Spartanburg

A lot is happening downtown…

Koch and Gray jewelers to be redeveloped. (GoUpstate)

The Cambria Hotel appears to be getting the green light.  (GoUpstate)

Raising the roof at the old Social Security Building for a mixed use development. (GoUpstate)

The Snyder Electric property could be sold. (GoUpstate)

And not too far away…

UCB opens at Main and Pine. (GoUpstate)

The Mary Black Foundation Rail Trail surpassed 100,000 annual uses in 2018. (PALS)

Development with apartments, retail, and a hotel has been announced near the Star Center. (GoUpstate)

Ten residential projects, ~1,300 new units in Spartanburg County may address the need for more housing. (GoUpstate)

The Upstate

Has the wind shifted?  Economic development in GVL fell from $336 million invested / 1,800 jobs created in 2017 to $151 million invested / 1,500 jobs created in 2018.  However, Spartanburg County saw several new projects in 2018: Keurig ($350 million), Grupo Antolin ($150 million) and Draexlmaier ($42.7 million).  (Greenville Online)

Too much of a good thing?  This restaurant found that a lot of traffic didn’t equal a lot of business (on Woodruff Rd). (Greenville Online)

Solar is booming….in Spartanburg (GoUpstate)…and the rest of the state. (Columbia Business Monthly)

GSP Airport sets record with 15 consecutive months of increased passenger activity – a 10.3% increase in passengers for December 2018. (Greenville Business Magazine)

And in dining news…

Spartanburg-based Eggs Up Grill has started construction on its flagship restaurant at 551 E. Main St (Converse Corners shopping center).  (Upstate Business Journal)

Rick Erwin Dining Group unveils its Saltwater Kitchen for Haywood. (Greenville Journal)

The State

Why do inland ports exist? (DC Velocity)

Tourism is $22.6 billion industry in South Carolina. (SCPRT)

Train service for tourists? Carolina Special: ASH > SPA > COL > CHS (Columbia Business Monthly) H/T Greenville Business Magazine

The Southeast

Two regional lenders will combine to form the 6th largest US retail bank, a move that sounds like it was mainly driven by the need for scale to deploy new technologies. 
Interesting facts:  BB&T encourages employees to keep gratitude journals and SunTrust held the recipe to Coke in its vault from 1925-2011.  (WSJ) 

The Bigger Picture

The world’s busiest ports. (Visual Capitalist)

Could textiles make their way back to the US? (Sourcing Journal)

Bio-waste to bricks? (NYTimes)

Thanks for reading!