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Greenville Business Magazine

#YeahTHATAgenda: Greenville F-16s Bound for Taiwan?, Workforce Woes, New Biz in Simpsonville, KFC Robot Ice Cream Makers, The Economics of Male-Pattern Baldness

Mar 22, 2019 01:37PM ● By Chris Haire
Businesses in the Donaldson and S.C. Technology and Aviation area say that an inability to find skilled workers is hampering hiring, according to a new workforce survey from the Workforce Data Collaborative:  Of the top five barriers to sustainable employment, 60% of those surveyed said the labor pool's lack of technical skills/training is a contributing factor. Other employment obstacles: 32% of employers identified a lack of transportation; 28%, substance abuse; 24%, a criminal background; and 20%, a lack of soft skills.

Not surprising, the workforce survey also found that 64% of businesses in the area "characterized their ability to fill open positions as somewhat difficult or difficult." 

Sixty-four percent of the employers in the SCTAC area surveyed are manufacturers, and an overwhelming majority -- 76% -- plan to increase headcounts at their respective businesses. Nearly half have more than 100 employees.

Some of the notable employers in the area are Lockheed Martin and 3M, which recently announced a $60 million capital investment over the next five years. As for Lockheed Martin, they recently negotiated a deal to manufacture 70 Greenville-produced F-16 fighter jets for the Kingdom of Bahrain in a contract worth $1.1 billion dollars. 

Earlier today, Bloomberg reported that the Trump administration wants to sell Greenville-built F-16s to Taiwan, a move opposed by China. Bloomberg also notes that any Taiwan-bound F-16s would not take flight until at least 2021, which is when the first Bahrain fighter jets will be completed.

The Workforce Data Collaborative is a joint venture of Greenville Area Development Corporation, Appalachian Council of Governments, the Greenville Chamber of Commerce, and SC Works. 

For more information on the study, see the graphic below. 

5 new business developments on the way in Simpsonville (Greenville News)

 
Long-dormant Woodburn Road luxury housing development revived (Spartanburg Herald-Journal)

Take a sneak peek inside Lexington Medical Center’s massive new patient tower (The State)

SC artist promotes African American-owned businesses on Twitter (Post and Courier)

Boeing Faces First Order Cancellation for MAX Since Crash (WSJ)


The U.S. Army is building a giant VR battlefield to train soldiers virtually (Digital Trends)


A banker’s guide to Facebook’s new advertising rules (American Banker)

Why the next tech boom will be led by a different type of founder (Medium)
 
Survey: Top CEOs Report Weaker Economic Outlook for 1Q (Manufacturing.Net)


Outgoing FDA chief says new CBD laws are preferred to regulations (Supermarket News)



How much will men pay to fight baldness (Department of Economics, Appalachian State)

Men find ice-cold beers in a field after long hours cleaning up Nebraska flood wreckage (Washington Post)

The Wire
Ellipsis Technologies Receives SC Launch, Inc Investment

50 Most Influential
Dr. Spence M. Taylor
Greenville Health System
President

Spence M. Taylor, M.D., is a vascular surgeon and joined Greenville Health System (GHS) after a tour of active duty in the Air Force in 1992.  When he was named president of GHS in 2016, he became the organization’s first physician leader. 

Prior to his current leadership role, Dr. Taylor has served GHS as the chair of the Department of Surgery, executive director of the University Medical Group, president of GHS Clinical University, and vice president of Academics.

Under his leadership, GHS has experienced unprecedented growth and advancement in academics, including development of a one-of-a-kind education and research model called the GHS Health Sciences Center and designation as an academic health center. He also led the development of the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville and served as its founding senior associate dean of academic affairs and diversity. 

He is currently serving as the chair of the American Board of Surgery.