to 2500 Power equipment tools

Eaton Corporation Greenwood, Spartanburg

1001 to 2500 Medium voltage assembly, power distribution, specialty transformer

AFL Spartanburg 1001 to 2500 Electronic components and systems,

wiring and cables

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IV. Upstate Jobs by Industry

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V. Upstate Manufacturing Workforce Comparison with other Regions

Region 2013 Jobs 2018 Jobs Change % Change

2018

Average

Earnings

2018

Payrolled

Business

Locations

● Upstate, SC 98,434 113,006 14,572 15% $71,435 1,960

● Charleston-North

Charleston, SC 24,154 28,364 4,210 17% $93,036 734

● Charlotte-Concord-

Gastonia, NC-SC 102,267 113,119 10,852 11% $75,575 2,852

● Atlanta-Sandy Springs-

Alpharetta, GA 152,300 174,190 21,890 14% $83,808 4,946

● New York-Newark-

Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 364,014 351,362 -12,652 -3% $94,698 15,906

● Los Angeles-Long

Beach-Anaheim, CA 538,610 516,783 -21,827 -4% $92,473 17,884

Location Quotient Breakdown – 2018 National LQ Location quotient (LQ) is a ratio that compares a region to a larger reference region according to some characteristic or asset. LQ is a valuable way of quantifying how concentrated a particular industry, cluster, occupation, or demographic group is in a region as compared to the nation.

Industry Description Upstate, SC

Charleston-

North

Charleston,

SC

Charlotte-

Concord-

Gastonia,

NC-SC

Atlanta-

Sandy

Springs-

Alpharetta,

GA

New York-

Newark-

Jersey City,

NY-NJ-PA

Los

Angeles-

Long

Beach-

Anaheim,

CA

31 Manufacturing 2.05 0.92 1.09 0.76 0.44 0.94

Total 2.05 0.92 1.09 0.76 0.44 0.94

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Top Manufacturing Occupations – 2018 Jobs

SOC Code Description Upstate, SC

Charleston-

North

Charleston,

SC

Charlotte-

Concord-

Gastonia,

NC-SC

Atlanta-

Sandy

Springs-

Alpharetta,

GA

New York-

Newark-

Jersey City,

NY-NJ-PA

Los

Angeles-

Long

Beach-

Anaheim,

CA

51-2098

Assemblers

and

Fabricators,

All Other,

Including

Team

Assemblers

21,774 2,781 11,501 12,095 11,214 26,738

51-4041 Machinists 6,409 573 3,225 2,522 4,342 14,128

51-1011

First-Line

Supervisors of

Production

and Operating

Workers

4,370 1,097 4,000 6,730 11,493 14,238

51-9061

Inspectors,

Testers,

Sorters,

Samplers, and

Weighers

4,331 899 2,775 4,807 9,340 15,246

51-6063

Textile

Knitting and

Weaving

Machine

Setters,

Operators,

and Tenders

2,463 99 624 753 703 1,077

Source: QCEW Employees, Non-QCEW Employees & Self-Employed

Emsi Q3 2019 Data Set

Industry: Code 31-33 Manufacturing

Industry Data

Emsi industry data have various sources depending on the class of worker. (1) For QCEW Employees, Emsi primarily uses the QCEW (Quarterly

Census of Employment and Wages), with supplemental estimates from County Business Patterns. (2) Non-QCEW employee’s data are based on a

number of sources including QCEW, Current Employment Statistics, County Business Patterns, BEA State and Local Personal Income reports, the

National Industry-Occupation Employment Matrix (NIOEM), the American Community Survey, and Railroad Retirement Board statistics. (3) Self -

Employed and Extended Proprietor classes of worker data are primarily based on the American Community Survey, Nonemployer Statistics, and BEA

State and Local Personal Income Reports. Projections for QCEW and Non-QCEW Employees are informed by NIOEM and long-term industry

projections published by individual states.

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VI. Upstate Manufacturing Workforce Profile

Executive Summary for Manufacturing Sector

Regional Trends for Manufacturing Sector

Region 2013 Jobs 2018 Jobs 2023 Jobs Change

2013-2018

Growth % 2018-2023

Growth %

● Upstate, SC 97,484 110,869 115,024 17,540 13.7% 3.7%

● Nation 11,994,922 12,578,175 12,651,827 656,905 4.9% 0.6%

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Workforce Availability

Key occupations for Manufacturing have an overall concentration of 2.09, indicating above average workforce

availability. These occupations experienced overall job growth of 20.4% from 2012-2017, indicating that the regional

talent pool is increasing.

SOC Key Occupation Concentration 2013

Jobs

2018

Jobs

Median Hourly

Earnings

Average Hourly

Earnings

51-2098 Assemblers and Fabricators, All Other,

Including Team Assemblers 4.89 22,423 27,227 $16.59/hr $17.14/hr

51-4041 Machinists 4.65 7,024 7,746 $17.13/hr $18.82/hr

51-9061 Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers,

and Weighers 2.44 4,627 5,682 $16.88/hr $18.73/hr

51-1011 First-Line Supervisors of Production and

Operating Workers 1.98 4,427 5,249 $30.20/hr $31.57/hr

51-9198 Helpers--Production Workers 1.67 2,796 2,973 $10.87/hr $11.36/hr

53-7062 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material

Movers, Hand 1.61 14,589 19,256 $12.75/hr $13.45/hr

51-9111 Packaging and Filling Machine Operators

and Tenders 1.37 2,192 2,355 $11.50/hr $13.18/hr

51-4121 Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers 1.27 1,754 2,130 $18.40/hr $19.41/hr

41-4012 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and

Manufacturing, Except Technical and

Scientific Products 1.17 6,565 6,934 $24.55/hr $29.22/hr

11-1021 General and Operations Managers 1.06 8,730 10,417 $38.51/hr $49.37/hr

Source and Parameters for Upstate Advanced Manufacturing Workforce Profile: Emsi Q2 2019 Data Set Appendix A - Industries included in Report: Manufacturing (NAICS 31-33)

Industry Data

Emsi industry data have various sources depending on the class of worker. (1) For QCEW Employees, Emsi primarily uses the QCEW (Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages), with supplemental estimates from County Business Patterns. (2) Non-QCEW employees data are based on a number of sources including QCEW, Current Employment Statistics, County Business Patterns, BEA State and Local Personal Income reports, the National Industry-Occupation Employment Matrix (NIOEM), the American Community Survey, and Railroad Retirement Board statistics. (3) Self -Employed and Extended Proprietor classes of worker data are primarily based on the American Community Survey, Nonemployer Statistics, and BEA State and Local Personal Income Reports. Projections for QCEW and Non-QCEW Employees are informed by NIOEM and long-term industry projections published by individual states.

Occupation Data

Emsi occupation employment data are based on final Emsi industry data and final Emsi staffing patterns. Wage estimates are based on Occupational Employment Statistics (QCEW and Non-QCEW Employees classes of worker) and the American Community Survey (Self-Employed and Extended Proprietors). Occupational wage estimates also affected by county-level Emsi earnings by industry.

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VII. SC Business Incentives

In South Carolina, the State administers corporate income and sales and use taxes; and, property tax is levied by the County. South Carolina’s business-friendly taxation and incentive structures are designed to reduce costs and maximize return on investment for companies considering a location within the United States.

South Carolina offers the following statutory incentives:

• No state property tax • No local income tax • No inventory tax • No sales tax on manufacturing machinery, industrial power or materials for finished products • No wholesale tax • No unitary tax on worldwide profits • Favorable corporate income tax structure

Corporate Income Tax & Incentives

At 5%, the South Carolina corporate tax rate is among the lowest in the Southeast. And, there are many tax incentives that can reduce or eliminate corporate income taxes. The state uses a single factor sales formula for apportioning income.

Many companies qualify for a Job Tax Credit, which eliminates up to 50% of a company's corporate income tax liability for a specified number of years.

The Corporate License Tax Rate is $1 for each $1,000 of capital stock and paid-in or capital surplus, plus a $15 annual fee.

Local Property Taxes and Incentives

In South Carolina, only local governments may levy property taxes. A company’s property tax liability is a function of: Property Value x Assessment Ratio x Millage.

To determine Fair Market Value, real property is appraised, while tangible personal property is recorded at cost and then depreciated based on a statutory depreciation rate (for manufacturers) and income tax depreciation (for other businesses). The Fair Market Value is then assessed at rates established in the South Carolina Constitution. The local millage rate is applied to the assessed value to determine the property taxes. Millage rates in South Carolina are site specific and set annually by local government. A mill is equal to $0.001.

Property Tax Exemptions may include inventories (raw materials, work-in-progress, finished goods), intangibles (stocks, dividends, interest) and pollution control equipment. A partial Property Tax Exemption, called an abatement, may be made available to manufacturing, research and development, corporate headquarters, office and distribution facilities meeting certain requirements. Companies may also be able to negotiate a Fee-in-Lieu (FILOT) of property taxes, which can greatly reduce their property tax liability. This property tax incentive is offered at the discretion of local

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governments. Companies investing as little as $2.5 million dollars may negotiate this exemption with the county in which they locate. This 20-year incentive creates significant savings for companies by lowering the assessment ratio from 10.5% for manufacturers to as low as 6%. Furthermore, the millage may be held lower than if the property were not under a FILOT.

State Discretionary Incentives

The Coordinating Council for Economic Development, established in 1986 by the General Assembly, was formed in response to a general need for improved coordination of economic development efforts by those state agencies involved in the recruitment of new business and the expansion of current enterprises throughout the state. The Council consists of the heads or board chairs of 11 state agencies concerned with economic development: SC Department of Commerce, SC Ports Authority, SC Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism, SC Department of Agriculture, SC Technical College System, SC Research Authority, SC Department of Employment and Workforce, SC Department of Revenue, Jobs for Economic Development Authority, SC Department of Transportation and Santee Cooper.

Grants: South Carolina has three discretionary grant funds that are administered by the South Carolina Coordinating Council for Economic Development. The Coordinating Council will evaluate each project on a case-by-case basis and a grant may be awarded by the Coordinating Council, in their sole discretion, depending on the needs of the project.

Workforce Training at No-Cost One of the strongest incentives provided to growing companies in South Carolina is the workforce recruitment and

training programs offered by the state through readySC™ and Apprenticeship Carolina™, which includes recruiting, screening and training that is tailored to the company’s needs.

VIII. Rankings and Recognitions

Competitiveness & Industry

Spartanburg ranks #7 on Forbes list of The Best Midsize Cities for Jobs 2018.

South Carolina has been named the Business Facilities’ 2017 State of the Year.

Area Development named South Carolina #5 in the nation on the 2018 Top States for Doing Business list. The state ranked #5 for overall cost of doing business and #8 for corporate tax environment, #1 for business incentive programs, #4 for leading workforce development programs, #4 for shovel-ready sites program, #2 for cooperative and responsive state government, #4 for favorable regulatory environment, #4 for most improved economic development policies, and #9 for favorable utility rates.

Surveyed executives ranked South Carolina in 3rd place in Site Selection’s 2018 Top State Business Climate Rankings. Fifty percent of the ranking is based on a survey of site selectors – corporate facility investors and site consultants —

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who indicate simply which states they deem to be the most business friendly. The state tied with Tennessee for 5th place in the overall rankings.

Development Counselors International names South Carolina as the 4th Most Favorable Business Climate in the United States, according to its 2017 survey of senior-level U.S. corporate executives and the site selection consultants, Winning Strategies in Economic Development Marketing. The same study named the South Carolina Department of Commerce 2nd for Best in Class economic development agencies at the state level.

South Carolina continues to be a leader in economic development, receiving a Silver Shovel Award in 2018. Presented annually by Area Development, the award recognizes states for their large numbers of high-impact economic development projects. South Carolina previously earned a Gold Shovel in 2014, 2015, 2016 and a Silver Shovel in 2017.

Chief Executive named South Carolina #3 in its 2018 “Best and Worst States for Business” survey of CEOs. The list highlighted the state’s strong showing in Taxation and Regulation, Workforce Quality, and Living Environment.

Business Facilities has consistently rated South Carolina as one of the strongest states in the Southeast for manufacturing, and in 2018 ranked South Carolina #6 for best business climate, #9 for automotive manufacturing strength, #2 for FTZ activity (exports), #10 for manufacturing (% of workforce), #3 for textile mills, and #7 for FDI (capital investment).

South Carolina received top marks for Manufacturing Industry Health and Global Reach on the 2018 Manufacturing & Logistics Report Card. In a study conducted by Conexus Indiana for the Ball State University Center for Business and Economic Research, states were ranked among their peers in categories of particular interest for site selection experts for the manufacturing and logistics industries including: the share of total income earned by manufacturing employees in each state, the wage premium paid to manufacturing workers relative to the other states’ employees, and the share of manufacturing employment per capita. The Tax Foundation’s Facts & Figures 2018: How Does Your State Compare? demonstrates that South Carolina ranks among the leaders in several categories:

• 2nd lowest combined state and local tax collections per capita

• 3rd lowest state tax collections per capita

• 8th lowest state and local tax burden per capita (as a percentage of income)

• 8th lowest state gasoline tax rate (cents per gallon)

• 5th lowest property taxes paid as a percentage of owner-occupied housing value

• 9th lowest individual income tax

• 8th best state for Tax Freedom Day – how long into the year Americans work before they have earned enough money to pay all federal, state, and local taxes for the year.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s 2016 Enterprising States: States Innovate report ranks the South Carolina: #2 for High-Tech Job Growth; #3 for Export Intensity; #4 for State R&D Investment; #5 for STEM Job Growth; #6 for Export Growth; #11 for Cost of Living; #12 for Short-Term Job Growth; #16 for Long-Term Job Growth; #17 for Bridge Quality; #17 for State Fiscal Condition; #17 for U.S. Business Policy Index; #22 for Road Quality; and #23 for High-Tech Share of All Businesses. The Spartanburg MSA was recognized by NewGeography.com among The Cities Creating the Most High-Wage Jobs ranking #23 among small-sized cities for demonstrating positive growth in the Professional and Business Services sector which grew 8.9% from 2016 to 2017. The MSA ranked #19 overall among Small City Rankings for 2017 Best Cities for Job Growth.

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The Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin, SC MSA ranked 3rd among Metros with Population 200,000 to 1 million by Site Selection Magazine in its rankings of Top Metros of 2017.

Workforce & Training

A study by SmartAsset has named the Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin MSA as the 2nd best place in the country for manufacturing jobs due to strong growth in manufacturing employment over the past few years. From 2010 – 2015, the number of manufacturing jobs in the area grew by 37.8%, a figure beaten by only 5% of metro areas in the study. The growth in jobs is accompanied by growing incomes. From 2014 to 2015 the average income for a manufacturing worker grew by 14.7%, the 13th-fastest rate.

Greenwood and Oconee counties ranked #2 and #6 respectively in a 217 Site Selection magazine analysis ranking the nation’s Top Rural Counties for Workforce Certificates. South Carolina ranked #2 on a comparable state ranking. The analysis measured

South Carolina Ranks #7 among Atlantic states on the 2018 Regional Workforce Development Rankings by Site Selection. These rankings are intended to provide a general sense of which states in a given region are devoting sufficient or superior resources to preparing their workforces for current and future employment. They do not factor in success rates of specific state worker training programs, incentives or other tools.

South Carolina had the 10th highest population growth percentage for 2016-2017 according to the U.S. Census Bureau population estimates. The State also ranked 6th for Net Domestic Migration between 2010 and 2017.

South Carolina is a right-to-work state with the lowest unionization rate in the nation in 2017 at 2.6 percent. The Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson Combined Statistical Area’s unionization rate for manufacturing is a low 0.0 percent.

South Carolina’s workforce development training program, readySC™’s Train the Trainer Program won the 2016 Best Practices in Training Facilitation/Delivery and Development Programs Award from the Association for Talent Development.

Infrastructure

The Inland Port Greer received an award of excellence for being named among the Top Five Inland Ports by Expansion Solutions magazine in 2016. The Port of Charleston is the most productive port in North America, setting the standard for turning ships and trucks. Working ships at an average of 42 moves per crane per hour, 60 percent more productive than typical West Coast ports. Average truck turn time is 23 minutes (2016 PortCharleston Prospectus). When complete in 2020 Charleston will be the deepest harbor on the U.S. East Coast and able to work fully-loaded New-Panamax ships on all tides (2016 PortCharleston Prospectus).

• Project depth 52-feet MLW (15.8m) in the inner harbor and 54-feet (16.4m) offshore. • New 24-hour vessel draft 48-feet (14.6m). • New maximum vessel draft 52-feet (15.8m). • Currently in the Pre-Engineering Design phase (PED) and on-schedule for completion in 2020

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IX. Project Support and Customized Reports

Services The Upstate SC Alliance provides key services to companies and site selectors who are exploring opportunities for launching new business operations in the U.S. Our experienced team of economic development professionals are here to be a first point of contact, providing you a seamless experience to make your search process as efficient as possible. We work as a team with the S.C. Department of Commerce and our local economic developers, and there is no cost to utilize our services, research, and support.

Providing Relevant and Customized Data Let us be your go-to resource for current data and information on our region, as well as for comparison data between our region and other regions that you may be considering. Our research department has access to a variety of databases and resources and can provide tailored research for your specific needs. When it comes to data on our region’s existing industry, our proprietary database is the best and most reliable resource. Let us prepare customized industry reports for you, and, explore the depth of our industry clusters with our interactive mapping and lists at our Map Center.

Site Search and Community Tours We provide confidential and customized site location assistance to your team. Whether you are looking for a large acreage site for advanced manufacturing or start-up office space, or anything in between, our team can perform a search based on your criteria. We will provide you all the relevant details of properties that match your criteria in a report, along with any other data or research requested that is pertinent to your search. We welcome the opportunity to host you in the Upstate and provide a customized tour of our community based on your needs. If you are planning a first visit and exploratory mission, let us provide a welcome and an overview of our state and region and introduce you to others in the community. And, if you are ready to start your property search, we can discuss in advance of your visit the specific properties and industry assets that you want to explore and then execute a detailed itinerary to make the best use of your time.

Supporting International Companies Navigating the nuisances of opening operations in a new country is made simpler when you have the right contacts and service providers. With more than 460 international companies in our region, there is a tremendous base of knowledge and expertise in serving companies who are launching new business operations in the U.S. We can provide you connections and introductions to professional service providers who are experienced in helping international companies through this process.

Questions? Please let us know. Contact: Aimee Redick Phone: 864.283.2307

Email: aredick@upstatealliance.com