Manufacturing & Logistics
GSP passenger activity is growing at 4 times the national average. (GSP Airport)
In 1980 it took 25 people to manufacture $1 million worth of goods. In 2018 it took 5. (UBJ)
Amazon rethinks the way fulfillment works. Robots now bring the items to the shippers rather than order pickers retrieving the items from the warehouse. Video embedded. (Charlotte Observer)
Real Estate
Another mill gets restored in Spartanburg – this time on the Northside. (WYFF4)
Anderson becomes a hot city on Airbnb. Is it the proximity to ATL and CLT or is it Clemson fans? Probably both. (Post and Courier)
Will the Bass Pro Shop project ($125M) ever get built? I like this quote from David Britt, “We’re at the crossroads of the South — 800 miles from New York and 800 miles from Miami.” (GoUpstate)
Economy
Is the South’s economy falling behind? While the Upstate may be experiencing growth, apparently the region as a whole may be in decline.
“Since 2009, the South’s convergence has turned to divergence, as the region recorded the country’s slowest growth in output and wages, the lowest labor-force participation rate and the highest unemployment rate.” It appears that low taxes and low wages that attracted businesses in the past may no longer be the draw it once was in “an expanding economy where the forces of globalization favor cities with concentrations of capital and educated workers.” (WSJ)
Parks and Rec
Spartanburg unveils plans for a city-wide interconnected trails system called “The Dan”.
“The Dan is about cohesion and connection, both literally and figuratively, between many of Spartanburg’s incredible trails like the Mary Black Foundation Rail Trail, the Drayton Mills Trail, the Wadsworth Trail on the west side and SPACE’s beloved Cottonwood Trail,” said Laura Ringo, executive director of Partners for Active Living.(GoUpstate)