January 2020 Features

  • South Carolina Airbnb Hosts Earned $36M During Biggest Weekends of 2019

    January 31, 2020

    Airbnb, the world’s leading community-driven hospitality company, announced that its South Carolina host community earned a combined $36 million in supplemental income while welcoming approximately 140,300 guest arrivals to the state for the five biggest guest arrival weekends in 2019, including the Fourth of July, Memorial Day and summer travel weekends.

  • Columbia Growing, but Competition is Growing Faster

    January 30, 2020

    EngenuitySC released its 2019-20 Midlands Regional Competitiveness Report on Monday during an event at Central Energy.

  • New Gen Z Data Brings Businesses a Critical Question: What's Your Plan Z?

    January 30, 2020

    Employers and business leaders take note: a one-size-fits-all approach to defining a generation will cost talent and customers. As Gen Z, the generation of those born between 1997 and 2007, begins to enter the workforce and flex its newfound spending power, connecting with them is critical.

  • Hospice Care Of South Carolina Acquires Agapé Hospice, Becoming The Largest Hospice Care Provider Across The State

    January 29, 2020

    Hospice Care of South Carolina (HCSC), a portfolio company of The Vistria Group, announced that it has acquired Agapé Hospice (Agapé), creating the leading hospice care provider in the state of South Carolina. The combined organization has 800+ employees and cares for more than 1,400 patients across all 46 counties in the state. No financial terms were disclosed.

  • South Carolina Chef Ambassadors for 2020 Announced

    January 28, 2020

    South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster, Agriculture Commissioner Hugh Weathers and SCPRT Director Duane Parrish named the participants for the 2020 South Carolina Chef Ambassador Program. Chefs from across the state are nominated each year for the state’s program.

  • Exclusive: S.C. Unemployment Shrinks, Where are the Workers Coming from?

    January 27, 2020

    South Carolina’s ever-expanding workforce hit new milestones in December, according to data from the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce. And it appears workers aren’t simply coming from the ranks of the unemployed.

  • 2020 State of the State Address, Governor Henry McMaster

    January 24, 2020

    The nation’s economy is booming and so is ours. We are roaring into the twenties with a vibrant economy and a growing population. In the last three years alone, we have announced nearly $10 billion in new capital investment and almost 35,000 jobs.

  • South Carolina Treasurer Curtis Loftis: 5 Tips for Protecting Your Tax Refund from Fraudsters

    January 22, 2020

    Benjamin Franklin once said, “Nothing is certain except death and taxes.” But just as you can count on tax time happening each year, you can be certain there will be scammers trying to steal your personal information and tax refund.

  • SC Ports CEO Honored for Advancing SC Manufacturing

    January 21, 2020

    S.C. Ports Authority President and CEO Jim Newsome received the prestigious Roger Milliken Defender of Manufacturing Award for his enduring support of South Carolina’s manufacturing industry.

  • Deloitte M&A Trends Report 2020: US Dealmaker Optimism Holds Strong as Economic Slowdown Talk Continues

    January 21, 2020

    The market is entering a new decade on the outer edges of the longest run in M&A history, but even so, dealmakers are largely anticipating stable or increasing levels of activity in the year ahead, according to Deloitte's "The State of the Deal: M&A Trends 2020" survey of 1,000 U.S. corporate dealmakers and private equity firm professionals.

  • EngenuitySC to Conclude Competitiveness Week 2020 with a Celebration of Creative Entrepreneur Mark Rapp

    January 17, 2020

    EngenuitySC, the local nonprofit that works with area leaders to make the Columbia, S.C., region a standout choice for top talent and competitive companies, will close out its annual Competitiveness Week 2020 with a celebration of one of the city’s greatest levers of growth — its thriving arts community.

  • South Carolina Chamber of Commerce Forms Coalition Calling for Business License Tax Reform

    January 16, 2020

    For nearly a decade, the business community – with small businesses leading the charge – have urged the General Assembly to simplify and standardize how over 230 local governments assess the business license tax. The current system is complex, costly, and lacking transparency.

  • Citadel to Create a South Carolina CyberCorps with Multimillion Dollar Grant

    January 15, 2020

    The Citadel, dedicated to training America’s cyber warriors, will harness a new $2.8 million National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to create the state’s first CyberCorps Scholarship for Service (SFS) program. It is the largest grant The Citadel has earned to date.

  • SCRA Delivers $694M Impact on SC Innovation Economy

    January 14, 2020

    In Fiscal Year 2019 (FY19), the South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA) played a major role in boosting jobs and technology-related businesses in South Carolina, with 2.9% technology sector job growth—close to double that of general statewide employment gains—and an impact of $694.38 million on the overall innovation economy.

  • U.S. News & World Report Reveals the 2020 Best Jobs

    January 14, 2020

    U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in rankings and consumer advice, unveiled the 2020 Best Jobs. The rankings offer a look at the best jobs across 17 lists – from best-paying jobs and best jobs without a college degree to sectors such as business and technology – to help job seekers at every level achieve their career goals.

  • SC Human Trafficking Annual Report Shows Huge Increase in Number of Victims

    January 13, 2020

    Attorney General Wilson reported a 360% increase in the total number of trafficking victims recorded in South Carolina as well as an increase in the number of human trafficking cases reported in the state. He also noted a shift from the previous year in the top five counties reported for human trafficking.

  • UofSC President Caslen Releases Strategic Priorities for Spring Semester

    January 09, 2020

    University of South Carolina President Bob Caslen this week released a list of priorities for the Spring semester. These priorities focus on moving the university and state forward by building strong relationships across the community, strengthening university processes and governance, and establishing new partnerships and boosting existing ones.

  • CEO Confidence Rebounded in Q4

    January 08, 2020

  • State Treasurer Curtis Loftis Announces New Statewide Financial Literacy Initiative

    January 07, 2020

    South Carolina Treasurer Curtis Loftis announced the launch of the South Carolina Financial Literacy Master Teacher Program, a new statewide financial literacy initiative, that aims to energize more teachers about the importance of incorporating personal finance education into their classrooms.

  • Congress, President Trump Approve $138M for Charleston Harbor Deepening Project

    January 06, 2020

    President Trump included the $138 million in the President’s Fiscal Year 2020 budget earlier this year, making the project eligible for direct appropriations by Congress for the first time through the Energy and Water Appropriations bill.

  • Survey: Business Leaders Start 2020 with Lingering Concerns About Talent Shortages & Recession Risk

    January 06, 2020

    A new survey reveals that the world's chief executives view the risk of a recession as their biggest external concern in 2020. Attracting and retaining talent ranks as their top internal concern. They also feel unsettled by trade uncertainty, political instability, and more intense competition from disruptive technologies. However, they plan to counter such forces by developing more innovative cultures and new business models.