#YeahTHATWeekendAgenda: Farmhouse Pizza Opens, US News Honors Greenville, New Firms Coming to GVL, The State of Tech in SC, Women in Business Awards
Apr 13, 2019 01:58AM ● By Chris Haire
Greenville has topped all other South Carolina cities in this years U.S. News Best Places list -- including the travel magazine world's perennial No. 1 U.S. city, Charleston: This year #yeahTHATgreenville came in at No. 22, a big jump up from No. 31 last year. As expected, the Main Street scene and Falls Park were two of Greenville' most noteworthy standouts, along with our low cost of living, proximity to the mountains, mild weather, and our manufacturing base.
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South Carolina is not exactly known as a tech hub, but according to a new report, the Palmetto State isn't doing quite so bad: In a recently released report from Comptia, a leading IT trade association, South Carolina ranks 34th among U.S. states when it comes to tech workers as a percentage of the total workforce -- a ranking that places the Palmetto State closer to the middle than the bottom.
Some South Carolina 128,521 workers, or 5.8% of the total workforce, can claim they work in the IT sector, while neighboring Georgia can claim 16th place, with 7.7% percent of its total workforce in IT (361,894 workers). Meanwhile, sister state North Carolina can claim 18th place, with 7.6% of its total workforce in IT (354,166).The median salary for tech workers in the Palmetto State: $69,400. In the Peach State: $80,300; and the Tarheel State: $79,100.
At $1.7 billion in investments, North Carolina is also among the Top 5 states for venture capital, putting it in the company of California ($32.2 billion), New York ($9.5 billion), Massachusetts ($3.5 billion), and Texas ($1.5 billion).
South Carolina's leading IT sectors all experienced year-over-year growth, with IT Services and Custom Software Services (+5.9%) and Tech Manufacturing (+7.1%) leading the charge.
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Farmhouse Pizza is now officially open on Laurens Road: The throwback pizza parlor from the Farmhouse Tacos and Hare & Field team opened Tues. April 9, at 1813 Laurens Road, the site of the old Monterrey's.
Farmhouse Pizza offers a selection of traditional and contemporary pies, classic salads and sandwiches, and six different types of brined-and-fried wings, from Blue Buffalo to Korean BBQ to the Nashville Reaper.
The restaurant is open seven days a week, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Mon.-Sat. and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sun.
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Will several out-of-town firms soon announce a move to the GSA market? The answer is "likely," according to the first quarter real estate report from Colliers International.
In the report, Colliers notes, "The Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson office market is in high demand. Out-of-town users are beginning to tour the office buildings and, due to the livability rating, low cost of living, and overall positive economy and business climate of the region, these prospects are likely to land deals in the next few quarters."Office rental rates across the GSA area are up from from Q1 2018, but the rental rates for Class A offices in the central business district are down from the same period.
Vacancies are expected to increase, especially in the Greenville central business district where "268,000 square feet of office construction is underway." Most of that office space will come courtesy of the new Camperdown development at Broad and Main streets.
The first quarter 2019 also brought with it 40,567 square of new office space -- 615 Congaree Road in Greenville and 411 Industrial Ct. in Spartanburg -- while overall 62,040 square feet was absorbed.
The market remains tenant friendly and will be so for the time being. "Due to construction deliveries and an uptick in vacancy within the suburban markets, a tenant is able to pick and choose the type and/or size of suites available to them," Colliers reports.
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Learn to improve your cross-cultural business skills: The World Affairs Council Upstate, in partnership with Upstate SC Alliance, will be hosting a half-day training session designed to help attendees develop strong and effective cross-cultural business skills.The current global economy calls for employees to possess the necessary skills to interact effectively with people from different cultural backgrounds. Knowing how to market in an appropriate context, negotiate and not alienate, forge trust, and successfully communicate are keys to success.
This workshop provides participants with the tools to be more fluent in any global business setting with a focus on the differences between Germany and France, as well as China and Japan. Brad Gosche, vice president and lead certified trainer of the Global Fluency Institute in Columbus, Ohio, will lead the workshop.
The afternoon panel discussion is an opportunity to hear from our expert panel, ask questions, and learn the importance of having our Upstate business community become globally fluent.
Led by moderator Dee Kivett, of Next Gen Supply Chain Integrator, panelists will share their first-hand experience in international business and the do's and don'ts that come through years of experience at the top of their fields.
The workshop and panel discussion will be on Tuesday, April 23 on 1 N. Main Street in Greenville.
To learn more, click here.
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Nominations Open For Inaugural SC Women In Business Awards: Integrated Media Publishing announces the launch of the first SC Women in Business Awards presented by Greenville Business Magazine, Columbia Business Monthly, and Charleston Business Magazine.
The 2019 SC Women In Business Awards are for female entrepreneurs, executives, employees, and the organizations they fund who are making a difference. This prestigious award will honor selected businesswomen across South Carolina based on career achievements, contributions to their company, and community involvement.
An award ceremony will be held in July. The recipients will be featured in the June issues of Columbia Business Monthly and Greenville Business Magazine and the July/August issue of Charleston Business Magazine.
Nominations are open and forms can be found here.
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Plans for a five-story 38-condo complex have been submitted to the Greenville Planning Commission: Located at 301 East Broad Street, at the corner of Broad and David Francis Street, the development would sit on 1.9 acres. Broad Street LLC is behind the complex while the Johnson Design Group is the architect.
Across the street from the McBee Station, development would also include a three-story garage ad would be a three-block walk to Main Street and two blocks from the Camperdown development, arguably the most anticipated project in the central business district.
Camperdown will feature the 17-story Falls Tower, the new AC Hotel By Marriott, and the Greenville News. The development will bring with it a mix of residential, retail, and some 150,000 square feet of office space. Local business solutions firm Elliott Davis plans to move its headquarters to Camperdown, as does the GVL HQ of Bank of America.
Along with Camperdown and the proposed 38-unit condo project, at least one more significant change is coming to what has been dubbed the East Gateway District, most notably the Grand Bohemian Greenville, a boutique hotel from the Kessler Collection.
Most of the other development in downtown Greenville is concentrated in the West End, a sign that the center of town is continuing to move away from the northern end of Main Street where downtown revitalization began nearly 40 years ago.
The current site of the proposed 38-condo development is below:
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Median Family Income Remains Stagnant in Greenville Market: The Richmond Fed's April report shows zero quarter-to-quarter growth (Q3 2018-Q4 2018) for median family income for Greenville, Charleston, and Columbia. Year to year, all three metros show positive movement, with income up 7.09% in Greenville, 4.33% in Columbia, and 8.28% in Charleston. Non-business bankruptcies also continue to fall across the state.
Not surprising given the time of the year, new housing units were down in April, with Charleston falling -19.19%, Columbia dropping 0.8%, and Greenville plummeting 44.1%. Median home sales prices were also down for the three metros.
Two good signs: unemployment continues to fall and the labor force rate continues to increase.