South Carolina Never Gave Up on Boeing.....and Won't

Winning the second 787 production line started in 2003 when Boeing decided to assemble the 787 in Washington.   At the time, Boeing was considering sites in Myrtle Beach and Charleston. But South Carolina elected officials never gave up.  They focused on landing two Boeing suppliers, Vought and Alenia plants, for North Charleston shortly thereafter with an estimated $120 million in state and local incentives. Those plants, which make and assemble the rear fuselage for the 787, employ about 2,500 and now are owned by Boeing

Last month, South Carolina won Boeing’s new assembly line for the 787 Dreamliner.  The impact of the Boeing deal is huge for South Carolina, a state staggering under the nation’s fifth highest unemployment rate.  Here is why state and local leaders are so jubilant:

-the state legislature passed $450 million in incentives to attract a company that will employ an estimated 3,800 workers by the middle of next decade--more which will be nearly two and a half times the current aerospace workforce in North Charleston.

-$750 million in initial investment from Boeing — the state’s biggest, topping the $500 million BMW pledged in 1992 for its Greer plant, a number since far surpassed.

-$10 billion in direct and indirect investment over the next 15 years from Boeing and its suppliers, according to a forecast from a state economist.

There is an interesting story in The State, the daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina's capitol, on how the state nailed down the Boeing line. It is a story that we, with Boeing's largest footprint, workforce and production facilities ought to pay very close attention to.  Other state and foreign economic development directors have locked-in on Boeing and other Washington prized manufacturers.

South Carolina's legislature is feeling a renewed sense of optimism and vigor after the Boeing announcement.  For example, House Speaker Bobby Harrell (R-Charleston) said:

"lawmakers used this special session as an opportunity to finalize an economic development incentive package that played a big role in landing Boeing.  And let me be absolutely clear, this announcement is huge for our state and it couldn’t have come at a more needed time.  Boeing’s decision to pick South Carolina for this major expansion will translate into billions of dollars in new investments and will create thousands of high-paying jobs for our citizens.

All of this good news would not have been possible without the combined and collaborative efforts at all levels of our state government.  It was extremely gratifying to see the House, Senate and Executive Branch push aside partisan politics and personal motives to work together for the betterment of our state.  This just shows the great things we can achieve when we are all focused on South Carolina’s future success.

And this formula for success is something I would like to see us implement further in the coming 2010 legislative session."

As Sir Winston Churchill said on Oct. 29, 1941 at the Harrow School northwest of London: "Never, never, never, never give up!"  South Carolina has taken Churchill's advice to heart and it is starting to payoff.

 

Don C. Brunell, President (DonB@awb.org)