South Carolina Ports (SC Ports) has reported an annual economic revenue effect of $87 billion in South Carolina, with the Upstate accounting for more than half of that total.
South Carolina generates a $44 billion economic impact in the Upstate each year, with port operations, directly and indirectly, supporting 132,000 jobs in the region, according to a recent study by research economist and University of South Carolina Professor Dr. Joseph Von Nessen.
The port’s economic effect in the Upstate has grown by 34 per cent since the study’s latest update in 2019.
For decades, SC Ports has served as a supply chain partner to numerous worldwide corporations headquartered in the Upstate, effectively transferring their imports and exports via the Port of Charleston.
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In 2013, SC Ports established a presence in the Upstate by building Inland Port Greer, which expanded the Port of Charleston’s reach 212 miles inland with dedicated, daily train service.
The direct rail link to the Port of Charleston benefits shippers by allowing them to get products to market faster.
Inland Port Greer transports commodities for manufacturing, giant merchants, and the consumer goods sectors across the Southeast. Many of these corporations have invested in Upstate operations to capitalise on the inland port.
This has reportedly aided Inland Port Greer’s success, as it has handled more than 156,000 containers this fiscal year, a 33 per cent increase over the previous year.
To accommodate the Upstate’s phenomenal development, SC Ports is reportedly investing in Inland Port Greer with 9,000 feet of additional rail and an enlarged container yard capable of handling 50 per cent more cargo.
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SC Ports President and CEO, Barbara Melvin, said: “We are so proud that our port system makes a big economic impact across the entire state, and that more than half of that economic benefit occurs right here in the Upstate; the breadbasket of advanced manufacturing for South Carolina, as well as a strong retail and exporting region. Every time we move a container, it represents real opportunities in our communities.”
Von Nessen stated: “We have seen sustained and substantial economic growth in the Upstate, particularly among port-dependent businesses that are expanding operations and investing in new facilities in the region. Our state’s economic success is directly linked to SC Ports’ growth as the 8th largest container port in the country.”
