South Carolina leaders host inaugural SC Governor’s Economic Summit

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) – Governor Henry McMaster and other state leaders hosted the inaugural South Carolina Governor’s Economic Summit on Monday, featuring many business leaders and companies from across the state.

The summit offered many sessions, panel discussions and presentations, including the unveiling of the new agency brand under the South Carolina Department of Commerce which is called “Launch to Legacy Brand.”

The purpose of the brand is to include qualitative and quantitative research with more than 500 in-state domestic and international stakeholders to understand current perceptions of the state and what it means to do business in South Carolina.

They also hope to identify selling points that differentiate South Carolina from its competitors across the Southeast and the nation.

Secretary of Commerce Harry Lightsey III spoke about being prepared for the future of economic development.

“It’s all about the future,” Lightsey said. “What we’re going through in terms of the automobile industry and the changes representing by scout motors here is just the beginning of what kind of change is gonna speak through every business sector and this is all about preparing our state to be apart of that change, to embrace that change, and to capitalize on the opportunities as they present themselves and we’ve been very deliberate in how we’ve gone about this rebranding process.”

One of the most notable featured businesses was Scout Motors.

The keynote speaker at the summit was Scout Motors President and CEO Scott Keough, who highlighted his company’s electric automotive plant coming to Blythewood in 2025.

The plant is looking to add over 4,000 jobs to the area, and Keough spoke on his confidence in having the plant thrive in Blythewood due to infrastructure and training.

“First and foremost… the land was available, the state was 100% ready for infrastructure,” Keough said. “In our business, you need the railheads, you need the energy to go make it happen. It’s a lot of states that have land and not a lot of states don’t have the infrastructure ready to go. Blythewood is a perfect mix. You throw in the livability of the state, you throw in the likability of the state, you throw in the closeness of a major university in Columbia and it works perfectly.”

Governor Henry McMaster spoke briefly on the state of economic growth and job availability in South Carolina at the summit. He said more work is available with more accessible training available in Palmetto State.

“We have plenty of people that can do the work, but we have to show it to them, we can’t tell them about it,” McMaster said. “That’s one of the reasons why we’re so excited about Scout. Scout is going to excite a lot of people. People are gonna want to get off the sofa and get to work.”

Scott Keough with Scout Motors confirmed today the Blythewood plant expects to hire 600 people by the end of 2025.

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