Charleston County Economic Development ready to help local businesses grow

When local company Call Experts wanted to grow, its executives turned to Charleston County Economic Development for assistance. Headquartered in Charleston for more than 30 years, Call Experts also has offices in New Jersey, Charlotte and Atlanta. It could have expanded in one of those markets, but instead opted to work with Charleston county’s Business Concierge Team.

The county’s economic development office is keenly focused on helping local businesses grow here at home. And it’s working. Call Experts recently announced its Charleston expansion: a $1.8 million investment and the creation of 310 new jobs over five years.

Ashley Richardson, director of marketing and communications, said the county’s economic development team has nearly doubled in size with two full-time team members dedicated to the Business Concierge Team. The department also has fine-tuned its focus on research, recruitment and marketing along with a renewed focus on assisting local companies.

“Our approach is that we’re here to help in any way we can,” Richardson said. “We’re providing that value to them for selecting Charleston County to set up shop.”

Each year, the county’s economic development program touches almost 200 businesses throughout the county. Since its founding in 1993, the department has helped leverage more than 30,800 jobs and more than $6 billion in investment.

“Our Business Concierge Team uses a hands-on approach cultivating strong relationships with our businesses to help them grow,” Richardson said. “Our support could be workforce solutions, infrastructure enhancements, marketing or sector initiatives, and expansion assistance with possible incentives.”

The economic development department focuses primarily on automotive, aerospace, defense, information technology and life science companies. The department also works closely with like-minded organizations throughout the region, including the Charleston Regional Development Alliance, Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce, Lowcountry Local First and tech-focused groups like DIG South and the Charleston Digital Corridor.