Boeing's positive impact felt across the state

HILTON HEAD ISLAND — South Carolina officials have hailed Boeing's plans to build an assembly plant for its 787 Dreamliner in North Charleston as the biggest economic development project in state history.

The company plans to invest hundreds of millions of dollars and create about 4,000 jobs.

So what does Boeing's announcement mean for Beaufort and Jasper counties?

Key players in the deal and local officials addressed that question recently.

Ric Tapp:

Tapp, an attorney in Nexsen Pruet's Charleston office, and his firm worked for Boeing to help broker the deal with the state. He spoke recently during a Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce business event.

He said the 230-plus suppliers that provide parts for Boeing's plane should bring about 16,000 additional jobs to South Carolina.

Some suppliers might seek locations near the assembly plant, Tapp said, but such proximity does not tend to be an important component of Boeing's supply chain.

Other suppliers might want better trained workers than those available here, Tapp said. 'But your technical colleges can take care of that.'

Kim Statler:

Statler is executive director of Lowcountry Economic Network, a public-private partnership that recruits businesses to the region. She was to speak at another event Wednesday in greater Bluffton.

The session was about how incentives can boost business in South Carolina.

Statler said Boeing's plant dovetails with fellow aircraft manufacturer Gulfstream's existing facility in Savannah and the arrival of the Joint Strike Fighter, a next-generation military jet. Some of the jets are expected to be based at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort by 2014.

Network officials, who have identified the aerospace and defense industry as one of its four focus areas, are scouring supply chains to find businesses that serve one or more of those aircraft.

Statler said network officials 'have some good ideas' about prospects, but declined to elaborate.

Statler plans to make the case that aviation businesses should consider the Lowcountry when she travels with state officials to England for a major trade show in July.

The region's advantages include proximity to military bases, Interstate 95 and rail lines, Statler said. CEOs also enjoy the coastal life, she said.

Disadvantages include the high cost of property and 'very limited' existing facilities available for light manufacturing.

Unlike Tapp, Statler said the area's workforce should be an asset because a steady rotation of people leave local military bases with aviation experience.

She cautioned the network's strategy might not bear fruit immediately, but the long-term outlook is promising because Boeing's arrival allows the region to seek businesses it couldn't before.

The Post and Courier's
Boeing Special Section.

David Ginn:

Ginn is chief executive officer of the Charleston Regional Economic Development Alliance, which works to develop the economies of Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester counties. He spoke Feb. 16 at a Business 4 Breakfast event organized by the Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Ginn said local communities are ideally situated to capitalize on the presence of Boeing and Gulfstream.

When asked what benefit Boeing's plant might provide, Ginn said: 'I would think Jasper County's position along I-95 and close proximity to both Charleston and Savannah would make it a good location for suppliers serving both' manufaturers.