Area Development Magazine Awards SC Silver Shovel 2nd Year in a Row
June 28, 2010
AREA DEVELOPMENT MAGAZINE RECOGNIZES EXCELLENCE IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
5th Annual Gold & Silver Shovel Awards Celebrate Success in Job Creation and Positive Economic Impact
WESTBURY, N.Y., June 24, 2010 – Area Development, the leading executive magazine covering site selection and facility planning, has announced the winners of the 2010 Gold & Silver Shovel Awards. The State of New York is awarded the Gold Shovel in recognition of projects undertaken in 2009 creating a significant number of high value-added new jobs as well as investment. Silver Shovels are awarded to 10 other states in three population categories.
Area Development Magazine’s Annual Shovel Awards recognize state economic development agencies that drive significant job creation through innovative policies, infrastructure improvements, processes and promotions that attract new employers as well as investments in expanded facilities. For the Silver Shovel Awards, states are compared only to other states in their tier based on population. Texas, Michigan, and Florida are winners in the over 10 million population group. Georgia, Tennessee, and Indiana are awarded Silver Shovels in the 5 to 10 million population category; and Louisiana, South Carolina, Kansas, and Alabama are honored in the under 5 million population group.
Each of the 50 states was invited by Area Development to submit information about its top-10 job creation and investment projects. Only those projects that began to materialize in 2009 were considered. Based on the number of high-valued added jobs per capita, amount of investment, number of new facilities, and industry diversity, Area Development awarded the Gold Shovel to the state with the highest weighted score overall.
“In these trying economic times, economic development agencies are working harder than ever to grow their states’ businesses,” said Geraldine Gambale, Editor of Area Development. “Every year there are a few standouts, and these 11 states deserve special recognition for their efforts.”
Area Development is published bi-monthly and has more than 45,000 executive subscribers. It also has a very active custom publishing group and maintains several highly visited websites, which can be reached through www.areadevelopment.com.
The section on South Carolina states:
South Carolina
In South Carolina local and state officials celebrated the announcement that Boeing would build a new manufacturing facility in Charleston to make interior parts for the 787 Dreamliner. According to area representatives, the project will create some 4,000 direct jobs and represents a $750 million investment and Area Development’s third 2009 “Project of the Year.” It also signals a strengthening of Boeing’s commitment to the area, which will see the company provide an independent source of manufacturing and assembly in South Carolina for 787 final assembly and delivery.
But while Boeing and the 787 may be South Carolina’s most high-profile and recognizable project, it is not the only positive news the state had last year. Lancaster County is now becoming home to a new headquarters for Red Ventures, an Internet marketing and sales company that is investing more than $20 million in the new facilities and expects to create as many as 1,000 high-paying jobs over the next five to seven years.
“The area has an excellent business environment that provides a great fit for our growing company and gives us access to a talented labor force,” said Mark Brodsky, chief financial officer for Red Ventures. “Red Ventures has experienced strong growth in recent years and we look forward to continuing that growth in South Carolina. We appreciate all the support we’ve received from state and local officials and look forward to growing our relationship with Lancaster County and South Carolina in the years ahead.”
Information services are playing a crucial role in South Carolina, with major projects also coming from Time Warner Cable, Scientific Research Corp., and URS Corp., which project the creation of some 400 jobs each.