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Spring 2012

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Special Section: Cities Mean Business

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Special Advertising SectionH o r r y C o u n t y

HORRY COUNTYMyrtle Beach faces a challenge unique

in South Carolina, says Brad Lofton, presi-dent and CEO of the Myrtle Beach Regional Economic Development Corporation. It’s extremely successful in tourism – to the tune of 14 million visitors yearly – but there’s an urgent need to expand the economy beyond conventions and vacations.

“We’re working on diversifying the econo-my with non-tourism jobs,” Lofton said. “We have high unemployment here in the county, and we’ve got to create some good-paying jobs.”

It’s a revolution in the area, but that’s noth-ing new for Myrtle Beach. Over the course of its history, a common theme prevails: growth and rebirth. Since the early 1900s, the Myrtle Beach area has grown, evolved and prospered, and the “Grand Strand” has become a world-famous tourist destination and home to thou-sands of new residents each year.

For businesses, Myrtle Beach is the ulti-mate work/life community in the Southeast. It offers a strategic location, proud workforce, superior education, quality health care and commitment to a bright future. These are just a few reasons, economic development leaders say, why an increasing number of businesses are choosing to call this community home.

“We’re expecting a record year this year,” Lofton said, discussing the outlook for eco-nomic development. “Our efforts are getting attention around the Southeast.”

The corporation has about 25 active proj-ects going, he said.

Myrtle Beach and surrounding communi-ties are located in Horry County. The county is strategically located in the northeastern corner of the Palmetto State between the port cities of Charleston and Wilmington, N.C., and halfway between New York and Miami.

In December, AvCraft Technical Services,

an aircraft maintenance, repair and modifica-tion provider, announced plans to expand its operations in Horry County. The $1 million investment is expected to generate 150 new jobs.

“Location was a major factor in choosing to expand operations here. Myrtle Beach gives us a centralized location to most efficiently reach our customer base,” Mike Hill, president of AvCraft, said at the time. “Horry County officials and the Myrtle Beach Regional EDC made expanding here a very easy process.”

The Myrtle Beach MSA has consistently been ranked as one of the fastest-growing areas in the country, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics. And it is located in one of the 10 states with the lowest cost of labor in Business Facilities’ 2009 Rank-ings report.

Integra Fabrics moved its operations to Loris from Anderson in 1992. The appeal of

Expanding the economy beyond tourism success

The Grand Strand’s 60 miles of sandy beaches are ranked “World’s Best Beach” by Yahoo! Travel.

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H o r r y C o u n t ySpecial Advertising Section

the beach was strong, said Debbie McArthur, company president. When Integra sought to expand six years ago, the company was able to move into a 70,000-square-foot building on 17 acres, with incentives from Loris and the state.

The company, which does heat-transfer printing of fabrics on contract for the hospi-tality and health care industries, “came here to stay and grow,” McArthur said. Company officials are looking to add a division to sew their products, which will require training.

McArthur speaks highly of nearby Coastal Carolina University, whose business school has provided three of the company’s top employees.

The area boasts a quality workforce, tax and financing incentives, prime building sites and a low cost for doing business. South Caro-lina helps fund the training needs of South Carolina businesses through major workforce training options.

As an integral part of the S.C. Techni-cal College System, the readySC program provides qualifying companies with a pre-trained and productive workforce from the first day of operations. This state-funded pro-gram offers recruitment, assessment, training

development, management and implementa-tion services to companies who are creating new jobs with competitive wages and benefits. Each training program is customized to meet company standards. Almost without excep-tion, readySC is provided at little or no cost to the company.

South Carolina supports existing compa-nies by offsetting a portion of the cost asso-

ciated with the retraining of existing work-ers. The retraining must be approved and coordinated by Horry-Georgetown Technical College.

Education The Horry County School District boasts

48 schools, including two academies with concentrations in technology, science and

Myrtle Beach, SCA world recognized location with strategic business advantages

With the fastest growing labor force in the U.S., the Horry County business environment is highly conducive to �nding, recruiting,

and retaining the type of employees your business needs to succeed.

MYRTLE BEACH REGIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTP.O. Box 261966 | Conway, SC 29528-6066 | 843-347-4604

www.mbredc.org

Coastal Carolina University is ranked by Forbes magazine as one of America’s “100 Best College Buys” for delivering outstanding value for the cost of education.

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H o r r y C o u n t y Special Advertising Section

arts, and an Early College High School. There are also eight private school options and three charter schools with specialized concentra-tions.

More than $500 million has been invested in Horry County schools over the past decade. That’s an investment for the area’s future, with nearly 20 schools built and valuable technology and facility upgrades made during

that time. Horry County Schools have proudly pro-

duced National Merit Scholarship semifinal-ists who go on to win national scholarships. The robotics team, made up of high school students from the Academy for Technology and Academics, also competes nationally in projects with NASA.

Seven schools have been named National Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence by the U.S. Department of Education. The district’s SAT scores are 33 points above the state average.

Additionally, 94% of high school students who sought International Baccalaureate diplo-mas received them. Horry County Schools have the highest-performing IB program in the state. Palmetto Achievement Challenge Test scores outpace the state at every level and Horry County is the first district in South Carolina to earn district-wide accreditation.

Fueled by excellence in the K-12 education system, Horry County has three institutes of higher learning. It is also within a half day’s drive to some of the most prestigious univer-sities in the country, such as Duke University, Georgia Tech, Medical University of South Carolina, Clemson University and University of South Carolina.

Continuing education Coastal Carolina University and Horry-

Georgetown Technical College offer a mul-titude of opportunities for retraining and/or educational advancement with degrees and certification programs in more than 60 fields of study.

Webster University provides workers with an alternative educational opportunity to complete their graduate degrees.

The Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics opened a Myrtle Beach campus in 2011. It is located at the International Technology and Aerospace Park, near Myrtle Beach Interna-tional Airport. PIA’s airport location provides an ideal atmosphere for aviation training as well as aircraft accessibility to the school’s facilities. The first class began in January with an enrollment of 33 students for the Aviation Maintenance Technician program.

In nearby Florence, the Southeastern Insti-tute of Manufacturing and Technology pro-vides technical service and a training facility for industry in the Southeast. It’s the first facil-ity of its kind in the United States and features an Advanced Manufacturing Center, a Virtual Reality Center and a National Robotics Cen-ter. SIMT offers open enrollment, onsite and

Higher educationCOASTAL CAROLINA UNIVERSITY2011 fall enrollment .............................. 8,772 Full-time faculty members ....................... 353 Student-to-faculty FTe Ratio ................... 18:1 Average range SAT score for first-time freshmen .........................920-1080 • 54 major fields of study • Seven master’s degree programs• More than $115 million in major

construction currently under way

HORRY-GEORGETOWN TECHNICAL COLLEGEApproximate enrollment ........................ 7,314 Full-time faculty members ....................... 134 Part-time faculty members .... more than 134 Student-to-faculty ratio ........................... 18:1

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H o r r y C o u n t ySpecial Advertising Section

customized training as well as manufacturing startup assistance and consulting services.

Utilities As with most businesses, utility costs are

a major factor in location decisions. Horry County has abundant supplies of electric, gas and water at competitive rates that are 24% below the national average. Fiber optic tele-communications are installed throughout the county, served by major phone and Internet providers including Horry Telephone Coop-erative and Verizon.

“Myrtle Beach was an amazingly good fit for us. Our employees were the best surprise, and we have had an incredible technology partnership with the Horry Telephone Coop-erative,” said Jeff Littlefield, vice president of operations of BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina subsidiary PGBA.

The company operates a technology and claims processing support center in Surfside Beach.

Also the Grand Strand Water & Sewer Authority has invested $120 million in facili-ties in the last two years alone and currently

Helping business turn potential into prosperity.

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has more than 1,400 water distribution lines throughout the county and 1,200 miles of sewer lines.

Transportation Horry County provides access to the world

via its roads, rails and ports. Port proximity is important to Metglas

Inc., which develops and commercializes amorphous metal in Conway.

“Ninety percent of our sales are off-shore,” said Dodd Smith, president and chief operat-ing officer of Metglas. “The Port of Charleston

myrtle Beach regionaleconomic Development Corp. mission statement: myrtle Beach regional economic Development Corporation is a public/private partnership dedicated to diversifying the economy of Horry County. Our mission is to provide professional business recruitment and expansion services, location assistance, and economic and community information on the myrtle Beach region of south Carolina in an effort to facilitate the growth of this great area. It is our vision to make myrtle Beach the pre-eminent place to do business in the southeast.

Contact a staff member:

Brad Lofton President and CEO, blofton@mbredc.orgKate macarthur Director of Marketing and Existing Industry, kmacarthur@mbredc.orgKelly stuart Director of Recruitment, kstuart@mbredc.orgLaura townsend Business Manager, ltownsend@mbredc.orgCandace Howell Membership Director, chowell@mbredc.org

Visit online: www.mbredc.org

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H o r r y C o u n t y Special Advertising Section

is a huge advantage for us. Within two hours, our products leave our plant and are on the way to our customers.” The company ships 80 to 150 containers per month through Charles-ton, most of them headed to Asia.

The company is located 100 miles from the Port of Charleston via U.S. Highway 17. The port is ranked 10th nationally in tons of shipments, according to the 2009 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Waterborne Commerce.

Additionally, the Port of Wilmington, N.C., is just 86 miles from Myrtle Beach, and the Port of Savannah is 200 miles away.

CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern and seven affiliated and independent lines combine to offer rail service seven days a week in every metro area, operating almost 2,300 miles of rail in South Carolina.

The county is also well-connected by major highways:

• U.S. 501 from the west connects Myr-tle Beach to South Carolina’s network of highways

• U.S. 17 from North Carolina (from north) and Charleston (from south)

• 65 miles from Interstates 95 and 20 via U.S. 501 and U.S. 76/301

• Newly constructed Carolina Bays Parkway (Route 31) and Conway Bypass (Route 22)

Last year 90% of our graduates found jobs or successfully transferred to four-year colleges for additional study. Best of all, they paid less than

one-third the cost of tuition for regional public and for-profit colleges. With 70 technical areas of study and student-friendly faculty at HGTC,

you’ll find a program that fits your future.

Myrtle Beach International Airport is undergoing a $118 million terminal expansion project that will be complete in the first quarter of 2013.

‘The cost of doing business in Myrtle Beach is very favorable.’ -- Dodd Smith, Metglas

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Special Advertising Section

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• Planned Interstate 73 will connect Myrtle Beach to Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.

The connection to the interstate highway system is being pursued to make the area more attractive to industry. It can be difficult to talk to business about coming into the area when there is no interstate, said Dodd Smith of Metglas, who is also chairman of the Horry Industrial Alliance.

Infrastructure Within the next five years, an additional

$450 million will be spent on creating or improving four industrial parks for develop-ment in Horry County with two of the new industrial parks focused on the aviation and marine industries.

The International Technology and Aero-space Park (iTAP) is a 460-acre industrial park with an aviation focus. Opened in Janu-ary, the park features completed infrastruc-ture, buried fiber optic, an all-digital IP-based network and access to a 9,500-foot lighted runway. iTAP has been designated a South Carolina Certified Site. It is located on the Myrtle Beach International Airport and is adjacent to The Market Common, an upscale lifestyle center offering shops, restaurants and living accommodations. The Pittsburgh Insti-tute of Aeronautics is also located next door to the park, and iTAP is within 100 miles of Boeing’s new Charleston facility via a four-lane U.S. highway.

Bucksport Marine Industrial Park is a 200-acre park slated to be move-in ready by early 2013. Located on the Intracoastal Waterway, this industrial park offers premier access to the Ports of Wilmington, Charleston, George-town and Savannah and is uniquely situated

Anderson | Bluffton | Charleston | Charlotte | Columbia | Greenville | Hilton Head Island | Myrtle Beach | Pawleys Island

Labor / Employment

Litigation

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Henrietta U. GoldingShareholder

hgolding@mcnair.net | 843.444.1107

McNair Law Firm, P.A.

Founders Centre

2411 Oak Street, Suite 206

Myrtle Beach, SC 29577

To learn more about our attorneys and areas of practice, visit: www.mcnair.net

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and the people and communities

they serve grow and prosper.

Besides the 60 miles of white sandy beaches along the Grand strand, Horry County is known as the “Golf Capital of the World.” It has:

• Four Grand strand courses named on Golf magazine’s “top 100 You Can play” list;

• 13 Grand strand area courses ranked among the top 20 in south Carolina;• two Grand strand golf schools ranked in top 25;• seven Grand strand courses among “america’s 100 Greatest public Golf

Courses” in the 2009-2010 listing by Golf Digest.However, golf is not the only interest that is supported in the area.

there are nine major shopping centers including Broadway at the Beach, Barefoot Landing and two tanger Outlet malls.

nine area marinas offer access to water recreation such as parasailing, scuba diving, kayaking, boat rentals, jet skis, dolphin cruises, fishing charters and more.

myrtle Beach is home to the myrtle Beach pelicans, a minor league baseball team, and the myrtle Beach stingrays/Carolina rays, a part of the national Indoor Football League. there are nine campgrounds, two state parks, five museums and an art and sculpture garden. Other entertainment options abound with shows and concerts available at alabama theater, the Carolina Opry, Leg-ends, Long Bay symphony, pirate adventure, medieval times, the

palace theater and the Wheelwright auditorium.

G lf Capitaland so much more

Myrtle Beach should see job growth of 3% in 2012, according to forecasts by IHS Global.

H o r r y C o u n t y

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for marine manufacturing, product testing and convenient shipping.

Pro-business atmosphere South Carolina and the Myrtle Beach

region offer a pro-business atmosphere. South Carolina’s tax structure is designed to encourage economic growth and prosperity. The state does not levy inventory, unitary or wholesale taxes, and industries receive tax exemptions from sales tax on industrial machinery and electricity. In addition, Horry County offers local cash incentives up to $4,000 per job on qualifying projects.

The Myrtle Beach Regional Economic Development Corporation has a $2.1 million budget and for the first time has a closing fund and a product development fund, said Lofton, who has been on the job since April 2011. The efforts are targeted toward four good prospects for the area: aviation, technol-

ogy and headquarters, marine manufacturing and back office industries, such as medical and credit card billing.

Quality of life Quality of life is an attraction for Horry

County. Besides the 60 miles of white sandy beaches along the Grand Strand, the area is known as the “Golf Capital of the World.”

There is something for everyone in Myrtle Beach.

“This is my home,” says Ebbie Phillips, presi-dent of Tyson Sign Co., which in 2005 moved into a 50,000-square-foot state-of-the-art manu-facturing facility in Conway. “I’ve traveled the world but I always come back to this place. I love it here and I’m committed to making this company and this region great.” SC

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Sources: Myrtle Beach Regional Economic Development Corporation, S. C. Department of Commerce, Staff Reports

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At top, the upscale urban village, The Market Common, offers office, retail, and residential space.Above, Horry County gives exporters a location between ports of Charleston and Wilmington, N.C.

Special Advertising Section