Boeing’s general counsel and a part-time Kiawah Island resident, articulated what many outside the company have suspected about its long-term plans for the Lowcountry. “As we lay the foundation for Phase 2, does anyone doubt there will be a Phase 3 and Phase 4 ... ?” the former federal judge asked. “I have it on video that you said Phase 3, 4 and 5,” she said to Luttig. “So it’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when.” “So I’ll send you that video often,” the governor, a vocal Boeing backer, joked.

The S.C. Research Authority and a government agency in Israel each have set aside $1 million to invest in high-tech collaborations between Palmetto State and Israeli companies over the next two years.

What Charleston, South Carolina can teach the rest of us about hospitality and the art of creating a comfortable working environment.

"My hope is that we can be an inspiration for future entrepreneurs, that you can build a big legitimate business here in Charleston from a startup with three guys in a one-room office to now, we've got 150 team members here." —PeopleMatter CEO Nate DaPore

The Boeing Co. is bringing 2,000 more jobs and another $1 billion in investments to South Carolina.

The Charleston region’s main colleges and universities do more than confer degrees and certificates. And the Charleston Regional Development Alliance thinks what they do is a story worth touting. So the organization, whose mission is to foster economic growth in the tri-county region, engaged an independent economic analysis and public policy consulting firm to measure the impact of colleges on the area.

Dig South April 12-14 CofC TD Arena and various locations downtown "There's great energy around this knowledge economy, and I feel like Charleston is the perfect intersection of job opportunities and quality of life." — Dig South Executive Producer Stanfield Gray

Although the need for more capital used to be top of mind when asked about the main obstacles facing the Charleston tech community, the metro area's current tech scene is attracting more investment than ever.

Boeing expands in Charleston with the addition of its new Dreamlifter operations center; construction began in late January.

34 counties seeking designation as an "S.C. Work REady Community in Progress" were approved by the state Workforce Investment Board.

The South Carolina city is an example of how the nation may cope with cuts the aerospace industry claims would cost at least a million jobs as soon as this year.

Website offers comprehensive data on Charleston region

Google brings additional investment to Berkeley County data center Governor Nikki Haley joins Google to announce additional $600 million investment.

SPARC, a fast-growing provider of information technology services, is expanding its local operations, investing $11 million and adding 310 jobs.

Millard Refrigerated Services has announced it will develop a new cold storage distribution facility in the Charleston region, investing $42 million and generating 87 jobs.

Benefitfocus has recently opened an 80,000 square foot, multi-million dollar facility and plans to hire an additional 300 employees next year.

The state of South Carolina and the city of North Charleston come to an agreement over port terminal rail access.

Advanced Inventory Solutions, a provider of physical inventory auditing services for grocery stores, convenience stores, pharmacies amd other retail outlets, has established its first S.C. office in the Charleston region.

SpeedNews announced the launch of it's "Aerospace Manufacturing Conference," a new event and the sixth addition to the SpeedNews Conferences portfolio, will be held April 9-10, 2013 in Charleston, South Carolina.

For the third consecutive year, Area Development magazine’s editors have conducted a survey of a select group of highly respected location consultants who work with a nationwide client base. The consultants named their top-5 state choices in 14 site selection categories and South Carolina ranks #2.

Charleston has been named the #1 tourist destination in America and the top city in the world by the readers of Conde Nast Traveler.

McGill Environmental Systems plans to open a state-of-the-art, indoor compost manufacturing facility on site at the Berkeley County Water and Sanitation's (BCWS) current yard waste operation. The company expects to hire up to 25 people to staff the facility.

Charleston has reached a higher-level status than ever on the international business stage. Delivering the first South Carolina-made Boeing this week has put Charleston on the map for more than just its Port. The Charleston area's unique mix of offerings coupled with the state's business-friendly legislation and leadership has truly helped to take the business environment in Charleston to the next level.

Historic delivery of 787 Dreamliner to Air India begins a new chapter of Boeing airplane production in Charleston region

“Upload Charleston” will kickoff DIG SOUTH by spotlighting innovative companies and entrepreneurs across the Southeastern knowledge economy. DIG SOUTH will be April 12–14, 2013 in Charleston and will include an interactive conference, a creative and technology industry expo, plus a sideshow highlighting music, comedy improv and the arts.

For many in the Palmetto State’s contracting community, there is both hope for avoiding the blows from a budget ax and acceptance of the need for long-term adjustments to new defense spending realities. “Employees are concerned but calm,” Hank Taylor, vice president of global business development for the Charleston Regional Development Alliance told Government Executive. “The message from folks in the defense community is one of diversification in the customer base, to work not just for DoD, but with other agencies that would not be hit as hard with sequestration.”

The 2012 Regional Economic Scorecard was rolled out this morning by the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce, the Charleston Regional Development Alliance, and SC Biz News. Although there is tremendous progress happening on many fronts in the Charleston region, there is still room for improvement.

JetBlue airlines, a low-cost carrier, will soon start three nonstop, daily flights to and from NY's JFK International Airport twice a day and from Boston's Logan International Airport once a day. The flights will begin in February, 2013.

Talent development in the region is a key to keeping companies growing in the Charleston area without having to look outside of the area for the talent they need. Supplying adequate talent to the businesses here can also attract new business to the area.

The PGA was a great backdrop for attracting those interesting in investing in Charleston and putting new business here, and a great chance to connect those parties with current local business leaders.

Three technology companies headquartered in Charleston, S.C. have earned a spot on the annual Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing companies.

Real estate expert Lawrence Yun sees promising and sustainable recovery for the Charleston residential real estate market.

Morgan Olson LLC, a maker of walk-in van bodies, today announced that it will establish its new plant in North Charleston. The $1 million investment is expected to generate 119 new jobs and will begin production by October 22.

Charleston is among five ports whose infrastructure projects will be expedited, the Obama administration said, and that means the Port of Charleston could be deepened nearly a year earlier than estimated.

Charleston's economic development efforts are paying off, largely due to manufacturing and the large skilled workforce manufacturing operations require.

Charleston is a wonderful place to visit any time of year. Aside from the common suggestions of visiting Fort Sumter, seeing the elegant homes South of Broad, and checking out the Spoleto Festival, Annie Fitzsimmons found a few other things to enjoy on a recent visit. Circa 1886, Husk, and McCrady's are dining recommendations, Middleton Place Planatation is an elegant and historically rich place to visit, Gibbes Museum of Art boasts paintings that make the city's rich history come alive, and gracious hotels are featured.

Broad Street Interactive, started in 2007 by CEO Charlie Ray, is coming back to Charleston. Broad Street, started in Charleston, closed up shop here in 2009 to move headquarters to Austin, TX; however, the allure of Charleston, clients all along the eastern seaboard, and benefits offered by the Charleston Digital Corridor prompted the return of Ray and other key company employees to the Charleston area.

The Zucker Family Graduate Education Center, a public-private project on the Clemson Restoration Institute Campus, will cost a total of $20 million and is expected to open in 2014. The next-generation building will soon rise from the brownfield site in North Charleston and cut a striking figure along the Cooper River. The idea of the new center is that Clemson’s faculty and students will mix with cutting-edge industries to bring innovation quickly to market. Among the target fields are composite materials, advanced computing and energy systems.

Roughly 100 people crammed into Berkeley County Council Chambers today for an introduction to the county’s new high-voltage cable manufacturer, Nexans. Nexans’ site at the Bushy Park Industrial Complex will be the company’s first high-voltage manufacturing plant in North America, and company officials expect it to create 200 jobs and invest $85 million in the Lowcountry. Nexans expects the plant to open in 2014.

Despite being the 75th largest metro area in the U.S., Charleston is ranked in the top 10 fastest growing cities for software and Internet technology, according to the Charleston Regional Development Alliance. TwitPic and Amazon's CreateSpace count among the household names to emerge from Charleston. Additional prominent companies with footprints in the city include Blackbaud, Boeing, and Google. Successful startups draw out-of-town talent and warm the water for other startups. Charleston entrepreneurs point to local government as partially responsible for the fertile tech climate.

For the first time, a Boeing Dreamliner made in North Charleston took flight, staying aloft through rigorous testing over the Atlantic Ocean before landing safely back at Charleston International Airport. The voyage represented another major success for the local plant and another step forward for the state’s aviation ambitions.

A Canadian company sees promise in the Lowcountry’s tech sector and expects to add more employees to Charleston-based Avista Solutions following its recent acquisition. “We think this is a very material growth opportunity,” said Gerrard Schmid, CEO of D&H.

South Carolina moved up a spot to No. 7 on Chief Executive magazine’s list of the best states in which to do business in 2012. The magazine released today its eighth annual survey of “CEO opinion of Best and Worst States in which to do business.” Texas ranked No. 1 and California ranked No. 50, rankings that have remained the same for eight consecutive years. South Carolina ranked No. 8 in 2011 and No. 10 in 2010.

Forbes annual survey of the “Best places for jobs in the U.S.,” ranks the Charleston region #5 among mid-size metros and #29 overall. This is up from #8 in 2011. Rankings are based on recent growth trends, mid-term growth, long-term growth and the region’s momentum. Mid-size metro areas are defined as having a current nonfarm employment base of 150,000 to 450,000 jobs.

The 787 Dreamliner "Made with pride in South Carolina" has shifted the dynamics of U.S. aircraft manufacturing. It is the first commercial jet built on the East Coast and the first assembled by a nonunion workforce. The 240-acre site in North Charleston includes the first new jetliner assembly campus in the U.S. in more than four decades and Boeing's first outside Washington state.

The driver for wind-energy jobs in greater Charleston is Clemson University’s Wind Turbine Drivetrain Testing Facility, now under construction on the former Navy base in North Charleston. Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, the $98 million facility will be the largest of its kind in the world, capable of testing enormous 7.5 and 15 megawatt turbines under stressful conditions.

Clemson University has secured funding to create a multimillion-dollar energy grid testing system at the Wind Turbine Drivetrain Testing Facility in North Charleston. “At 15 megawatts, this will be the largest grid simulator in the world,” said Nick Rigas, senior scientist and director of the drivetrain testing center.

In all, the payroll from Boeing trickles through the Charleston region with nearly a $5 billion impact, according to a study last fall from the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce. The study, based on 5,000 employees at the time, estimated the economic impact at $4.6 billion, sustaining another 12,000 jobs in the region. Boeing now has more than 6,000 workers in North Charleston.

Even as Boeing South Carolina made history by rolling out its first 787 Dreamliner on Friday, the talk was as much about the future as it was about the accomplishments to date.

South Carolina's first 787 Dreamliner emerged from Boeing Co.'s final assembly building amid a haze of manufactured fog at 2:30 p.m. today. The 787 turned 45 degrees, and parked behind the stage directly in front of the crowd. The jet, purchased by Air India, has not yet been flown or given a final paint job, but bears the Air India logo in red paint on the white aircraft. Also, the front of the fuselage sports a large painted Palmetto and crescent, as on the South Carolina flag. It says,“Made with pride in South Carolina.”