June 6, 2017

The Post and Courier

Comcast will hire hundreds of workers to staff a new North Charleston call center, effectively doubling the cable giant’s workforce in the Lowcountry.

The new, 80,000-square-foot facility will field customer service calls and technical support issues from around the country, part of a nationwide effort to hire thousands of call center workers and improve Comcast’s image.

The company says at least 550 of those new employees will be in the Lowcountry, in an office building that’s among the first to open on Ingleside Boulevard in the upper reaches of North Charleston. The 2,000-acre development could eventually include retailers, hotels and homes around University and Weber boulevards.

The Comcast facility first opened its doors last fall, but at a ceremonial ribbon-cutting Tuesday attended by Gov. Henry McMaster, the company said it had a ways to go for its hiring goals: Only about a quarter of its openings have been filled so far, Comcast spokesman Alex Horwitz said.

The S.C. Commerce Department approved a $500,000 grant in 2015 to underwrite the cost of developing the property.

Outside the new $21.4 million facility, the cable company’s existing workforce here is geared toward local TV and Internet customers. Comcast’s Xfinity service is one of the primary broadband providers in the region, and it operates a handful of stores in the area.

The North Charleston facility — complete with training areas and hardware demonstrations — is part of an effort in recent years to rebuild Comcast’s image, which had long been mired in customer complaints. The company became the focus of jokes on late-night talk shows and got something of a reputation: It was named the “worst company in America” in 2014, for instance, by the consumer affairs website Consumerist — a title it also took in 2010.

Plans to burnish the company’s image run through facilities like the Lowcountry’s, which are part of plans announced in 2015 to hire 5,500 more customer service workers across the country. The hiring was matched with a growing social media presence to field complaints and a new smartphone app with features like tracking when the cable guy will show up.

“The most important thing is not only bringing jobs to this community, but it’s a clear sign of one of our core pillars, and that is improving the customer experience,” said Mike McArdle, a Comcast senior vice president managing customer service in the region. “We’re very excited for what we’ll do here.”

Staff Report

Charleston Regional Business Journal

Twenty-three logistics companies have set-up distribution hubs or invested to expand their existing S.C. operations in the past four years. Combined, those companies planned to invest $771 million and create 4,200 jobs throughout the state since 2014.

In the Lowcountry, five logistics companies have put down roots or expanded operations since 2014, according to data from the S.C. Department of Commerce.

One of the region’s biggest distribution-related announcements in recent years came from Mount Pleasant-based Jear Logistics LLC. The privately held, third-party logistics and frieght brokerage firm invested $2.8 million to move into a new headquarters and create 150 jobs to support its growth.

Jear Logistics was ranked No. 417 nationally on the 2016 Inc. 5000 list — the top ranked company of the 23 Lowcountry companies on the list — for its 925% growth over a three-year span. Jear Logistics reported about $43 million in revenue in 2016.

More recently, Mid-States Packaging Inc. said it plans to invest $5.2 million to establish a North Charleston distribution hub to take advantage of the boom to plastic resin exports. The Massachusetts-based company plans to bring the plastic pellets in from Texas via rail to its Lowcountry site and then ship overseas through the Port of Charleston.

*Not Available
Source: S.C. Department of Commerce

Jennifer D. Brown, Director of Business Retention and Expansion for Charleston County Economic Development, graduated from the University of Oklahoma Economic Development Institute on May 4, 2017 at the OU EDI Spring session held in San Antonio, Texas.

OU EDI is an intensive week long, three-tier program which provides a broad spectrum of advanced education for the economic development professional.

OU EDI Dean Peter Abramo said, “As the premier organization dedicated to training economic development professionals, I am very pleased with this year’s graduates. They represent some of the finest economic development practitioners in the U.S. working to support their local communities. My congratulations to them.”

Charleston County Economic Development Director Steve Dykes commended Brown in her efforts, stating “continuing education ensures a high standard of professional service and quality here in Charleston County. We want our community to know that we are always seeking to enhance our knowledge base and competency in order to encourage Charleston County’s growth and vibrancy.”

OU EDI classes focus on three major core areas including: Business Retention and Expansion, Real Estate, and Finance, as well as areas of concentration in Marketing, Strategic Planning, Entrepreneurship, and Managing Economic Development Organizations. Students complete 117 hours of instruction with curriculum selected from more than fifty seminars, workshops and discussion groups.

Beginning in 1962, OU EDI is celebrating its 54th year of service to the economic development community. Fully accredited by the International Economic Development Council, the program has trained over 4,000 graduates and remains the world’s leading economic development teacher.

Brown has been with Charleston County Economic Development since 2013. She has a BS degree in Management from Clemson University and a MBA from The Citadel Graduate College.

Mount Pleasant, SC – Hubner Manufacturing Corporation has just begun generating clean renewable energy at their facility in Mount Pleasant, SC. At a ceremony held on March 31st, 2017, CEO of Hubner, Ron Paquette, flipped the switch to unveil the new 918 kilowatt solar PV system. The system was designed and installed by Hannah Solar Government Services (HSGS).

Consisting of 2,700 solar panels, Hubner’s system is recognized as the largest roof-mounted system in South Carolina Electric & Gas’s Distributed Energy Resource program, and the largest solar PV system ever constructed in the town of Mount Pleasant. The system is expected to generate1,221,770 kilowatt hours of electricity in the first year,  enough energy to power 113 homes.

The HÜBNER Group develops solutions for the transportation industry. Their products are used in rail vehicles and buses as well as in airport technology and the automobile industry. The company is also active in the fields of medical technology, life quality, terahertz technology, and photonics as well as high frequency applications.

Ron Paquette stated, “The Hubner Group is recognized as a world-wide leader in advocating corporate sustainability and environmental responsibility. This was our mission in considering solar technology for our Mount Pleasant, South Carolina facility. We are now reaping the benefits of our investment and thank HSGS for helping us fulfill our mission to generate clean, renewable energy.”

HSGS is a veteran-owned business specializing in the design, installation, and maintenance of solar PV energy systems. Serving the government, commercial/industrial, and utility marketplaces, HSGS’s breadth of experience includes projects that span the continental United States as well as overseas.

COL Retired Dave McNeil, President and CEO of HSGS, said “Hannah Solar Government Services is proud to be a part of Hubner’s investment in solar energy. The team at Hubner has set the standard for how businesses in South Carolina can advance their operation through solar energy generation.”

John Raftery, the General Manager of Renewable Products/Services and Energy Demand Management at SCE&G, noted that “This project is a good example of how our solar incentive program can really work for the right installer and the right customer. Hannah Solar Government Services and Hubner Manufacturing were the perfect partners for SCE&G.”

Mayor Linda Page of the Town of Mount Pleasant also spoke at the ceremony and stated, “Mount Pleasant is extremely blessed to have such progressive companies, like Hubner, in our own community.”

For more information please contact Emily Johnson at emily@hsgs.solar or 843-718-1866

Website: www.hsgs.solar

Insights

Jim Poindexter

On an almost 200-acre site off Palmetto Commerce Parkway in North Charleston, the future of Mercedes-Benz Vans, LLC is taking shape. Under construction here is a one-million-square-foot manufacturing plant that, by the end of the decade, will produce the company’s next-generation Sprinter van for the North American market. The new plant is an expansion of the Mercedes-Benz Vans, LLC, reassembly plant nearby, in operation since 2006. When completed, the new plant will not only ramp up production of the highly successful Sprinter. It will also become the first automotive original equipment manufacturer (OEM) to make its home in Charleston County and the first in the U.S. since 2011.

Transitioning to a full-scale OEM will replace the current process of reassembling Sprinters built completely in Germany, partially disassembled and shipped to Charleston, all to avoid high import tariffs on fully built commercial vehicles from Europe.

“The reassembly process is not the most efficient, but it has proved to be a viable option to supply the U.S. market as we tested the success of the Sprinter here,” said Michael Balke, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Vans, LLC. “Now the U.S. is our second-largest market for the Sprinter in terms of unit sales after Germany, so we know the Sprinter certainly passed the test!”

The Sprinter is one of the most successful commercial vehicles in the world. Since its introduction in 1995, the company has delivered more than three million units to customers. The large commercial van is driven in 130 countries.

“Now that the Sprinter has successfully grown in the U.S. market, we can expand our reassembly operation to include full production of the Sprinter,” said Balke. “What better place to do so than where we already have roots, here in Charleston? We explored all possibilities to make the best decision for our growth, but we ultimately chose Charleston because of the success and dedication of the existing team, as well as the supportive business relationship with community and state leaders.”

Steve Dykes, SCCED, AICP, was involved in the effort to bring the Mercedes-Benz Vans reassembly plant to North Charleston ten years ago. Dykes is the executive director of Charleston County Economic Development Department. Having an automotive OEM in the region has long been on his wish list.

“Mercedes-Benz Vans has established themselves as a world-leading brand in our community,” Dykes said. “We wholeheartedly supported their expansion plans. When we first met with Mercedes-Benz Vans, LLC, known then as Daimler Vans Manufacturing, in 2014, it wasn’t a given that they were going to locate the new Sprinter plant here. But we worked with them to solve some issues they had with the existing site.

“One of their biggest dilemmas was the need for a marshalling yard to store finished vans before distribution. We identified another site of about 60 acres across Palmetto Commerce Parkway from their reassembly plant to serve this purpose. Charleston County committed to improve the site by installing a traffic signal.”

Read full issue of Insights…

The Charleston Digital Corridor is pleased to announce today that Aerospace has been added as an industry sector to CharlestonWorks – a portal showcasing key sectors that are driving Charleston’s high-wage economy. The addition of the Aerospace category has been made possible in partnership with Charleston County Economic Development.

“Our community has a strong aerospace footprint. We are proud to partner with the Charleston Digital Corridor to highlight our existing industry and provide key connections through the CharlestonWorks platform,” said Steve Dykes, Executive Director of Charleston County Economic Development.

CharlestonWorks, which currently has over 375 listed companies located in the Charleston metropolitan area, allows visitors to filter these companies by industry sector and those hiring.

“The CharlestonWorks portal is invaluable in that it gives visitors, within and outside the region, an up-to-date snapshot of Charleston’s growing tech and advanced manufacturing economy in an extremely simple and effective format,” said Ernest Andrade, Charleston Digital Corridor Director.