CRBR Women of Influence The governor delivered the annual address at the State House in Columbia where lawmakers and others heard a roundup of the successes of 2023 STATE OF THE STATE: Governor vows to fight unions to the ‘gates of hell’ Henry McMaster promised Wednesday night to keep the state on the same track that has led to a booming economy by prioritizing education and infrastructure inviting innovators into the state and keeping unions out challenges and opportunities,” the governor said in the annual State of the State delivered at the State House with legislators members of his cabinet and the justices from the South Carolina Supreme Court in attendance McMaster said the state economy in 2023 created a record budget surplus with more than $9.21 billion in capital investment and 14,120 jobs created the state has announced more than $36.4 billion in new investments from companies creating 86,378 new jobs McMaster pointed to the South Carolina attributes that attract new companies and inspire growth by existing ones such as tourism destinations that are also good for the people who live here “South Carolina was named as one of the top five golf destinations in the world and best in the country for 2023 according to the International Association of Golf Travel Operators Ours is the only state in the United States to make this list “This reputation was evidenced in 2023 by the announcement of a new PGA TOUR tournament joining the prestigious RBC Heritage tournament held the month before on Hilton Head Island.” He also pointed to other destinations around the state Charleston’s ever-present place on destination lists 1 island by Conde Nast readers and a destination newcomer: Greenville’s Unity Park named by Reader’s Digest Magazine as one of the “Nicest Places in America.” The governor also restated a commitment to investing in the education system needed to build a workforce the initiatives from better teacher pay to college tuition assistance in addition to investments in programs from kindergarten through higher education The governor stated that growth and development should not be undertaken at the peril of the state’s natural world that plays such a significant role in attracting not just tourists but the workforce needed to operates the industrial and business engines behind prosperity and marshes are among the most beautiful in the nation,” he said as noted by the explorers for kings and queens Our incomparable cultural and environmental heritage distinguishes our state and people from others And all possess a strength and beauty we must never lose economic growth and the preservation of our shared heritage are not opposing objectives which must be balanced as in a competition To strengthen one is to strengthen the other.” The governor said he is recommending to the Legislature that $33 million be appropriated to identify and preserve culturally or environmentally significant properties disaster recovery and flooding mitigation efforts as well as beach renourishment projects along the coast “We cannot allow our state’s culturally and environmentally significant structures “It is our duty to preserve and protect our history and public and private organizations dedicated to these goals.” Much of McMaster’s speech was about successful efforts to attract business investment and what the state is doing to keep the business-growth atmosphere healthy and vigorous “South Carolina is a national leader in advanced manufacturing And now we are leading the way in the new and innovative electric vehicle and battery manufacturing industry,” McMaster said “We are home to four major electric vehicle manufacturers major international EV battery manufacturers the nation’s largest EV battery recycling facility and many other industries in the electric vehicle manufacturing supply chain.” He pointed to the SC Nexus for Advanced Resilient Energy consortium developed by the South CarOlina Department of Commerce as an investment that will pay off by making the state a destination for business “This consortium was developed in collaboration with our research universities “It is the culmination of groundwork laid in prior years through collaborative public-private initiatives This cooperative spirit produced our EV Working Group a one-stop shop to recruit and assist with electric vehicle investment and manufacturing in the state.” The Commerce Department also produced the PowerSC Energy Resources and Economic Development Interagency Working Group This group leads the effort to coordinate the state’s energy stakeholders to ensure that we have the energy necessary to meet the needs of the future Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration’s designation as one of the Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs which allows SC Nexus to apply for federal funding South Carolina was one of 31 finalists selected SC Nexus will compete for federal grant funding valued between $40-$70 million annually,” McMaster said “My executive budget includes $15 million to support SC Nexus and serve as the state “match” required for this competition McMaster pointed to specific investments as highlights of economic recruitment in 2023 Scout Motors will revitalize an American brand as an all-electric next-generation truck and SUV with a $2 billion investment and 4,000 jobs for a lithium hydroxide processing facility e-VAC Magnetics’ investment of more than $500 million and creation of 300 jobs will produce rare earth permanent magnets which the governor said will help secure the United States’ domestic pipeline for these rare earth magnets ZF Transmissions Grey Court is expanding its operation for the growing and evolving mobility industry with a $500 million investment and 400 jobs Pallidus is relocating its corporate headquarters and semiconductor manufacturing operations to South Carolina with a $443 million investment and 405 new jobs Cirba Solutions will build a state-of-the-art flagship operation to produce lithium-ion battery materials with more than 300 new jobs and a more than $300 million investment will establish operations with a $130 million investment and 103 new jobs McMaster recognized Secretary of Commerce Harry Lightsey and his team: “You all made the right decisions,” he said “We boomed in 2023 and will boom again in 2024.” The success on that front has led to challenges on another “The demand for a trained EV workforce is outpacing the number of qualified applicants,” McMaster said Volvo Cars and Scout Motors will need a highly specialized and trained workforce of almost 20,000 South Carolinians my executive budget recommends $50 million to create specialized EV training institutes at our technical college campuses.” “One thing we do not need is more labor unions,” he said … We have worked hard and carefully — through education training and business recruitment — to earn our record prosperity and we will continue to preserve and enhance it.” He blamed unions for crippling the economies of other cities and states and with their numbers dropping unions are eyeing the prosperous Southeast for new members vehicle and tire manufacturers are no longer the sole targets for labor organizers,” he said “Our thriving hospitality and tourism industry along our coast now finds itself a target It seems that no business or employee in South Carolina is safe from the disingenuous campaigns and destructive impacts of union infiltration No one should bargain their prosperity under threats of union boycotts or coercive pressure campaigns We will not let our state’s economy suffer or become collateral damage as labor unions seek to consume new jobs and conscript new dues-paying members And we will not allow the Biden administration’s pro-union policies to chip away at South Carolina’s sovereign interests South Carolina Treasurer Curtis Loftis will stay in office for now as the House opts not to act on Senate reso[...] The project brings two battery-electric and two hydrogen fuel cell buses to the authority's fleet The program allows residents to pay their real estate bills in installments and is used by about 4,000 people [...] The Pennsylvania company has operations across the nation The SBA is extending the physical damage loan deadline for disaster declarations affected by the 2024 federal [...] Sign up for your daily digest of Columbia Business Report Hundreds turn out to see what governor and South Carolina Department of Employment and Wor[...] Blanchard Machinery begins construction on a $65M Calhoun County facility to boost growth Ritedose secures FDA approval for its formoterol inhalation solution expanding COPD treatment optio[...] Kimberly-Clark will invest $200M to expand its Beech Island plant creating 150+ jobs and enhancing [...] South Carolina Treasurer Curtis Loftis will stay in office for now as the House opts not to act on S[...] Techo-Bloc will open its first South Carolina facility in Lexington County Columbia Business Report is the market leader in business media in South Carolina We connect you with decision-makers and stakeholders throughout the state Get our free e-alerts & breaking news notifications Log in for access to the latest digital and special editions Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas, Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information, news and insight around the world Rich countries risk missing their goal to provide $100 billion a-year by 2020 to help poorer nations combat climate change after funding slowed in the year since President Donald Trump vowed to pull the U.S Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker One of the three women charged in Monday’s antisemitic vandalism at Elbit Systems in Merrimack is a former teen celebrity who has been the subject of fawning press coverage for years Another appeared on several Disney Channel TV shows and sabotage after they were arrested Monday on the roof of the Elbit facility in Merrimack armed with spray paint and incendiary devices Walsh and Ross were issued $20,000 cash bail due to previous arrests Their stunt at Elbit’s Daniel Webster Highway location is part of a long-standing campaign by Palestine Action US Elbit Systems of America’s parent company – Israel-based Elbit Systems – is the largest defense contractor for Israel Palestine Action US says its mission is “dismantling Elbit Systems and the Zionist War Machine.” but she has an extensive history of Democratic activism and support for Palestinian violence toward Israel Walsh is active in the anti-Israel “Boycott/Divest/Sanction (BDS) movement which many critics say is antisemitic due to its sole focus on the Jewish State More problematic is Walsh’s involvement in the so-called “Boston Mapping Project,” which created an interactive map identifying places where Jews tended to congregate as well as the locations of Jewish community organizations in Massachusetts The map included locations of Jewish daycares and schools The New York Times has described Walsh as “representative of an influential new force in Democratic politics activists who cut their teeth on the presidential campaigns of Sens Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.) was no fan of her work on the Mapping Project “This is just chilling to me. It is tapping into millennia-old antisemitic tropes about nefarious Jewish wealth, control, conspiracy, media connections, and political string-pulling,” Auchincloss, who is Jewish, told the news site Jewish Insider at the time which has a very sinister history in Judaism [The group] needs to take this down and apologize.” Walsh is also the founder of Students for Markey the army of young people who knocked on doors and worked the phones to get progressive Sen Ed Markey past Joe Kennedy III in the 2020 Massachusetts Democratic Senate primary Walsh became a semi-celebrity for her Markey activism “I just support whoever is the most progressive in the race … I definitely do tend to support the person who’s challenging the incumbent, but Ed, I think, is a special case just because he’s led on so many issues that matter to young people,” Walsh told Dig Boston at the time Walsh is credited for being a leader in the “Markeyverse,” the online army of hundreds of teens who used their social media accounts to campaign for the Massachusetts progressive Markey’s office did not respond to a request for comment Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) with whom Walsh campaigned Walsh never hid her feelings about Israel and her support for Palestinian violence while she was working on the campaigns of prominent Massachusetts Democrats “There is no ‘peaceful solution’ under military occupation One can’t claim to want to see Palestine liberated if one doesn’t support Palestinians’ actually means of liberation,” Walsh tweeted last year Shergalis had been a working actress with television roles in teen shows like “So Random” on Disney and it isn’t clear when she became involved in the anti-Israel BDS movement Representatives with A3 Artists Agency in Los Angeles has a low profile and appears to not have public social media accounts Both Walsh and Ross were ordered held on $20,000 bail Tuesday The pair had recently been arrested at an Elbit protest in Cambridge and were out on bail when they were arrested Monday Police were called to the Elbit facility around 8 a.m Monday for reports of people blocking the entrance and smoke coming from the roof According to a Merrimack Police Department press release “Officers discovered the front of the building had been spray painted with red paint and at least one of the main lobby doors had been locked shut via a bicycle anti-theft device.”  The three women reportedly lit “incendiary devices” and took them to the roof For Comments, Questions, Or Complaints aboutour articles please contact us Looking to access paid articles across multiple policy topics Interested in policy insights for EU professional organisations need help to compete with the proliferation of cheap grain from the war-torn state a major global grain producer and exporter received EU aid after the outbreak of Russia’s war and created solidarity corridors so the country could continue its grain exports the suspension of customs duties and dropping the requirement of sanitary and veterinary certificates have made it easier for the product to penetrate the markets of its neighbouring countries at low prices Romania imported an unprecedented 13.9% of $1.24 billion worth of Ukrainian grain Many Romanian farmers have seen their products languishing in warehouses for over a year as they cannot compete with the low prices of Ukrainian grain transporting grain for the external market is also almost impossible because all the logistical capacity is concentrated on Ukrainian cargo Others have criticised the quality of Ukrainian grain as it remains exempt from quality control and EU standards If the agreement on the export of grain through the Black Sea is not extended because all the burden will be shifted to Romania a grain market expert and advisor to Agriculture Minister Petr Daea the government must think about constructing a private Romanian terminal at the Port of Constanta where national producers can sell on the domestic market and the surplus can be sent to the foreign market Romania will become a mere transit country and a market for Ukrainian grain,” Gheorghe told EURACTIV farmers blocked the movement of trucks at several border crossings with Ukraine in early February All eyes are now on the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Brussels that is set to be held on 20-21 March Romania and five other countries in the region called on the EU to take measures to reduce the problems caused by increased Ukrainian grain imports A response is expected at AGRIFISH next week Azərbaycan Respublikası Dövlət Təhlükəsizliyi Xidməti 10 erməni əsilli şəxs qarşı tərəfə təhvil verilmişdir