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March 2024 Newsletter

Apr 28th, 2024

MBREDC March 2024 Newsletter

Excited to Welcome Amazon to Horry County!

For Immediate Release:

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Horry County and City of North Myrtle Beach Announce First

Amazon Facility

NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – Amazon has entered into an agreement to construct a Same-Day Delivery facility in North Myrtle Beach. Same-Day Delivery facilities allow Amazon to fulfill, sort, and deliver orders all from one site—making the entire process of delivering customer packages even faster. The facility, which will be approximately 165,000 square feet, is located within the Palmetto Coast Industrial Park. Launch plans for this facility are in the early stages, with construction starting earlier this month.

“South Carolina is a great place to live and work, and we’re excited to be growing our operations footprint in Myrtle Beach,” said Amazon Manager of Economic Development Sam Blatt. “Same-Day Delivery facilities are finely curated to the areas and customers they serve, so product selection varies by city. It’s also one of our fastest ways to serve our customers, which improves the overall shopping experience. We appreciate the support of our great partners, including the Myrtle Beach Regional Economic Development Corporation, Horry County, and the City of North Myrtle Beach, and we look forward to sharing more details about this facility in the future.”

Since 2010, Amazon has created more than 6,500 full- and part-time jobs in South Carolina and invested $6.3 billion across the state, including infrastructure and compensation to Amazon employees. These investments have contributed an additional $6 billion to the South Carolina economy and have helped create 7,000 indirect jobs on top of Amazon’s direct hires in the state. Most hourly employees in customer fulfillment and transportation earn between $17 and $28 per hour.

“Horry County is committed to creating a better place to live, work and play,” said Horry County Council Chairman Johnny Gardner. “Amazon is a perfect addition to our community. The creation of jobs, diversification of opportunities, the need to provide more services to our residents and visitors, and their commitment to create a facility in our county is exciting. We appreciate their investment in Horry County and welcome them to Team Horry.”

“On behalf of the City of North Myrtle Beach Council and Staff, we welcome Amazon to our wonderful city,” said City of North Myrtle Beach Mayor Marilyn Hatley. “With the growth in our area, Amazon will be a tremendous asset. The economic impact of their business in our area will allow our workforce to diversify and create more job opportunities. Thank you for believing in our area and welcome to North Myrtle Beach.”

“It is an exciting and great day for an announcement,” said Myrtle Beach Regional Economic Development Corporation President Sandy Davis. “Amazon has been amazing to work with over the past year, and we look forward to watching them continue to grow. Thank you to our partners at Edgewater Ventures, Horry County and the City of North Myrtle Beach for making it happen. Welcome to Horry County!”

MEDIA CONTACT:

Sandy Davis

President & CEO

Myrtle Beach Regional Economic Development Corporation

(843) 347-4604

[email protected]

Hurricane Evacuation Zone Information

South Carolina residents and visitors can learn about hurricane evacuation zones and their vulnerability to storm surge on South Carolina’s coast with our Know Your Zone.

Check the Horry County Emergency Management’s webpage to Know Your Zone.

Home Sales, Leading Indicators Confirm Economy’s Strength

A 9.5% gain in home sales, as well as the first positive gain in a key economic index shows the economy is holding its own in an era of high interest rates.

By Tim Smart

US News & World Report

Home sales surged 9.5% in February despite higher mortgage rates as population growth and a strong labor market encouraged would-be buyers to move now, according to the National Association of Realtors.

Economists had expected a drop from January’s 3.1% increase.

Meanwhile, a forward-looking gauge of the economy moved up slightly in February, for the first time in two years. The Conference Board’s index of leading indicators gained 0.1% to 102.8 after a 0.4% decline in January.

Bank of America Grant Boosts

HGTC Fundraising Goal

$250,000 grant to bolster funding for HGTC’s ongoing capital campaign for New Nursing and Health Sciences Institute

Horry-Georgetown Technical College (HGTC) takes a significant step forward in realizing its vision for a new, world class Nursing and Health Sciences Institute with the help of a $250,000 grant from Bank of America. This generous contribution marks a pivotal moment in HGTC’s ongoing capital campaign, aimed at raising $2 million to support the construction and expansion of the institute, which is part of a larger $15 million project. The grant from Bank of America will accelerate progress toward expanding physical facilities and attracting new students to its Nursing and Health Sciences programs, preparing students for success in the rapidly evolving healthcare sector.

The grant is part of Bank of America’s longstanding commitment to strengthen coastal South Carolina communities by addressing key issues fundamental to economic opportunity and social progress. This announcement is the latest in a series of investments that Bank of America has made in HGTC in recent years, including support of HGTC’s Career Training programs and Emergency Scholarship Fund.

Upcoming MBREDC Events

Interested in sponsoring an

MBREDC 2024 Event?

Benefits of sponsoring:

Your company name/logo/hyperlink emailed in the invitation to all MBREDC members at least twice prior to the event.
Your company name/logo displayed at the event.
3-5 minutes to discuss your business during the event.
Opportunity to hand out and/or display materials during the event.
Shared guest list after the event.
Additional invitations to the event as possible.

Contact Sandra James for more information

and to reserve an event

** Only two sponsorships are still available**

MBREDC April Event:

Spring Social at the

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

DUE TO AN OVERWHELMING RESPONSE

this event is full!

If you would like to be added to the waitlist, email Sandra James

If you have requested tickets that you WILL NOT be using, email Sandra James

Join MBREDC Members for an evening of food, drinks, networking, and of course baseball!

Thursday, April 18, 2024

6:00-7:30 Food Served in Picnic Area

7:05 MB Pelicans vs Kannapolis Cannon Ballers

Seats in the stands included

Must register for tickets

Number of tickets based on MBREDC Membership Level

Thank you to our Sponsor:

MBREDC Events

MBREDC March 2024 Event:

Business & Workforce Resources

The Business & Workforce Resources event held on March 14 at The Conference Center at Barefoot Resort was a great success. Twelve different companies were there to make members aware of the many available resources from their agencies. With over 60 MBREDC members in attendance, there was also an opportunity to network and get to know fellow members. There were many prizes given out along with a great lunch provided by The Way Eatery. Thank you to Schooley Mitchell for sponsoring this event.

The MBREDC Industry Awareness Class visited Conway, SC during the month of February. There are many industrial parks in and around Conway, offering various products and jobs.

We began our day in the Homewood area at Johnson Furniture Manufacturing Co. This family-owned business makes furniture by hand for hotels along the Grand Strand and beyond.

CRP Industries was our next stop. This company, headquartered in New Jersey, supplies automotive parts. The Conway plant specializes in electric steering.

Next stop, Peek Pavement Markings, stripes highways all over South Carolina and Georgia.

Technology is at the forefront of everything, and Horry Telephone Cooperative (HTC) is definitely on the cutting edge. We were treated to a tour of their main facility along with speakers from different departments giving us updates on the latest advancements. Thank you to HTC for providing our lunch for the day as well.

Duplicates INK, also located in Conway, provides clients with marketing resources that are all created and manufactured in-house.

We rounded out the day at Teknoware, a Finland-based facility located in the Atlantic Center Industrial Park. Teknoware is one of the many industries recruited to Horry County by the MBREDC. They manufacture lighting for buses and trains and employ around 50 workers from our area.

What a great day visiting these local industries! A big THANK YOU to Bank of America for sponsoring our bus for the day!

Visit the websites of these local industries to learn more about what is being made in Horry County and the jobs they offer.

Thank you to each of these businesses for welcoming our class.

If you are interested in being part of the next Industry Awareness Class that will begin in September 2024, contact Sandra James for more information. Applications will be accepted beginning in June 2024.