2017 was a great year for our economy, our state and our county. Unemployment remained low, wages increased, and the GDP remained solid. York County had 12 firms locate or expand in York County with plans to add nearly 1,200 new jobs and invest over $100 million in capital investment.

Economic development rankings of U.S. states by both Area Development and Site Selection magazine listed South Carolina as one of the top states for doing business - while York County led the nation in job growth, quadrupling the national average.

The private sector displayed confidence in our market investing in office and industrial speculative buildings. Currently there are 9 buildings with over 2 million square feet of available space on the market.

York County residents voiced support for investing critical dollars into our road infrastructure. Once again, passing the Pennies for Progress program, with 78% of voters in favor of the initiative, helping us continue to maintain our focus on improving and maintaining road infrastructure. This is crucial as we experience significant growth in jobs, residents and business establishments in York County.

Key to our success is a pro-business approach; rewarding performance based incentives, speed to permitting, competitive labor environment, as well as a cooperative and responsive government. In York County we are helping team South Carolina in this endeavor to be the best at having a top ranked business climate.

Without a doubt, local and state government play a significant role in these efforts, but the truth remains that we cannot be successful without the direct engagement of the business community and the support of the community as a whole. Together we demonstrated success.

We look forward to continued collaboration, growth and success in 2018. Success that brings better diversity into our local economy as it continues to reinforce the message that York County is —The Location You Need.  The Life You Want.