INVESTOR UPDATE MARCH 2016
MORE INFORMATION AVAILABLE AT WWW.CHARLESTONCHAMBER.NET OR CALL 843.577.2510
DRIVING GROWTH. Becoming a world-class metropolitan region. CONTENTS Letter from Leadership
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Innovation 2 Talent 4 Advocacy 6 AGC Investors
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4500 Leeds Avenue, Suite 100 North Charleston, SC 29405 www.charlestonchamber.net p: 843.577.2510
Dear Accelerate Greater Charleston Partner: When we launched Accelerate Greater Charleston in 2012, we embarked on a journey to make significant improvements and accelerate our work in the areas of Talent, Innovation and Advocacy for the prosperity of our region. In this fifth year, our work, fueled by your support, is showing continual progression and momentum, resulting in additional accomplishments for the Charleston region. In this Investor Update, read about World Trade Center Charleston’s (WTCC) increased visibility as a place of support and services for entering and working in global commerce. Other organizations’ recognition of WTCC brings further credibility and visibility to our role in leading the region’s export economy. Experts in global commerce join us to provide export training and to deliver international finance information and assistance. Twenty-five companies are now graduates of our Export Training Program. The growth of the region’s Career Academies is aided by the organic interest being generated by teachers and students based on their academy experiences thus far. In addition to the planned growth of Academies opening in new schools, six existing schools have requested to accelerate their growth by opening Academies in additional clusters. That is the positive result of educators, students and businesses working together on our region’s talent pipeline and experiencing the life-changing effects of career education for a student. A natural extension of the increased Academies is the substantial increase of scholarship recipients, made possible by Accelerate Greater Charleston. This spring we will award 75 students with full scholarships to Trident Tech (compared to fifteen in 2015), and nominations are flowing in from throughout the region. Our work in Advocacy continues to center on infrastructure funding, as the state legislature debates road improvement funding options. The Chamber’s advocacy team continues to represent the needs of the business community with strong messages to enact legislation to fund our infrastructure improvements. Additionally, the recognition of the Chamber by the military and defense communities indicates the significance with which we view our military operations and the role they continue to play in our economic prosperity. Thank you for your continued support of AGC. Your partnership makes all this possible. Respectfully yours,
Scott Woods 2016 Chair of the Board Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce
Bryan S. Derreberry President and CEO Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce
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INNOVATE TO CATALYZE DYNAMIC AND FAST-PACED BUSINESS SUCCESS Building a thriving economy to secure our region on the global commerce stage is made possible through Accelerate Greater Charleston. 5th Export Training Class Graduates Three Companies World Trade Center Charleston and the Charleston Metro Chamber executed the fifth cohort of the Export Training Program in February and March. Three companies enrolled in the program, bringing the total number of companies trained to 25. 5th cohort class participants are: KTM Solutions A mechanical solutions company that provides aerospace engineering and turnkey mechanical systems and specialty engineering services. Robco Inventors and makers of the Swurfer, a locally manufactured swingboard tree swing that allows the user to “surf the air”. Gillespie’s Peanuts – Rogers Brothers Peanuts, Inc. rowers, buyers and sellers of peanuts to manufacturers for oil, G peanut butter, wildlife seed, candy products, snack foods and other uses. The Export Training Program graduates are armed with customized export plans to aide them in their new international sales efforts. The program is designed for small- and medium-sized companies and is taught by a nationally awarded export leader. The next Export Training Program will begin in September, 2016.
Appointments to SC District Export Council Two leaders of World Trade Center Charleston (WTCC) have been selected to join the South Carolina District Export Council (SCDEC). Pennie Bingham, Executive Director, and Geoff Schuler, WTCC Steering Committee Chairman, have each been appointed through the U.S. Secretary of Commerce. The South Carolina District Export Council (SCDEC) is an organization of leaders from the local business community whose knowledge of international business provides a source of professional advice for local firms.
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The SCDEC works closely with the Columbia, Greenville and Charleston U.S. Export Assistance Centers (part of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Commercial Service) to help South Carolina businesses succeed in the global economy by providing counseling and mentoring, educational seminars, awareness of export opportunities and information on key issues affecting U.S. and South Carolina industry competitiveness in the global marketplace.
“ AS A LEADER OF A YOUNG MANUFACTURING STARTUP LOOKING TO BREAK INTO FOREIGN MARKETS, I FOUND THE INTERNATIONAL FINANCE SEMINAR FROM THE CHARLESTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE EXTREMELY HELPFUL. ON TOPICS RANGING FROM CURRENCY EXCHANGE TO THE WORKINGS OF THE EXIM BANK, THE SEMINAR PROVIDED ME WITH ACTIONABLE STRATEGIES I WILL UTILIZE IN THE NEAR-TERM ALONG WITH VALUABLE CONNECTIONS TO PEOPLE WHO CAN HELP ME GET THE WORK DONE. I AM VERY HAPPY TO HAVE ATTENDED.” Matt Ackerman, COO, Swurfer
International Finance Seminar hosted by World Trade Center Charleston An International Finance Seminar, held at the Charleston Metro Chamber on March 16, attracted numerous companies who came to hear from experts and learn about resources to help conduct global sales. Topics included financing exports, insuring international receivables, securing letters of credit, using the EXIM Bank and more. Speakers from throughout the southeastern region were: Andrew Collins Managing Partner Bannockburn Global Forex, LLC
Morris Ellison Principal Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice
Dan Holt International Finance Specialist U.S. Export Assistance Center (Charlotte, NC)
Sharyn Koenig Managing Director, Eastern Region EXIM Bank (Miami, Fl)
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TALENT FUELS SPEED TO IMPLEMENTATION AND ENHANCED PRODUCTIVITY Accelerate Greater Charleston works to provide our region’s employers with a highly skilled, work ready talent pool.
Career Academies Are Growing As the Chamber works with additional schools to join the Career Academy initiative already adopted by 21 area high schools, several existing schools are requesting additional Academies for the 2016/2017 school year based on their current successes and interest from students. They are: Adding For a total number of Academies St. John High 1 2 Lowcountry Tech Academy/Burke 4 5 Lincoln High 1 3 Summerville High 1 4 Ft. Dorchester High 1 4 Ashley Ridge High 1 4 More businesses are needed as Academy Partners. View the growing list of companies throughout the region who are working with students and educators to drive the future success of our local talent pool and join us in this continued work. Charlestonchamber.net/current-career-academy-partners.
Career Academy Cluster Meetings 135 Career Academy Partners (educators and businesses) gathered in December 2015 at the Chamber for Academy Cluster meetings, where they enjoyed connecting with other schools and sharing information. Clusters are STEM, Health, Computer Science, Business and Arts/Culinary. Attendees were also provided Best Practices for Effective Advisory Boards and heard a presentation on the Regional Economic Scorecard. Feedback was very positive, stating that the Economic Scorecard information was “invaluable and enlightening”. Printed Scorecards were provided for those requesting multiple copies to share at their schools. The relevance of the information in the Regional Economic Scorecard underscored the career preparation and talent pipeline work of each Academy participant.
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AGC Scholarships Due to the continuous support from our AGC investors, the Charleston Metro Chamber will award a total of 75 scholarships to graduating Career Academy seniors in May (compared to 15 in 2015 and 12 in 2014). This substantial increase is generating positive feedback and response from across the region. As of March 1, the Chamber has received 160 nominations and applications for scholarships. Scholarships will be awarded in April, 2016. Nominations By School District Berkeley County School District Charleston County School District Dorchester District 2
Number of High Schools Submitting Names 6 high schools 9 high schools 3 high schools (all)
Graduation Rates and Career Readiness As the Convener of the High School Graduation Network of Tri-County Cradle To Career Collaborative (TCCC), the Chamber leads the effort’s Guiding Team, which has spent the past several months taking a deep dive into the reasons students fail to graduate from high school. The entire High School Network – 70 organizations and non-profits – convene twice each year to share information and prioritize strategies for increasing the high school graduation rate and ensure all high school graduates are career or college-ready. These meetings will ultimately drive the creation of metrics for regional high school graduates’ Career Readiness Standards to be completed by the end of the year.
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ADVOCACY IS CENTRAL TO ADVANCING OUR REGION’S PROSPERITY Accelerate Greater Charleston’s advocacy efforts are designed to guarantee our region’s sustainable and prosperous growth.
Transportation/Infrastructure Funding As the SC Legislature re-convened in January, debate on a bill to fund improvements to roads and bridges resulted in numerous days of filibuster and gridlock. The Chamber’s lobbyist and leaders worked closely with other chambers in the state, as well as organizations such as the SC Trucking Association and the SC Alliance to Fix Our Roads to unite members and business professionals in a call to action. A communication campaign including email, social media, website messaging, push notifications and op-ed messaging to media was undertaken. Action on the part of recipients resulted in phone calls and emails to state senators insisting on the passage of a funding resolution. The Chamber will continue to keep members and stakeholders apprised of action on this crucial piece of legislation.
2016 Legislative Agenda The Charleston Metro Chamber’s 2016 Legislative Agenda was unveiled at the January Legislative Reception with more than 400 business leaders and elected officials in attendance. The Legislative Agenda outlines the top legislative priorities on the local, state and federal levels for which the Chamber will advocate in the South Carolina General Assembly. Transportation Infrastructure and Talent continue to top the agenda at all three levels. The Chamber’s State Lobbyist, the Business Advocacy Team and the Executive Leadership of the Chamber are focused on multiple communication efforts and meetings aimed at moving the needle on our business community’s most critical issues.
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“ MS. GRAHAM’S SELECTION TO THE CHIEF OF STAFF’S CIVIC LEADER PROGRAM IS TREMENDOUS AND REPRESENTS HER COMMITMENT AND DEDICATION TO JOINT BASE CHARLESTON AND TO THE AIR FORCE. HER KNOWLEDGE OF AIR FORCE AND DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE ISSUES IS EXTRAORDINARY BECAUSE OF HER MORE THAN 14 YEAR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE MILITARY AT THE LOCAL, STATE AND FEDERAL LEVELS.” Col. Robert Lyman, Commander, Joint Base Charleston
Graham Selected for U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Civic Leader Program Mary Graham, the Chamber’s Chief Advancement Officer, has been selected as a member of the U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff’s Civic Leader Program, which is comprised of a small number of respected community leaders from across the nation who provide unfiltered feedback from their communities and invaluable insight on local public opinion on Air Force issues to the Secretary of the Air Force, the Air Force Chief of Staff and senior Air Force leaders. Selections to the program are made through a nomination process by officials from Air Force major commands, the National Guard Bureau and Headquarters Air Force. The selection is a tremendous honor and reflects the significance of the Charleston Metro Chamber’s work with Joint Base Charleston and military personnel to support the military’s contribution to the region’s economy; work that is made possible through Accelerate Greater Charleston.
Association of Defense Communities Installation Innovation Forum The Chamber sponsored and assisted in the hosting of the ADC’s Installation Innovation Forum which took place in Charleston February 29 – March 2, attracting hundreds of military and civilian personnel and businesses from across the country working in defense infrastructure and readiness. The forum’s focus is on the building, sustaining and support of military value of installations in their communities, and is recognized by the DoD as the premier defense infrastructure-focused training event. The Chamber’s efforts and involvement were highlighted during the conference including the South Carolina Military Base Task Force and the development of the Airforce/Community P4 (shared services) initiative.
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THANK YOU AGC INVESTORS Abi Angel
Cooper River Partners
Adams Outdoor Advertising
CRBE
AECOM
CresCom Bank
ALCOA Mt. Holly
Daimler Vans Manufacturing LLC
Anderson Insurance Associates LLC
Dale Carnegie Training of SC LLC
Avison Young
Daniel Island Company, Inc.
Baker Motor Company
Dixon Hughes Goodman LLP
Bank of America Merrill Lynch
Dunhill Staffing Systems
BB&T
East Cooper Medical Center
Benefitfocus
Elliott Davis Decosimo LLC
Bently World Packaging
Francis Marion Hotel
Cady Nell West
Go To Team
CB Richard Ellis Carmody
Greg Barrett
CC&T Real Estate Services
Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd PA
CCCS International
Hendrick Automotive Group of Charleston
Chad Woods
Ingevity
Charleston Branch Pilots Association
Island Realty
Charleston County
Jay Werth
Charleston Defense
Jessica Jackson
Contractors Association
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John Osborne
Charleston Water System
John Rizzo
Chernoff Newman
Johnson Controls
Choate Construction Company
Jules Deas III
City of Charleston
K&L Gates LLP
City of North Charleston
KapStone Charleston Kraft LLC
Clawson and Staubes, LLC
Laura Alberts Tasteful Options
Colin Ross
Life Cycle Engineering
Limehouse Produce Co.
Scientific Research Corporation
Lowcountry Residential Builders LLC
SCRA
LS3P ASSOCIATES LTD
Seamon Whiteside + Associates
Maverick Southern Kitchens
Seidler & Associates LLC
Maybank Properties LLC
Showa Denko Carbon, Inc.
McKesson Corporation
Smith Moore Leatherwood LLP
McRae Hamer
Solvay
Medical University of South Carolina
South Carolina Aquarium
Meridian Energy & Environment LLC
South Carolina Federal Credit Union
Moody CPA’s & Advisors LLC
South Carolina Ports Authority
Mount Pleasant Waterworks
South State Bank
Mungo Homes
SteelFab of South Carolina
NAI Avant
Stryker Communications
Nexsen Pruet LLC
Stubbs-Muldrow-Herin Architects, Inc.
Nucor Steel
SunTrust Bank
O.L. Thompson Construction Co.
TD Bank
Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart
The Beach Company
Pegasus Steel
The Boeing Company
Plant Engineering Services (a Fluor Company)
The InterTech Group Inc.
Premier Logistics Solutions
The Post and Courier
PURE
Town of Mount Pleasant
Rawle Murdy
Trident Health
Residence Inn by Marriott - Charleston Riverview
Trident Technical College
Richard Guerzon
WebsterRogers LLP
Robert Bosch Corp.
Wells Fargo
Roper St. Francis Healthcare
WestRock
Santee Cooper
Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice LLC
SCE&G
Young Clement Rivers LLP
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Thank you for reviewing this Accelerate Greater Charleston Investor Update and for your ongoing support of our region’s metro advancement plan.
P.O. Box 975 Charleston, SC 29402-0975 www.charlestonchamber.net