“The best part of the Lowcountry is the people. I love living in a place where people are nice to each other.”

It seems light-hearted, but often we forget how crucial this asset is to a community. If you spend any time at all in Charleston, it doesn’t take you long to come to the conclusion on your own. You can also see it through the latest numbers – more people are coming to and staying in the Charleston region than are leaving – in fact we’re adding 11,000 new residents annually.

In the past two months, the Charleston Regional Development Alliance (CRDA) hosted business development project managers and research analysts from the South Carolina Department of Commerce. We presented compelling information on how Charleston has become a destination not only for visitors and retirees, but for talented, working age people searching for employment and career opportunities.

• Jacki Renegar, research analyst for the CRDA and the Center for Business Research, described the characteristics of the 30 people a day moving to the Charleston region. Of those people moving here, 62% are within prime working age and a similar percentage have at least some higher education. Charleston is drawing people from other parts of the state (47% of the total), the country (43%), and the world (10%).

• Terrance Rivers, Area Director for ReadySC, focused in on the resources within the area to adapt skills to match the job opportunities. He shared a remarkable story how ReadySC adapted cake decorators’ attention-to-detail to apply sealant for components in the Boeing 787. Since 2009, ReadySC has trained more than 4,500 people and assisted dozens of companies in both the aerospace industry and automotive industry.

• Mary Graham, Chief Advancement Officer at the Charleston Metro Chamber, highlighted the success of the growing Career Academies and the Youth Apprenticeship program in our local high schools. Students learn first-hand industry expertise while in high school from experts in 140 local businesses, the most amongst similar programs across the U.S. These programs create multiple paths for our local students to find quality, high-paying jobs.

Whether it is world-class jets, cars, software, restaurants, or other creative products and services, the talented and hardworking people of the Charleston metro are creating an interesting, thriving economy.

If you’re looking to start, expand or locate a business, or you’re seeking a place to advance your career, we invite you to get to know Charleston and contact the team at the Charleston Regional Development Alliance for location assistance.

Contact Us:
Phone: 843.767.9300
Email: [email protected]