GSP UPDATES

The Business of Upstate, South Carolina

  • Home
  • About
  • Legal

February 2020 Newsletter

Economy

“Pay in Laurens is rising faster than anywhere in the Upstate…” (Post & Courier). See also, “Bolstered by the regional powerhouse that is the Upstate’s automotive sector, around 50 percent of Laurens County’s manufacturing production is related to this industry.” (Greenville Business Magazine)

For the past 10 years SC has set records for exports – $41.5 billion last year. Two big exports – tires and passenger motor vehicles. (Midlands Biz, H/T GVL Today)

Teamwork in the Upstate…”The basis of Union County’s approach to workforce development comes down to three important things: location, location, location. Positioned to not only recruit workers from five nearby counties in the Upstate, Union also attracts talent from the Columbia area, as well as Charlotte. Working together with neighboring counties such as Spartanburg and Greenville to share resources and training opportunities has allowed Union to align training programs with real work opportunities and establish a pipeline of skilled workers for local industries.” (Greenville Business Magazine)

Real Estate

“Over the last 12 months in downtown Greenville and downtown Spartanburg, vacancy rates increased and asking rents also increased, which may seem counterintuitive. A deeper dive reveals many of the new mixed-use projects in the CBD take a long time to develop and the retail spaces typically lease up after the major anchor (hotel, apartments, office) is open.” (Upstate Business Journal)

Industrial sites continue to be built (and filled) in Charleston – bringing the total to 57.2 million square feet of warehouse space. (Post & Courier)

Food & Entertainment

Spartanburg was named one of the 25 coolest towns in American. (Matador Network, H/T GVL Today)

Parks & Rec

$27 million has been secured to help clear Camp Croft of leftover munitions. (GoUpstate)

Travel

Charleston added more than 900 hotel rooms in 2019 and set a record for the number of stays. (Post & Courier)

Subscribe to this Monthly Newsletter

* indicates required


Filed Under: Newsletter Tagged With: Camp Croft, CRE, Industrial Spec Building, Laurens, SC Exports, Union

August 2019 Newsletter

I combined the months of July and August because the headlines seemed a little sparse over the Summer.

Transportation

GSP airport saw its passenger traffic increase for the 21st consecutive month.  (WSPA)

On a related note, “As little as 3 percent of the global population flew in 2017, and at most, only about 18 percent have ever done so. But things are changing. According to International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) estimates, there were 3.7 billion global air passengers in 2016 — and every year since 2009 has been a new record-breaker.  By 2035, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) predicts a rise to 7.2 billion. Like the planes themselves, the numbers just keep going up.” (DW via The Collaborative Fund)

VW envisions a world with multiple transportation options as it looks beyond cars (read: micromobility) (VW) H/T Ben Evans

Greenville has electric buses. (Instagram)

Real Estate

In Charleston, a former landfill looks like prime real estate. (Post and Courier)

CBRE announced that Phase 1 of the Apple Valley Industrial Park in Duncan, S.C., is now 100% leased.  The latest commitment of more than 75,000 square feet came from an automotive supplier. (GVL Business Mag)

Business

Spartanburg ranks 6th in the US for industrial growth. (WSPA)

NC & SC may be competing to be the home of an auto manufacturing plant,  Indian automotive company Mahindra Automotive North America, that could create up to 2,000 jobs in the first five years.  (Charlotte Observer)   H/T GVL Business Mag

Tindall builds a new batch plant to expand production. (UBJ)

Sports

The long and fascinating story behind Zion Williamson’s sneaker deal.  (ESPN)

See also, Zion Williamson’s (Spartanburg Day School) jersey has become a hot seller.  (Washington Post)

Parks & Rec

The former Cleveland Park Stables in GVL has a ribbon cutting. (Greenville Journal)

Eco

The Green Ribbon Advisory Committee is working on a resolution to ban plastic bags in the city of Greenville.  Note: 17 other South Carolina municipalities already have bans in place.  (WYFF4)

Filed Under: Newsletter Tagged With: Automotive, GSP Airport, Industrial Spec Building

December 2018 Newsletter

Spartanburg

‘Tis the season of giving…Spartanburg County Foundation announces new $8M Center for Philanthropy.  (GoUpstate)

The Inland Port is expanding and receives $25M from the US DOT. (GSA Business Report)

More industrial spec building near the Inland Port (Greenville Business Magazine) and some in Spartanburg too (UBJ)

A twist of fate…BMW considers second plant in the US to help offset the impact of tariffs and currency fluctuations. (Post and Courier)
See also The BMW Effect -25 years later the auto manufacturing sector makes up about 5% to 7% of the total employment base for SC.  (Greenville Business Magazine)

The 94 year old Montgomery building has reopened (see pics of the inside here – Upstate Business Journal)

The Bigger Picture

Richard Branson’s Virgin Rails USA may be considering an Atlanta to Charlotte rail line…meaning it may make a stop in the Upstate (see page 9, paragraph 2 SEC) Hat Tip to Greenville Business Mag

Hard to believe…The United States has as many as two billion parking spots for about 250 million cars (City Lab)

Filed Under: Newsletter Tagged With: BMW, Industrial Spec Building, Inland Port, Montgomery Building, Spartanburg County Foundation, Virgin Rails USA

Connect

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

Past Newsletters

Sign up for the GSP Updates Newsletter

Receive a monthly email from GSP Updates. Unsubscribe anytime.

Tags

AC Hotel Arcadia Mills Bass Pro BMW Cambria Hotel Camperdown Carolina Panthers Charlanta City Planning Clemson Converse College County Square CRE CU-ICAR Drayton Election Gather GVL Greenville ONE Center Greer Chamber GSP Airport Industrial Spec Building Inland Port Landing Pads Logisitics Mary Black Rail Trail Montgomery Building Northside OneSpartanburg PALS Partners for Active Living Port of Charleston Raleigh-Durham SC Ports SPACE Spark Center Spartanburg Chamber Swamp Rabbit Trail Tax Ten at the Top Tours Unity Park Upstate SC Alliance USC Upstate Volvo Zoning

Copyright © 2025 · GSP Updates. All Rights Reserved.