Officials upbeat at forum on economy - Georgetown County leaders discuss area's proposals, potential

PAWLEYS ISLAND -- When S.C. Secretary of Commerce Joe E. Taylor visited London a few months ago, he was greeted by a familiar sight: products made from South Carolina.

Hundreds of miles from home, Taylor saw BMW X5 sport utility vehicles made in Greer, bought a Fuji camera originally made in Greenwood and read about the innovative Boeing's 787 Dreamliner produced in Charleston on the front page of a London newspaper.

"It's a new day," Taylor said Thursday to a crowd of about 100 at the fourth annual Georgetown County Economic Forum at Pawleys Plantation.

"We are competitive in a global market, and we are a destination of choice," said Taylor.

During the forum, speaker after speaker touted the bright future of the economy of the state of South Carolina and Georgetown County, boasting of job growth rates and revenue growth.

State and local officials spoke Thursday about upcoming projects for Georgetown County with capital improvements planned for the Port of Georgetown, more than 200 new jobs with the opening of the American Gypsum plant in the spring and future impact fees.

In his State of the County speech, Georgetown County Board Chairman Sel Hemingway said future challenges facing the county include implementing a comprehensive land use plan, county-wide zoning, developing a recreation and transportation master plan.

This year the county also expects to break ground on a new judicial center and look at consolidation of the water and sewer suppliers in the county in addition to continuing to deal with the challenges of the Crown Pointe development, which is expected to bring in an additional 7,000 homes to Georgetown County, Hemingway said.

The forum's keynote speaker, Bernard Groseclose Jr. of the State Ports Authority, highlighted the port's contribution to the state and local economy.

"This year has set a record for volume and revenues," he said.

Operating revenues totaled $154 million, up 11.6 percent from last year, while operating earnings rose to $53.3 million. Cargo tonnage for Charleston, Georgetown and Port Royal also increased, rising to 2 million tons -- more than a hundred thousand tons more than last year.

The Port of Georgetown is directly responsible for about 1,500 hundred jobs in Georgetown, said Groseclose, president and CEO of the Ports Authority.

And with the closing of Port Royal near Beaufort, the port authority is expecting to divert millions in resources and funding to Georgetown and Charleston, Groseclose said.