Tag: Governor Mark Sanford

Nikki Haley did it again! She had a meteoric rise in the South Carolina Legislature, and her big break came when Governor Mark Sanford had some extramarital incidents and then he and his (ex)wife endorsed her for Governor in 2010. Even with the Sanfords’ endorsements she was mired in fourth place in the polls. Then Governor Sarah Palin endorsed her and it propelled her to first place. She forced a run-off in the GOP primary, which she easily won, and after some planted stories from fellow Republicans Sarah Palin stood by her, and she became Governor, the youngest U.S Governor, female minority to boot. She has done a lot of things right for South Carolina since then, so she won re-election easily in 2014.

Her latest feat is snagging the Volvo assembly plant.

Gov. Nikki Haley and state Commerce officials made the bombshell revelation that Volvo Cars has decided to open its first U.S.-based plant in Berkeley County, bringing millions in investment and 4,000 jobs to the state by 2020

Haley  said the Charleston Port was a deciding factor in snagging the deal.

“And they wanted to see a state that was going to care about the business atmosphere, but more than that, a state that was going to have a relationship. Because they wanted to be made in America, and all credit goes to Volvo Cars for saying we want to make it in America. More importantly, we love that they’re now going to be made in South Carolina,” Haley said.

The $500 million facility at the Berkeley County timber plantation, which is nearly 40 miles northwest of port and export-rich Charleston. At full capacity, 100,000 cars will be built at the factory each year.

Haley credited the state’s workforce for helping land the automaker.

“They saw the fact that this is a state where they build planes,” Haley said. “We now have three car companies, we now have five tire companies. We have carbon fiber, we have TV. What they knew was if we build it, we build it well, we build it with quality, we build it with loyalty, and we build it with pride. And that’s something you can’t just find anywhere.”

Information on jobs at the plant can be found online. Or, if you’re a vendor interested in doing business with the plant, you can find that information on the Commerce Department’s website.

So, what is so good about the South Carolina Workforce? Besides being a right to work state, and a nearby good port in Charleston, what else is there?

South Carolina has a very good Technical College system with Workforce Training with readySC™,  providing well-trained employees to qualifying companies that invest in South Carolina. A comprehensive and customized process, readySC™ includes recruiting, screening and training, tailoring guidelines and curriculum to fit a company’s needs. This is not Crony Capitalism, just concern for a well trained and educated work force.

This is the future of manufacturing. Rather than concentrating of University education, the backbone of manufacturing is through Technical College, and even trade schools.

Good going, Nikki Haley and South Carolina!