The state’s pool of potential employees is increasing by almost 30,000 workers annually, and total employment is expected to increase by more than 17 percent by 2010, 5 percent more than the overall U.S. percentage, according to the South Carolina Department of Commerce.
Walgreens Co. is an example of a company making the most out of the state’s work force. The pharmaceutical retailer plans to hire 450 employees when it opens a new distribution center (DC) on a 110-acre site in Anderson.
Walgreens, which searched for a site for two years, is investing more than $175 million in the project.
The DC, the 11th for Deerfield, Ill.,-based Walgreens, is expected to serve 200 to 250 stores in eight states throughout the South and Mid-Atlantic areas. Employment will grow as the facility serves more stores, according to the company.
Site work is expected to begin later this year, with the opening slated for 2007. The size of the facility will be about 700,000 square feet, with the capability for future expansion.
The DC will be equipped with the latest technology in automated storage and retrieval systems, along with sophisticated sorting and high-storage rack systems.
The city of Anderson approved an incentives package that includes a reduction in Walgreens’ property tax rate from 10.5 percent to 6 percent for up to 20 years, and a special-source revenue credit agreement that 35 percent of all taxes collected during the next 16 years be set aside for infrastructure costs at the facility.
Another DC project will eventually mean more than 600 jobs for the Spartanburg metro. Dollar General Corp. selected a site 15 miles south of the city for its eighth U.S. DC. The company plans to build a 1.1 million square foot, state-of-the-art facility on the 177-acre site.
Additionally, Dollar General’s third-party transportation provider has indicated that it expects to employ about 125 people in the region.
“The support and enthusiasm of the local, county and state organizations involved in this project, as well as the strong labor force contributed greatly to our decision to come to Union County,” said Jeff Sims, vice president of distribution for Dollar General.
The total cost for the DC and transportation shop, including equipment and fixtures, is expected to exceed $70 million.
Construction is expected to begin this year, and the company anticipates the facility to be fully operational in 2005.
A highly skilled work force will be needed when Electrolux Home Products establishes a Cold Products Technology Center of Excellence at the company’s refrigerator manufacturing facility in Anderson. The company will invest $6 million in new laboratories, equipment and facilities.
Scientists, engineers, designers and technicians will staff the center. The facility is also expected to attract talent from other industries and other Electrolux locations.
The center, which is expected to be operating by October, will focus on developing products based on consumer and customer insights.
— Ken Krizner, Managing Editor
FACTS & CONTACTS South Carolina
DEMOGRAPHY AND ECONOMY
Population: 4.1 million
Capital: Columbia
Three Largest Cities: Columbia, 117,394;
Charleston, 98,795; North Charleston, 80,691
Gross State Product: $115.2 billion
Per Capita Income: $25,395
Percentage of Private Manufacturing
Labor Force Organized: 1.8%
Right to Work State: Yes
Unemployment Rate: 6.1% (December 2003)
Average Hourly Manufacturing Wage: $14.00
Population Age 25 and Over With Bachelor’s
Degree or More: Columbia, 35.7%; Charleston, 37.5%; Greenville, 34.2%; North Charleston,
13.8%; Rock Hill, 24.3%
Corporate Income Tax Rate: 5.0%
Primary Industries: Industrial machinery and equipment, chemicals, plastics and rubber products, textiles, motor vehicles and transportation equipment, forestry and wood products, tourism
Targeted Industries: Automotive, pharmaceuticals/biotechnology, plastics, chemicals, textiles, technology-based goods and services
BUSINESS ASSISTANCE
Worker Training Programs: The Center for Accelerated Technology Training for new and expanding businesses
Enterprise Zone: The entire state
Foreign Trade Zones: 3, with multiple sites — Columbia, Coastal South Carolina, Greenville/Spartanburg/I-85 Area
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT
South Carolina Department of Commerce
Jack Ellenberg, Director of Business Development 1201 Main St., Suite 1600, Columbia, SC 29201
(800) 868-7232, fax (803) 737-0818
Web: www.sccommerce.
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