S.C. calling card at Farnborough

Perhaps South Carolina's grandest aerospace industry endorsement flew into the Farnborough International Airshow last week.

The 787 Dreamliner jet, Boeing Co.'s first new passenger plane in more than a decade, made its European debut at the week-long event outside London.

As the plane landed, a troupe of South Carolina economic development officials was on hand, eager to remind aerospace executives and aviation insiders of the state's up-and-coming presence within the industry.

"This year, we could point to the airplane and say, 'That's what we're going to be making,' " said Jack Ellenberg, deputy secretary for new investment at the S.C. Department of Commerce.

For at least six years, South Carolina representatives from the state and local levels have attended the European airshows, which attract makers of commercial jets, military aircraft and small private planes, as well as suppliers.

But this year, the Palmetto State contingent showed up with the added credibility of the new assembly line that Boeing is building in North Charleston for the 787. The $750 million investment was announced last fall.

The nearly 4,000-worker factory, scheduled to open next year at Charleston International Airport, means that the Lowcountry will join Everett, Wash., and Toulouse, France, as the only places in the world where commercial wide-body airplanes are built.

"There were a lot of companies that, when we said we were from South Carolina, they said they knew who we were," Ellenberg said. "We're definitely on the radar screen of the aerospace industry."

David Ginn, chief executive officer of the Charleston Regional Development Alliance, also was on hand at Farnborough. He said the airshow, which wrapped up Sunday, attracted high-level executives from major companies around the world. South Carolina representatives met with more than 1,000 businesses during the weeklong show, and Commerce officials are now in the process of putting all the contact information in a database so the agency can follow up.

Charleston County's economic development director, Steve Dykes, also traveled to Farnborough. He could not be reached Tuesday.

During the airshow, Boeing CEO Jim McNerney gave Gov. Mark Sanford and U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina a personal tour of the 787, a plane that Ellenberg described as premier and comfortable.

South Carolina economic development representatives set up a booth at the show with an image of the 787 and facts about the state's existing aerospace industry.

Ginn, who was stationed at the booth for several hours, said his conversations were occasionally interrupted by overhead rumbling.

"All of a sudden an F-16 or an F-18 or an F-22 or a Typhoon from the British Air Force would fly by, and it would rock your world," he said. "It gave me chills."

Ellenberg said the new 787 plant served as an effective calling card for South Carolina at Farnborough.

"Obviously we got a lot of attention because of it, but certainly aerospace in South Carolina is bigger than the Boeing story," he said.