February 9, 2018

No matter who you are, what you do, or where you’re from, some part of your life is connected to and dependent on another country. Whether it’s your food, your child’s soccer coach, or your company’s sales, we all rely on at least some people and goods from other countries.

To help all of us better understand and value Charleston’s global connections, the Charleston Regional Development Alliance is excited to help launch the Global Fluency Initiative as part of the One Region Global Competitiveness Strategy. The goal of One Region is to work collaboratively to further enhance the regional economy through advancements in talent, infrastructure, and other assets characteristic of a globally competitive metro.

Globally fluent metros understand and appreciate their connections to the global economy and work together to ensure that all benefit from those connections.  As part of the Global Fluency Initiative, we’re focused on developing resources to support our international residents and building awareness of Charleston’s diversity.  To support this initiative, CRDA is launching two new resources for the Charleston region.

First, to help all of us see how Charleston engages with the world, we’re excited to launch the Global Connectivity Snapshot, a simple data summary tool to help us visualize and explain the value of some of Charleston’s global connections.  International companies employ thousands of people and invest millions in our economy.  Trade allows locally-owned companies to grow and support more jobs.  International residents open businesses, teach students, and give back to our community.

Second, the Charleston Regional Development Alliance (CRDA) has created a new website: the Charleston Community Guide.  The Guide is designed to help folks moving within the Charleston metro navigate the region and integrate into the Charleston community.  Full of helpful links to regional resources, the Guide is focused on providing a one-stop overview for settling into the region.

In the coming weeks, we’ll be highlighting key stories about Charleston’s global connections and outline resources we’re developing to help each of us better support our region.  We hope you’ll join the conversation about global fluency in Charleston.  And if you’d like to participate in the Global Fluency Initiative or if you have any questions, please let us know!

Contact Us:
843.767.9300 | [email protected]