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OT: I hate NC got the $1.6 billion Toyota plant. SC needs to be more aggressive in these matters.***

Every BMW SUV that is sold around the world is built right here in SC.

And damn, I'd forgotten about Michelin being here.
…and Bosch has a plant in Anderson. Plus, let’s not forget that Lockheed now builds the F-16 (for foreign military sales) in Greenville. The company has orders for hundreds of aircraft right now.
 
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I have no opinion on whether SC pushed hard or this or not, just thought it would have been a good opportunity. Big named companies such as Toyota bring in a lot more well paying jobs and would help keep top in state talent from feeling the need to have to go elsewhere to have a career.
That's where I'm coming from.
 
Nobody is discounting the advantages of having big, and small, industry in SC. But OP is implying SC is doing nothing to lure industry because one company went to NC. Nothing could be further from the truth. Given that we already have 3 car companies within our borders, maybe we're looking at other big industry so that we have varying options for local talent that may not be interested in the auto industry.
I just think SC needs all the big name industries it can lure to the state. SC needs more money for schools, etc.
 
A lot of manufacturing companies already in SC are severely short staffed, even ones that are hourly + benefits, so from that perspective another company not coming here is not as big of a loss as it usually is.
 
There is a huge difference in a $14/hr part time job with no benefits and a $14/hr full time job with benefits. There are a lot of jobs out there right now in that range with better work environments than fast-food. That’s one of the things that comes when you start seeing more industry move into an area.
Amen! Benefits today are about as important as the actual pay checks. I don't care how many other companies there are in SC a huge plant like the one Toyota is building is a tremendous benefit to any state.
 
NC is short staff, too. But a $1.6 Billion factory can do wonders for any area state, etc. SC doesn't have so many other industries that it would not benefit for that Toyota factory.
 
I live in NC. FWIW, the 'Yota plant will be building batteries, not assembling cars as far as I know. I suspect there will not be as much support industry sprouting up like we see in Spartanburg with BMW.
 
Our ports are a screwed up mess. We have a driver shortage, chassis shortage and warehouses across the southeast have a labor shortage. We have a lot of goods not being moved. Let's not get too carried away wanting to attract new businesses until we get our ducks in a row. I can only hope they dont plan on using our port for their imports/exports any time soon. Cant see how adding more stress to an already stressed system will help those waiting on the system to get right.
 
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In all fairness...let's fix the interstates we already have first. 95 within SC borders is a shitshow.
I agree with you but in order to get companies to go to Horry County they have to have the infrastructure or they will never come. I travel 95 and 26 a lot and the roads are absolutely embarrassing. I was telling my wife that the citizens of SC should but up a billboard apologizing for our roads. I took me 6 plus hours to travel from Columbia to Jacksonville which is typically a 4.5 hour drive. State Legislator’s should be ashamed of our roads. Three lanes from one end to the other on both interstates should be top priority. When we got of 26 onto 95 there several areas with potholes that you could see freaking dirt.
 
And all southern states have had to seek work for those displaced when the cotton mills left.
Big-time. The old textile towns have never fully recovered. Most are showing year-by-year estimated population declines. South Carolina has used some very generous tax incentives to attract business and industry. Very often, the state is criticized for this, but employing an increased number of people who will enjoy an improved standard of living, spend more, and pay more in taxes is a worthwhile pursuit. A state like ours needs to be at he vanguard of this.
 
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Don't forget Honda (ATV) on 1-95 in Florence.

1-73 needs to be built simply to funnel tourist out in case of hurricanes. But the inland counties need the infrastructure to keep up with the fast growth counties.

There needs to be a limited access route from Anderson down to I-95 parallel to the Savannah River to access Savannah port and a branch back towards Charleston, parallel to I-26. That would reduce traffic on existing roads.


Also a limited access road between Florence and Mount Pleasant / Charleston tying into the ports facilities. Again, reducing traffic on existing roads and additional evacuation route.
 
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There’s also Bridgestone-Firestone in Aiken.



That will be sorely needed with the additional traffic. On one side, the exit will directly feed the Panthers HQ’s/compound, and the other side will directly feed business parks loaded with many massive distribution centers. It will alleviate city roads being used now and pay for itself in short order.
And the damn interchange would not have been built had the billionaire not wanted it. I still say….fix what we have and what we have is in shambles.
 
Exactly! We have Mercedes and Volvo in the Lowcountry. And it's made traffic in the Summerville area a million times worse than it ever was.
And Boeing at Aviation Avenue.
BMW in Greenville.

But yes, let's lament that we didn't get Toyota.

Don't forget this too..

 
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Don't forget Honda (ATV) on 1-95 in Florence.

1-73 needs to be built simply to funnel tourist out in case of hurricanes. But the inland counties need the infrastructure to keep up with the fast growth counties.

There needs to be a limited access route from Anderson down to I-95 parallel to the Savannah River to access Savannah port and a branch back towards Charleston, parallel to I-26. That would reduce traffic on existing roads.


Also a limited access road between Florence and Mount Pleasant / Charleston tying into the ports facilities. Again, reducing traffic on existing roads and additional evacuation route.
The Honda facility near Florence produces both ATVs and SXSs. Some of the side-by-side units are as big and expensive as automobiles, especially after they leave dealerships with accessories.
 
Well, I want it all for SC. BTW, I didn't know SC had a Mercedes plant.
Yes, but it originated in Gaffney, SC with a Frightliner plant that eventually made Dodge vans, Mercedes imported the vans to Charleston where they were shipped to Gaffney. Later, that plant was moved to the old American LaFrance facility in Charleston and the plant was expanded about six years ago.
 
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All of this discussion is about past investments, which were good. But it seems over the last few years, we have not been getting the bigger projects that we once did. NC is doing well as is GA and TN.
 
Don't forget Honda (ATV) on 1-95 in Florence.

1-73 needs to be built simply to funnel tourist out in case of hurricanes. But the inland counties need the infrastructure to keep up with the fast growth counties.

There needs to be a limited access route from Anderson down to I-95 parallel to the Savannah River to access Savannah port and a branch back towards Charleston, parallel to I-26. That would reduce traffic on existing roads.


Also a limited access road between Florence and Mount Pleasant / Charleston tying into the ports facilities. Again, reducing traffic on existing roads and additional evacuation route.
As for the ports to Pee Dee area , sort of have that already with HWY 52 corridor and the rail to the Dillon inland port. Still would like to see that better developed to keep containers off sections of the interstates.
 
I live in NC. FWIW, the 'Yota plant will be building batteries, not assembling cars as far as I know. I suspect there will not be as much support industry sprouting up like we see in Spartanburg with BMW.
I just saw a report on the Toyota plant. Real Estate is booming in that area already. When you invest 1.6 billion dollars in an area it does wonders for the economy.
 
As for the ports to Pee Dee area , sort of have that already with HWY 52 corridor and the rail to the Dillon inland port. Still would like to see that better developed to keep containers off sections of the interstates.
The Pee Dee area is dear to my heart since my Dad was from Marion. That county in particular is in terrible shape economically. Very few of the industries that bolstered its economy for years coming out of the tobacco economy remain open.
 
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Exactly! We have Mercedes and Volvo in the Lowcountry. And it's made traffic in the Summerville area a million times worse than it ever was.
And Boeing at Aviation Avenue.
BMW in Greenville.

But yes, let's lament that we didn't get Toyota.
Well, SC is running behind NC, Ga, and Tenn as far as investments by large corporations. SC needs all the help it can get to keep ahead of Mississippi.
 
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I live in NC. FWIW, the 'Yota plant will be building batteries, not assembling cars as far as I know. I suspect there will not be as much support industry sprouting up like we see in Spartanburg with BMW.
It's still a very big deal because it involves an emerging technology and a growing product segment. It's 1,750 jobs. Now, if we could get them to build some actual cars down here...
 
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And the damn interchange would not have been built had the billionaire not wanted it. I still say….fix what we have and what we have is in shambles.
maybe not, but it would have came eventually with all of the industry there. Besides, that billionaire will be bringing plenty of employees who will be paying taxes and spending locally.

Wanna talk about waste? The exit reconfiguring a few miles up the road in Fort Mill is that.
 
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It's still a very big deal because it involves an emerging technology and a growing product segment. It's 1,750 jobs. Now, if we could get them to build some actual cars down here...
There are so many competing battery manufacturing plants being built all over the country right now (have you seen the massive plant in Commerce, GA!!??) that most will eventually close. The infrastructure Bill subsidizes these plants but just like Solyndra and others, most will go under. Typical liberal thinking will end up wasting taxpayer money and end up in corrupt politicians’ (sorry for the redundant wording) pockets through lobbyist practices.
 
It's still a very big deal because it involves an emerging technology and a growing product segment. It's 1,750 jobs. Now, if we could get them to build some actual cars down here...
You are exactly right. I just heard a report on the radio this AM about some support manufacturers moving in. Shows how much 2TimeTiger really knows!
 
You are exactly right. I just heard a report on the radio this AM about some support manufacturers moving in. Shows how much 2TimeTiger really knows!
When I was in school, there was a doctrine that, when a large industrial complex opens, two jobs are created in the local economy for every job created at the industrial complex.
 
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