Proterra Inc., which develops and assembles drive and energy storage systems for heavy-duty vehicles, including their ground-breaking BE-35 fast-charge battery-electric transit bus, today announced that it will locate a facility in Greenville County at the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) for research and development as well as assembly of its products.

Charleston-based human resources software company PeopleMatter® announced that it has received $2.3 million in investment capital from Harbert Venture Partners to help the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) company market its unique, peoplecentric solutions that develop and motivate employees in a way that will grow a business. PeopleMatter brings the emerging world of online “talent management” to small and mid-sized businesses. The company’s software packs the power of a Fortune 500 management system in a program that is affordable, easy to use and intended for small and mid-sized businesses.

The Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association honored the Charleston Area Convention & Visitors Bureau with three Adrian Awards during its annual awards ceremony. The Adrian Awards honor outstanding achievement in advertising, public relations and Web marketing in the travel industry.

Roper St. Francis Healthcare was named among the Top 100 Integrated Health Networks in the United States for 2010 by Modern Healthcare. The print magazine and online source for business news in the health care industry ranked Roper St. Francis No. 46, which puts the health care system in the top 50 for two consecutive years.

Students from all across Charleston County can attend a new aeronautical career academy at Stall High School this fall in a Boeing-spurred project. The academy comes to Charleston County School District through a $50,000 grant from Boeing. Although the concept of career academies is nothing new to the district, this one will be a bit different and a bit bigger.

The Port of Charleston’s cruise business makes broad and diverse contributions the local economy and is projected to pump $37 million into the region this year while supporting more than 400 jobs. Restaurants and hotels see positive impacts from the cruise business, yet the greatest spending occurs in transportation services, such as the ground shuttle and the port industry.

FastTracSC, an organization designed to help entrepreneurs hone the skills needed to create, manage, and grow successful businesses in South Carolina, reached a statewide milestone and celebrated achieving over 1,000 graduates. FastTracSC is a coalition of agencies with a vision of creating new businesses, new jobs and new wealth for South Carolinians through the FastTrac® entrepreneurial training programs developed by the Kauffman Foundation.

Charleston’s knowledge economy is growing at a robust pace such that the demand for highly skilled professional and technical workers is outpacing existing recruiting efforts by individual companies to supply them. With this in mind, a group of local technology companies collaborated with Charleston’s Business Development Office to conceive and launch Charleston Works™, a comprehensive workforce development initiative designed to promote Charleston as an emerging premium destination for technology professionals.

The benefits spurred by Boeing's expansion in the Lowcountry will be tangible to Charleston County students this fall with the opening of a new aeronautics academy on the Stall High School campus. Boeing has given the district a $50,000 grant to train teachers for this new program, which likely will focus on aircraft assembly technology and airframe and aircraft maintenance technology.

Energy Inc., headquartered in Charleston, has received an investment from 3M through its 3M New Ventures arm. Energy Inc. manufactures a device that measures energy use — called The Energy Detective — that was invented by company president Dolph Rodenberg. The two companies had previously been working together on research and development efforts.

The Copper Innovation Center has opened at the S.C. Research Authority in North Charleston. The joint public-private research center is an initiative of the Copper Development Association and the International Copper Association. It will encourage collaboration among government entities, research institutions, universities, industry stakeholders and nongovernmental organizations.

A new Center of Economic Excellence at the Medical University of South Carolina will focus on creating new drugs for cancer, arthritis, diabetes and other diseases. The $10 million Lipidomics, Pathobiology and Therapy Center of Economic Excellence will recruit two endowed chairs to take lipidomics research that’s already being done at MUSC and translate it into drugs, treatment and clinical research.

Nick Rigas, a wind power entrepreneur who spearheaded the state's effort to land a $98 million wind turbine test lab in North Charleston, will be the facility's director and senior scientist, Clemson University Restoration Institute officials said Wednesday.

DC Machine LLC will expand its operation in Berkeley County. The $3 million investment is expected to generate more than 25 new jobs. DC Machine will begin construction on a new 35,000 square foot building to house additional operations. In the fourth quarter of 2009, the company moved into a state-of-the-art 15,000 square foot to begin expanding capacity. The company is utilizing high-tech metal working machines to make components for the medical, aerospace, and military industries.

The Port of Charleston remains the primary export site for the BMW luxury automobiles and keeps growing. Most recently, Höegh Autoliners, an international vehicle transportation operator, added the Port of Charleston to its Middle East service and will load BMWs made at the German company's plant in Greer.

South Carolina’s biggest industry received a major boost today when one of the world’s top tourism experts, Dr. Simon Hudson, officially arrived at the University of South Carolina, recruited through the state’s Centers of Economic Excellence (CoEE) Program. He will lead the Center of Economic Excellence in Tourism and Economic Development, which is housed in USC’s College of Hospitality, Retail, and Sport Management and affiliated with Coastal Carolina University.

ArborGen, LLC, and Range Fuels, Inc., are working together on a project to evaluate the usefulness of woody biomass as a source of cellulose for biofuels. Range Fuels is looking at a variety of non-food biomass feedstocks to see which ones might be most efficiently and economically converted to cellulosic biofuels. Cutting edge research, like that being done with Range Fuels, will help businesses determine the types of woody biomass best suited for particular green energy uses.

The S.C. State Ports Authority has taken some business from an East coast competitor that will result in two ships docking in Charleston each month. Hoegh Autoliners, based in Oslo, Norway, expects to load more than 5,000 vehicles each year, starting this month.

The five areas that Moody’s foresees home prices performing best in 2010 are: Tacoma, Wash., (an increase of 2.44%); Memphis, Tenn., (up 0.99%); Pittsburgh (up 0.89%); Charleston, S.C. (up 0.18%); and Seattle (decline of 0.50%). (These five markets are culled from data on Moody’s Economy.com and based on the largest 100 metro areas.) These pockets of the country share a few important characteristics. One is that they are starting with a limited supply of housing stock. Another is that throughout most of the decade, prices basically stayed in synch with household income, says Cochrane.

An analysis by a Dow Jones financial markets publisher has put Charleston in the Top 50 best cities in which to do business. MarketWatch scored the nation’s 101 largest metropolitan areas — those with 500,000 or more people — using 10 metrics, including five that measured companies per capita and five that looked at economic stability, including employment, growth and gross domestic product.

The BookArc, an accessory for Apple computers made by Charleston-based Twelve South, has been selected by MacWorld as one of its top 38 Great Gadgets for 2009. The product is featured on the cover of the magazine’s current issue. that holds any Apple MacBook, from MacBook Air to the 17-inch MacBook Pro. The BookArc frees up desk space and creates a cleaner, less cluttered work area by allowing the MacBook to operate while in a closed vertical position.

The state Film Commission has awarded a $208,000 grant to the film and television department at Trident Technical College. The grant will be used to fund industry-led seminars for South Carolina students and industry professionals to elevate local production and filmmaking skills. The funding was provided through the S.C. Motion Picture Incentive Act.