2007 A YEAR OF VERY BIG NAMES
AND INVESTMENTS
Commerce reached new heights again for investment and job recruitment in 2007, bringing in $4.05 billion in capital investment and nearly 16,000 jobs. The numbers point to strong economic activity, large job creation levels in nonurban areas, world-class companies choosing to invest heavily in South Carolina, growth in the state’s manufacturing sector and a diversity of industry investments. On average in 2007, the state saw either a new company decide to locate in South Carolina or an existing business commit to expand operations in the state more than three times each week of the year. For example, companies like Starbucks and adidas announced new distribution centers, while Cytec and BAE Systems announced major expansions within the state.
In 2007, Google Inc. announced plans for the company to open a facility in Berkeley County and planned to invest $600 million and create 200 jobs. In addition, Google made a concentrated effort to use as many local vendors and suppliers as possible. Google is in the process of expanding its data center as part of the original plans for this location. Google completed its first data center and constructed the shell for the second data center building in 2008. The second data center is slated to be fully operational by the end of 2011.
“We are so pleased to formally announce our presence in South Carolina and our plans to build a data center. The Governor, Department of Commerce, and Berkeley County officials have been wonderfully helpful during our evaluation. We look forward to growing our business and becoming an active member of the Berkeley County community,” said Lloyd Taylor, Director of Global Operations for Google Inc.
Additionally, in 2007, Google finalized its purchase of a parcel of land in Richland County that is being held for future operations.
Starbucks Coffee Co. announced that it would establish a new U.S. roasting facility in Calhoun County, with the expectation of creating 160 new jobs there. Starbucks chose the site based on several factors, including workforce availability, transportation access, quality of life and strong support from local and state leaders. Construction on the approximately 150,000-square-foot facility began later that year and officially opened in early 2009. The new facility houses equipment and operations to receive, roast, package and ship Starbucks coffee across the Southeast.
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“Starbucks is pleased to further strengthen our ties to the South Carolina business community,” said Peter Gibbons, Starbucks senior vice president of manufacturing. “This new facility will help us meet increasing demand for our premium coffees and allows us to support our growth in the Southeast…”