Following the base closure, Charleston County and neighboring Berkeley and Dorchester counties were determined to double down on economic diversification. In 1995, they joined together to partner in economic recruitment activities, creating a “better mouse trap” by forming the non-profit Charleston Regional Development Alliance (marketing/ recruitment). The three counties also launched extensive county business retention and expansion efforts designed to serve their more than 300 existing employers. Building upon local assets like the Medical University of South Carolina, the Space and Air Warfare Systems command (SPAWAR), Boeing, the Clemson University wind energy research initiative, and the burgeoning downtown Charleston technology scene, Charleston County and its tri-county partners target aerospace, advanced security (e.g. defense-related IT and electrical engineering), bio-medical, wind energy, automotive, and creative industries. These initiatives have yielded strong results. Since 1995, more than 23,000 new jobs have been created by relocating or expanding
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County Spotlight: Charleston
‘The Phoenix rises’
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Special Advertising Section
Above: PeopleMatter headquarters on King Street under construction. (Photo/Leslie Burden) Right: Inside the SPAWAR data center. (Photo/ Provided)
Charleston County-based businesses alone, and those businesses have invested in excess of $4 billion within the county. This effort has included blue-chip firms such as Cummins, GE Aviation, Verizon Wireless, Daimler Vans, SKF, Scientific Research Corporation,
SAIC, BAE Systems and The InterTech Group. Charleston County made aviation history in 2009 as The Boeing Company chose North Charleston as the site of its second 787 Final Assembly Facility, announcing a $750 million investment and 3,800 new jobs. North Charles-