#CharlestonAgenda: 450 New Jobs in Dorchester, Together SC's Nonprofit Summit, Art's Big SC Economic Impact, BenefitFocus, Budget Blinds

Together SC to host a summit for nonprofit leaders focusing on building boards next week: Together SC will host the 2019 Lowcountry Board Leadership Summit Tuesday, April 9 at The Citadel. The event brings together local sponsors Boeing and Grayson Law Firm along with June Bradham and Tucker Branham of CDM as hosts.

Designed for CEOs, executive directors, and board leaders from non-profit organizations, the summit challenges attendees to see their role from a new perspective. Organizations bringing three individuals receive a fourth registration for free as new or renewing members of Together SC.

“This summit will focus on the importance of board member engagement and how critical it is for nonprofits to consistently attract and engage rock star leaders,” said Debbie Nelson, Together SC’s Knowledge Network manager, in a release.

The hosts, Bradham and Branham, run a nonprofit consultancy in Charleston, and Bradham wrote the book “What Board Members Want.”

One-hour sessions will include topics such as how to recruit board members who could become chair and how to make board meetings count.

Together SC is a membership organization focused on supporting and strengthening the state’s nonprofit sector through education, advocacy, networking and leadership. More information on the summit is available at togethersc.org. --Leigh Savage

***We're talking about a statewide economic impact of $32.9 billion, 600 firms, and 113,000 workers bringing home a total compensation of $5.4 billion annually, according to a 2017 study from SC Logistics, a division of the S.C. Council on Competitiveness. And those figures make logistics a bigger industry than aerospace ($19 billion economic impact/22,000 workers) and automotive ($27 billion/61,000 workers). Now, it's getting even bigger.Yesterday, Germany's DHL Supply Chain unveiled their new Lowcountry plans: they plan to build a new distribution and warehousing park on a 125-acre site in St. George supporting an estimated 450 new jobs, according to a company statement. The price tag: $100 million. "The Charleston region is perfectly positioned for global business, offering one of the world’s leading contract logistics providers, DHL Supply Chain, prime access to one-third of the U.S. population and proximity to a variety of global ands," said Charleston Regional Development Alliance Board Chairman Robert Pratt in a release. "The One Region Global Competitiveness strategy identified DHL as a key recruitment target vital to the growth of our region’s advanced logistics cluster and other high-impact industries. We are pleased the company selected Dorchester County as its home.” A major factor in the growing logistics industry in South Carolina: the Port of Charleston. “South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) is seeing significant distribution center and warehousing activity in our region, driven by port users who rely on our marine and inland facilities to handle growing import volumes bound for consumers across the Southeast," said S.C. Ports Authority President and CEO Jim Newsome. "SCPA congratulates DHL Supply Chain on their plans to open a new facility, which will support the international supply chain needs of multiple port-related business segments.”Once completed, the current Charleston Harbor Deepening Project will likely lead to more logistics growth in South Carolina. According to SC Logistics, the future looks bright. Check out the infographic below to see their predictions.New 9-story building for offices, parking coming to downtown Charleston (Post and Courier)Engine issues force Singapore Airlines to ground North Charleston-made 787-10 Dreamliners (Post and Courier)Trump’s Sale of Greenville-made F-16 Jets to Taiwan Is Making China Nervous (Bloomberg)

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The Economic Impact of the Arts is Accelerating in South Carolina: According to a recent U.S. Department of Commerce report looking at the years 2014-2016, South Carolina is one of the Top 10 states -- 8th actually -- in terms of economic growth in the arts and culture sector.With an average annual growth rate of of 7.5%, South Carolina ranks just ahead of Florida (7.1%) and just behind New Mexico (7.7%), California (7.8%), and Tennessee (7.8%) The Palmetto State's southern neighbor, Georgia, comes in at No. 2, with 11.1% growth. The Peach State's growth is due in strong part to its growing role as a motion picture and television hub -- it's where Marvel Studios shoots most of its films, like April 29th's Avengers: Endgame.Washington State tops the list at 11.9%, thanks to its growing publishing sector. It's a safe assumption that the majority of Washington's publishing economy is tech centric.Festivals like Greenville's Artisphere and Charleston's Spoleto Festival USA -- which had an economic impact of $42 million in 2016 -- surely played a role in South Carolina's recent surge. But any overall impact is built upon the work of the 51,551 people employed in the arts and culture sector, which includes not only artists, performers, and writers but architects and ad men and women.In South Carolina, broadcasting and museums are the two most impactful industries, followed by architectural services and performing and events promotions. In Georgia the leading industries are motion pictures, broadcasting, and museums, while North Carolina's top three are publishing, motion pictures, and advertising. A recently released S.C. Arts Commission report notes that the arts has an estimated statewide economic impact of $9.7 billion dollars, based on 2014 figures. By comparison, agribusiness has a $41.7 billion impact, automotive is at $27 billion, advanced materials is at $21.9 billion, and aerospace is at $19 billion.It's worth noting that the S.C. Arts Commission report places the number of those directly employed in the arts at 75,336, while the U.S. Department of Commerce has over 20,000 less.The reasons for the difference, while likely justified, were not immediately available. There was also no comparable overall economic impact, but the two groups have similar figures for worker income or compensation: The Arts Commission notes $2.2 billion, and DOC references $2.7 billion. --Chris Haire***

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