#YeahTHATAgenda: Greenville Named a Best Beer City, New Home Permits Plummet in SC, Industrial CRE Soars, The Importance of SC's Ports

Latest Richmond Fed Report: Civilian labor force and real/median family income rise in South Carolina, while new home permits plummet, YoY: You want the bad news first? Here goes: New housing permits were down YoY in June across the Palmetto State. While the manufacturing heart of South Carolina -- Spartanburg -- saw positive numbers (+14.89%), the three biggest metros saw huge drops: Columbia (-3.75%), Charleston (-36.59%), and Greenville (-44.02). MoM, both Charleston and Greenville were also down, but Columbia and Spartanburg were up. As for the civilian labor force rate, it's up 2.45% across the state, and up 1.3% in Columbia, 2.22% in Greenville/Anderson, and 2.63 in Charleston. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate remains mostly steady in the Big Three and the state as a whole. ***

12.84 million square feet --> 13.47 square feet: Last year, the industrial commercial real estate market in the Palmetto State absorbed 12.84 square feet, while a mere two quarters into 2019 that number already has been bested by nearly one million square feet, according to Colliers International.

Colliers credits the growing logistics and supply chain network in South Carolina with a good portion of that growth.

Recently, the Ball State Center for Business and Economic Research's annual Manufacturing Scorecard gave the Palmetto State a not-so glowing grade of C- in the logistics industry. The sector has exploded since the arrival of Inland Port Greer and is set to grow even more following the completion of the Charleston Harbor deepening project.

Hourly wages in Greenville and Spartanburg counties increased by 15% from 2013-2017 in the transportation and warehousing (T&W) business. These counties have also added more than 5,000 new T&W jobs over that same time period, a 31.6% increase.

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Greenville Places Eighth on Beer City List: #YeahTHATGreenville has earned a surprising top beer city nod from ApartmentGuide.com, an ode to the recent swell of craft brewers in the county since the rankings are based on the number of sudsmakers per 50,0000 people.

While Greenville's Thomas Creek has been in the craft beer distribution game for two decades now -- with Greer's Blue Bridge Brewing Company serving as the area's longest running brew pub since opening way back in 1987 -- the past few years have seen a rise in independent brewers, from 13 Stripes in Taylors to Birds Fly South in the San Souci area outside downtown Greenville and Fireforge Crafted Beer in the CBD, a few blocks from Main Street.Greenville's across-the-border-neighbor in Asheville topped the list, placing above such traditional beer heavyweights as Portland, Maine; Bend, Ore.; and Boulder, Colo.

Oddly enough Charleston, which has the highest number of craft beer makers in the state and the most high-profile brewers, didn't make the list.

To see the entire top 10 Best Cities for Beer Lovers list, go here. ***

15,338/2,889: The number of rail moves at Inland Port Greer and the new Inland Port Dillon in July. Those numbers mark a YoY increase of 57% for Greer and a 122% for Dillon, which opened last year.

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5: The number of years in a row that MUSC Health University Hospital has been named the No. 1 hospital in South Carolina by U.S. News & World Report. ***Greenville Business Magazine's annual Legal Elite issue has arrived. See who made the list.UofSC Grad And Lawyer Cheslie Kryst Is Making Her Mark As Miss USA (Columbia Business Monthly)The Fight for Five Points (Free-Times)Norwegian Boeing 787 Engine Parts Fall From Sky Onto Italian Town (Forbes)Duke Energy names new South Carolina state president (Cision)East Bay hardware store's move continues trend of expanding upper King Street corridor (Charleston City Paper)In SC’s tight labor market, job seekers with criminal records finding more opportunities (Post & Courier)Greenville mayor pushes for affordable housing at $1B County Square redevelopment site (Greenville News)Greenwood CPW reveals water supply has been fluoride-free for a year (Index-Journal)Editorial: SC must be as public as possible about efforts to sell Santee Cooper (Post & Courier)Why the Panthers will make you use your phone to get into games (The Herald)Summerville Forklift maker Kion North America receives largest order (SCBiz)Aiken Works wants to create the area's next-generation workforce (Aiken Standard)New multifamily development proposed along Greenville's Swamp Rabbit Trail (Upstate Business Journal)***Hires & Honors

Charleston-based construction firm Frampton Construction Company, LLC, has been named to ENR Magazine’s 2019 Southeast Top Contractors list. ENR is the engineering publication of record.

Dr. Suhail Kumar has joined the staff of the Greenville private medical practice Piedmont Arthritis Clinic, P.A.

Former Greer State Bank executive and Oconee Federal senior credit advisor Brad Cantrell has joined Greenwood-based Countybank as the vice president, SBA business development officer in its Greenville office.

The Wofford College Athletics Department has one new team member and two promotions. Former App State Assistant Director of Compliance Samuel Keenan is Wofford's new director of compliance, while Elizabeth Rabb is now deputy director of athletics for external affairs and Luke Feisal is assistant director of athletics for development and revenue optimization.

Milena E. Velez will take the position of Newberry College's director of admission with the start of the 2019-2020 academic year.