South Carolina Manufacturing Going Strong; Crescent Signs Former Disney Development Executive

By Eliza Theiss, Associate Editor

South Carolina’s economy is growing strong, show the latest reports. According to numbers cited by the South Carolina Department of Commerce, the Palmetto State’s 2.7 percent Real GDP growth rate outpaced not only the regional average of 2.1 percent, but also the national average of 2.5 percent.

One of the strongest industries of South Carolina has proven to be its manufacturing, with the state recruiting over $9 billion in capital investments since 2011, creating over 23,000 manufacturing jobs. Such is the growth rate of its manufacturing industry, that the Palmetto State now sports the strongest growing manufacturing GDP on the East Coast.

And it’s no surprise. During the current month already hundreds of new manufacturing jobs have been announced as a result of millions in private investment projects throughout the state. Among June’s investments are two facilities in Barnwell County that are expected to create 95 new jobs. One of the projects will be an expansion of Dayco Products LLC’s existing manufacturing facility worth $2 million. The automotive manufacturer will add new equipment to the facility and create a minimum of 15 new jobs. The second Barnwell investment announced is also an expansion. National Beverage Screen Printers Inc. (NBS) has announced expanding its Williston operations to the worth of $2.5 million that will create 80 workplaces. Another major June project was Canadian bakery products manufacturer Fancy Pokket Corporation’s groundbreaking of it $13 million brand new gluten-free production facility in Lancaster County. The 57,000-square-foot plant will be located in the Air-Rail Business Park, where it will create 68 new jobs over five years. The $13 million facility will be up and running in 2014.

In other South Carolina news, leading multifamily developer and operator Crescent Communities has announced its appointment of former Disney Imagineering/Disney Development Company Executive David Muenks as senior development manager to lead planning for Palmetto Bluff, a Crescent signature community in South Carolina’s Lowcountry. Muenks’ previous experience includes professional consulting firm Fetterhoff Company. At Fetterhoff, Muenks directed program and project management support services for Shanghai Disney Resort, Walt Disney Imagineering’s retail and entertainment district under development in China. He was also at the forefront of design and construction of infrastructure and resort facilities at Walt Disney World Resort and The Celebration Company in Orlando, Fla.

Photo courtesy of Crescent Communities