(Photo - SCPA - English Purcell)

Cargo Volumes Up 8 Percent at Port of Charleston, up 19 Percent At Inland Ports

Horry-Georgetown Technical College, Tidelands Health Partner To Open Education Center, Expand Nursing Program

Tidelands Health and Horry-Georgetown Technical College are expanding the organizations’ longtime partnership with, officials said, an innovative strategy to educate and train more registered nurses to meet growing demand.

Through support from the not-for-profit health system, HGTC is expanding its nursing program to a new location on the Tidelands Health campus in Murrells Inlet.

Officials said the partnership is allowing more aspiring nurses to enroll in HGTC’s nursing degree program, which had reached capacity at its locations in Myrtle Beach and Georgetown.

The new location’s first cohort of up to 24 nursing students was scheduled to start class Aug. 26, 2024, and will officially move into the new Tidelands Health HGTC Education Center on the Tidelands Waccamaw Community Hospital campus this fall when renovations are complete.

“We are thrilled to announce a significant milestone for Horry-Georgetown Technical College and the communities we serve,” said Marilyn Murphy Fore, Ed.D., HGTC president.

Fore added, “Starting in the fall of 2024, we will extend our nursing classes to a new location in Murrells Inlet. This expansion reflects our unwavering commitment to providing accessible and high-quality nursing education. It has been made possible through the generous support and longstanding partnership with Tidelands Health, representing an ongoing collaborative effort to meet the growing health care needs of our region.”

The newly established education site coordinated by the region’s largest health system and HGTC provides the opportunity for an additional 24 students to enroll in the two-year nursing program, training more nurses to help meet demand in the fast-growing Grand Strand region.

Students can qualify for zero tuition through the SC-WINS program, a workforce initiative that allows students entering fields such as nursing to get their education paid through grants.

“The Tidelands Health HGTC Education Center is a game-changer as we continue to pursue creative strategies for recruiting and training future health care professionals,” said Jeremy Stephens, Tidelands Health executive vice president and chief human resources officer.

Stephens added, “Tidelands Health can always count on our partners at Horry-Georgetown Technical College to work with us on innovative ways to meet workforce needs with a focus on the health and well-being of the residents in our region.”

Students in this new cohort will be headquartered on a hospital campus – a first for HGTC’s health care program.

The Tidelands Health HGTC Education Center will be located on the Tidelands Waccamaw campus, where students will complete classroom instruction in a 12,000-square-foot center that will simulate a health care environment with hospital patient beds and exam rooms. Students will also complete clinical rotations inside Tidelands Waccamaw.

As part of its McRoy and Jo Skipper Initiative for Learning and Teaching, Tidelands Health is donating infrastructure and equipment for the simulation center and providing adjunct faculty for the nursing program, which is part of the health system’s comprehensive strategy to invest in the next generation of health care professionals to serve the region.

Tidelands Health and HGTC have collaborated on health care education and training initiatives for decades.

In 2004, the health system donated $1 million to support the construction of the health care education wing on HGTC’s Georgetown campus.

Tidelands Health, in collaboration with MUSC Health, is the region’s largest health care provider, serving the Carolinas at four hospitals and more than 70 outpatient locations.

More than 2,500 employee, physician and volunteer partners work side by side with communities to transform the health of the region.

HGTC offers college transfer and skilled associate degree programs in more than 70 fields of study, and many with online class options.

Judson Mill District Adding 181 Loft Apartments

The Judson Mill District announced the transformation of the remaining two historic buildings known as the Jenny and Westervelt into 181 loft apartments in Greenville County, South Carolina.

Officials said the $60 million project will add approximately 170,000 square feet of residential space and marks completion of the Judson Mill revitalization.

Since the project at the century-old textile mill began in 2019, Belmont Sayre, Taft Family Ventures and Madrock Advisors have transformed nearly 800,000 square feet of historic buildings into office, restaurant, brewery, retail, entertainment, and residential spaces with a total investment of more than $100 million.

With a variety floorplans ranging from studio to three bedrooms, the apartment construction is scheduled to be completed in Q2 2025 and leasing will kick off in early 2025.

“Our goal is to preserve the legacy of these historic structures while fostering a modern, vibrant community where residents can thrive and connect," said Ken Reiter, co-developer of Judson Mill District and president of Belmont Sayre. “This project represents the culmination of our vision for the Judson Mill District."

Officials said the Westervelt building, originally the front of the mill, was essential in converting cotton into thread, while the Jenny building, known as the "Twister Building," played a key role in yarn production.

The project is made possible through the collaboration of several key partners, including Self Help Credit Union, CommunityWorks, Lincoln Savings Bank, Foss & Company, Stonehenge Capital, Taft Family Ventures, Belmont Sayre, and Madrock Advisors.

For more information about the Judson Mill District and the latest information on the new apartments, go to https://judsonmilldistrict.com.

Once the largest textile mill in Greenville County, and an integral part of Greenville’s Mill Crescent wrapping the city’s west side, Judson Mill District is now home to office, restaurant, brewery, retail, entertainment, and residential spaces.

In 2019, Taft Family Ventures, a real estate investment and development firm based in Greenville, North Carolina, joined with Belmont Sayre, a privately held real estate investment and development company based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, to transform the historic 800,000-square-foot textile mill that closed in 2015.

Employment and Workforce Executive Director’s Statement on July 2024 S.C. Employment

South Carolina’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased from 3.6 percent in June to 3.9 percent in July. The national unemployment rate increased to 4.3 percent, according to the Current Population Survey.

“For the fifth consecutive month, South Carolina continues setting record-breaking numbers as more people are working than ever before. As of July, the number of individuals employed in the state is 2,415,142, an increase of 4,983 compared to the prior month,” said S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce (DEW) Executive Director William Floyd.

Floyd added, “The total labor force is also up by 13,044 people to 2,512,921 with a positive uptick in the labor force participation rate from 57.3 percent in June to this month’s number of 57.5 percent. The number of payroll jobs reported by employers is also up to 2,390,800 from last month’s 2,382,400.”

These record-setting numbers are on trend with national numbers which have seen an increase in both employment and unemployment in recent months, Floyd said.

South Carolina’s July unemployment rate moved up to 3.9 percent, which remains below the national rate of 4.3 percent.

Even with the expansion of the number of people employed in South Carolina, there are thousands of job openings available, Floyd said.

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