Horry County - SCBIZ

Summer 2018

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HORRY

Downtown Myrtle Beach is the heart of the Grand Strand, a 60-mile stretch of beach communities in Horry County that helps generate $7 billion in annual economic impact. (Photo/File)

TOURISM IS BIG ECONOMIC DRIVER, BUT NOT THE ONLY ONE

By Steve McDaniel, Associate Editor

T

o say Horry County relies on tourism to drive its economy falls into the painfully obvious category. The beaches,

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resorts, hotels and entertainment venues testify to the fact

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that the Grand Strand is one of the most popular destinations in America. Much of the built environment and infrastructure of the county exists to support the $7 billion tourism industry that defines the region.

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Horry County by the numbers

Population............ ................ 322,342 Per capita income.. ................$31,575 Median household income.... $45,621 Workforce statistic s Labor Pool.............. ............... 146,824 Unemployment Ra te.......... 5.1% as of

March 2018 Source: Myrtle Be ach Regional Economic Develop ment

COUNTY SPOTLIGHT: HORRY

The Myrtle Beach International Technology and Aerospace Park, above, and Tidelands Health, top left, contribute to a thriving economy in Horry County. Airplane maintenance, bottom left, and charter services are part of the growing aerospace sector in the county, with companies such as Kingman Airline Services and Executive HeliJet announcing recent capital investments and job expansions. (Photos/Myrtle Beach Regional Economic Development)

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But there is more to the sprawling coastal county in the state’s far northeastern corner than its 60-mile-long stretch of tourist-filled beach communities from Little River to Pawleys Island. The U.S. Censusdefined region that includes Horry County is adding residents at one of the fastest rates in the nation. It has a thriving university with the fourth-largest four-year enrollment in the state and an active industrial base that is projected to grow well into the next decade and beyond.

The western reaches of the county

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within the Pee Dee and Waccamaw river basins are heavily agricultural and rural, with small communities dotting the landscape intersected by two-lane roads. The quiet, sparsely populated nature of that section of Horry County sits in stark contrast to the bustling activity and rapid growth of the Grand Strand.

For the past three years, the ConwayMyrtle Beach-North Myrtle Beach census region has been the second-fastest growing area in the country, adding residents at a 3.7% pace each year. Developers have access

The Horry-Georgetown Technical College Health Services School provides training for jobs in health care, one of the area’s fastest-growing industries. (Photo/Myrtle Beach Regional Economic Development)

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to large swaths of open land, and home prices are well below other fast-growing coastal areas of the state such as Charleston and Beaufort-Hilton Head Island.

To help move all those new residents and tourists, Horry County has invested heavily in road improvements. Major projects have included the Carolina Bays Parkway; S.C. Highway 22, a four-lane road from North Myrtle Beach to U.S. Highway 501 northwest of Conway; an interchange improvement at U.S. 17 Bypass and Glenn’s Bay Road; and an upgrade to S.C. Highway 707 aimed at reducing congestion in the areas south of Myrtle Beach.

Voters approved a 1-cent retail sales tax increase in 2016 to help fund road projects throughout the county.

Myrtle Beach is not served directly by an interstate, but environmental studies and some funding are in place to possibly extend the recently constructed Interstate 73 in North Carolina to the S.C. coast. There is no official word on if or when that project will move forward.

The county’s unemployment rate fluctuates relative to tourist season. As of March 2018, the rate was 5.1%, higher than the state

Recent economic development announcements COUNTY SPOTLIGHT: HORRY

HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital (new): $23M capital investment; 134 jobs Laudisi Enterprises (expansion): $250,000 capital investment; 35 jobs Other Key Announcements: Teknoware (new): $5.8M capital investment; 45 jobs Ebtron (expansion): $2.5M capital investment; 100 jobs Kingman Airline Services (new): $2.5M capital investment; 180 jobs Executive HeliJet (expansion): $1M capital investment; 75 jobs Worksman Cycles (new): $2.5M capital investment; 49 jobs DME Group (new): $3.15M capital investment; 65 jobs Source: Myrtle Beach Regional Economic Development

demands: diesel mechanic and outboard motor technician training.

“We will have both programs up and running within six months of finding out these needs were there in our business community,” Fore said. “We are able to respond so quickly because of this very effective collaboration.”

Coastal Carolina University, a fouryear public institution in the county seat of Conway, also has programs tailored to the area’s economy. It offers a degree in hospitality, resort and tourism management and a specialization in golf course management approved by PGA of America.

Leading private-sector employers include Metglas, a producer of metal ribbon used in power applications; Conbraco, an industrial valve and fitting manufacturer; Canfor, a supplier of sustainable wood products; PSI Molded Plastics, which makes formed parts for the automotive, health care, material handling and other industries; and Laudisi Enterprises, a tobacco pipe and product manufacturer and retailer.

One of the most active industries in the county is health care, which is already one of the largest private-sector employ-

ers. Given the surge in population — a significant portion being people at or near retirement age — over the past decade, jobs in health care figure to be in high demand for the foreseeable future.

HealthSouth, an Alabama-based health care company, recently announced a $23 million project to build a rehabilitation facility in Little River that will create 134 jobs. Three of the county’s top publicsector employers are hospitals and health care facilities, including Conway Hospital, Grand Strand Regional Medical Center and McLeod Seacoast Hospital.

The Grand Strand is synonymous with golf, and with more than 80 courses in Horry County and adjoining Brunswick County, N.C., the region ranks among the top in the nation in number of courses.

Many hotels and resorts offer golf packages to visitors, and the climate allows for play nearly year-round.

Conway is on the inland edge of the Grand Strand growth and has added population, albeit at a slower pace than most of the beach towns. Downtown Conway has experienced revitalization in recent years, especially near the Waccamaw River.

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average of 4.4%. Unemployment typically drops to the state average or below as hiring for tourist season ramps up in the spring.

While service-industry jobs dominate the county’s employment rolls, the industrial base is a vital component of the economy. Manufacturing jobs require a skilled and trained workforce, are higher-paying on average and usually come with more benefits than the jobs typically found at restaurants, hotels and other businesses catering to tourism.

Georgetown-Horry Technical College is the place where many of those workers receive training and certification. Dr. Marilyn Fore leads the three-campus school, and says she has never experienced a more collaborative, effective partnership among government, industry and education in her 40-plus years as an educator.

“Business, government and education leaders in our region have never worked better together,” Fore said. “Business leaders are telling us what they need, government leaders are involved directly in the process and we, as educators, are providing those skilled workers quickly.”

She cited the example of two new programs that are the direct result of business

Resorts and golf courses are major players in Horry County’s economic activity. Tourism drives the county’s economy, accounting for $7 billion in annual economic impact. Much of that comes in the form of tourist spending at places such as the Dunes Golf and Beach Club, top, and Wild Wing Plantation Golf Course.

(Photos/Myrtle Beach Regional Economic Development)

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