Investment expected to create 22 new jobs

RIDGELAND, S.C.  – June 24, 2010 – The South Carolina Department of Commerce, Jasper County and the Lowcountry Economic Alliance today announced that Champion Wood Pellets will locate its new manufacturing facility in Jasper County. The $2 million investment is expected to generate 22 new jobs.

“We are pleased to locate our first manufacturing facility in Jasper County. The area offers us an exceptional business environment, a productive workforce, close proximity to suppliers and good access to I-95. We appreciate all the support we have received from state and local officials, and look forward to being a leader in the development of renewable energy,” said Bill Nimmer, president of Champion Wood Pellets. 

The company will supply wood pellets for home heating fuel, alternative industrial energy and equine bedding markets. The facility is expected to be fully operational by August 1. 

Beaufort County, S.C., was highlighted in the most recent issue of Southern Business & Development as an Aerospace Cluster in the South You May Not Know About.

This is the second time Beaufort has been mentioned in SB&D for its defense/aeronautics cluster. The magazine also previous noted the area as a Dedicated Destination for Defense.

Here's what the magazine says about Beaufort County this time around:

Did you know that the South Carolina/Georgia aerospace corridor runs right through Beaufort County, S.C.? Less than an hour from both Boeing in Charleston, S.C., and Gulfstream in Savannah, Ga., Beaufort County also is home to Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, which will be receiving the Joint Strike Fighter ..."

By JOSH McCANN
jmccann@islandpacket.com
843-706-8145

From the Island Packet

Published Monday, May 17, 2010

With jets that scream overhead and throngs of visitors who flock to see new Marines graduate, the military has an impact of $1.2 billion annually on Beaufort County, according to a recent study by economist Don Schunk of Coastal Carolina University.

The Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce commissioned Schunk to update the Beaufort County section of a statewide study he performed for the S.C. Military Task Force in 2004.

The results show the military rivals tourism, which chamber officials say generates more than $1 billion in annual revenue for the county.

Unlike tourism, however, the military is not as prone to fluctuation, Schunk and chamber officials said.

May 14, 2010 ­- Representatives from CareCore National, Buckwalter Place and the Lowcountry Economic Network & Alliance joined hundreds of South Carolina’s leading researchers, corporations, entrepreneurs, investors and economic development officials at this week’s Innoventure Southeast conference in Greenville.

More than 400 people attended the two-day conference, which serves as an opportunity to connect some of the state’s most innovative people and companies to one another.

Kevin Ryan, executive vice president of CareCore National, was one of 60 ‘champions’ who presented at the conference. Ryan spoke on using technology and clinical expertise to control utilization in the health market.

“The Innoventure conference was a great opportunity to introduce CareCore National and Beaufort County to the thought leaders in the state of South Carolina,” Ryan said. “This was not just an opportunity to talk about the great things that are happening at CareCore National, but an opportunity to capitalize on the experience and knowledge of the state’s leaders in education, business and technology.”

Buckwalter Place and the Lowcountry Economic Network & Alliance both served as anchor sponsors of Innoventure.

May 13, 2010 – Kim Statler, executive director of the Lowcountry Economic Network, will be part of a Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) panel discussion that will address economic development in the Lowcountry and Savannah, along with goals, opportunities and challenges for the region.

Statler will join a group of economic development leaders from South Carolina and Georgia to discuss the current state of economic development and what is being done to attract companies to the Lowcountry.

By JON REMBOLD

From The Beaufort Gazette

Published Monday, May 10, 2010

Most folks probably realize the Marine Corps will be replacing its current workhorse, the F/A-18, with a new airplane, the F-35B, which is the Marine variant of the Joint Strike Fighter.

The new jet has been nicknamed the "Lowcountry Lightning," but its stealth technology will make it anything but visible to radar. Some say it could be the last manned airplane the Marine Corps will employ because of the additive effects of the extended lifespan of modern airframes and the ever-advancing technology of the unmanned aerial vehicles.

As I write this from my Lady's Island home, I am enjoying the sound of freedom as my friends and your friends fly overhead practicing their fine art in the dark. I'm happy to be able to sleep better at night because of their night flights, knowing their sharply honed skills will prevent those who wish us harm from enjoying peaceful sleep.

I'm strongly in favor of bringing the F-35B to Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort. Here are a few of the reasons why I think the Lowcountry Lightning will enhance our community:

From today's Beaufort Gazette:

Beaufort County has so much to offer each of us as members of this community.   

There is no place like the Lowcountry on a warm sunny day with every natural amenity at your finger tips.  Before 2007, we could stop the conversation right there.  That was before the bottom fell out of every major economic market in the Lowcountry. 

Today, people are working to determine how they stay in the Lowcountry and desperately need to reinvent themselves and find employment.  Today it’s about people and people who need jobs to keep their homes and feed their families. The Lowcountry Economic Network and Beaufort County together are making progress in positioning this county for existing business growth and business relocations.

STOVL F-35B JSF first hover - March 17

The following was published in the March 9 edition of the Neighbors section of The Beaufort Gazette

If you happened to drive through Buckwalter Place in Bluffton the afternoon of March 1 the sight of backhoes and dump trucks moving around an open dirt field probably didn’t seem too out of the ordinary.

“Likely another store going in,” you probably thought to yourself; or another building awaiting a tenant in what’s still a slow market.

The reality is that only hours earlier a group of local officials and business leaders stood together to mark the groundbreaking of what will be an economic boon for our region. CareCore National, one of the nation’s leaders in specialty benefit healthcare management, began the expansion of its presence in the Lowcountry.