Growth could add 3,600 Upstate jobs

GREENVILLE -- The Upstate's economy is picking up steam, gaining momentum that gives workers and employers hope the depths of the downturn have been reached and better times are ahead.

The optimism, however, is cautious. Experts say it will take time to regain lost jobs, especially if sluggish growth continues for the U.S. economy and South Carolina can't shake loose on its own.

New numbers from an economic development group show that through the first six months of 2010, the region's efforts have resulted in more than $1.3 billion of planned capital investment in the Upstate.

That's $500 million more than the region's annual average, and more than all the other regions in the state combined, according to the Upstate SC Alliance, a public-private organization designed to market the 10 counties in South Carolina's Upstate.

Abbeville, Anderson, Cherokee, Greenville, Greenwood, Laurens, Oconee, Pickens, Spartanburg and Union represent the northwestern corner of South Carolina, including the Interstate 85 corridor and the Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson metropolitan area.

About 3,671 new jobs would be added in the Upstate by 26 companies that announced capital investment plans during the first half of 2010, said alliance officials. They say many of these companies come from the four industry sectors the association has targeted for economic investment in the region: automotive, advanced materials, biosciences and energy.

Seven of the companies are international, with headquarters based in Canada, Japan, Germany, Australia, France and South Korea.

Among the announced investments were Proterra Inc., a manufacturer of alternative-energy buses, which plans to build a $68 million facility and add more than 1,300 jobs in Greenville County; CT&T United, which is expected to hire 370 people in Spartanburg County to help build slow-speed electric vehicles; and First Quality Enterprises, whose investment in Anderson County is expected to create more than 1,000 jobs over the next decade.

"These investments made by business leaders show that they have made a firm commitment to our region and strongly believe their businesses will prosper here," said George Acker, chairman of the alliance's board of directors.

Hal Johnson, president and chief executive of the association, said economic growth "is not only good for business but also provides people with desirable, high-value employment opportunities while enhancing our tax base."